AMD FX-8320 not perfoming correctly

[BroDubun]

I'm finding that my FX-8320 (clocked at 5ghz stable) is getting really weird performance in CPU intensive games. It's under performing by a fair margin. All the benchmarks I've looked up for it show much higher FPS in game then I'm getting (even ones clocked at stock speeds). I can barely hold 25 FPS in GTAV. My system performs beautifully in graphically demanding games but severally struggles in CPU demanding titles. My question is, can anyone explain to me why I'm getting less then stock performance even though I have a large stable overclock?

-note: It performs the same when not overclocked and I have used multiple programs to check frequency. I even tried updating my motherboard BIOS with no effect.

-note: I have the system hooked up to a UPS constanty if that means anything.

System Specs:

CPU: FX-8320@5Ghz | 1.4750v | Idle: 20C | Load:40C
Cooler: Corsair H100i V2 | Quiet Fan Profile
Case: DIY PC Red Cuboid
PSU: EVGA 750w | 80+ Bronze | Modular
GPU: RX 480 8GB | Reference Card | Overclocked to 1350 on Core 2200 on memory
RAM: 32 GB | 1600Mhz
MB: Gigabyte GA-78LMT Rev. 6.0 | Newest BIOS

Thank you and any and all advice would be great!

 

[BroDubun]

CPU: FX-8320@5Ghz | 1.4750v | Idle: 20C | Load:40C
Cooler: Corsair H100i V2 | Quiet Fan Profile

The numbers presented in the very first post don't pass the "smell" test.

That much voltage, going through so many inefficient cores, with so high an overclock, will not run at 40ºC under load.

Even non-overclocked FX CPUs run hotter than that (I own several,) not to mention the OP says he's using the quiet fan profile for the cooler.

I'm not accusing anybody of lying, but I do suspect there is incorrect information here. If the motherboard were to throttle the chip, how would it present itself, if at all? If the temperature is to be believed, I highly suspect the CPU is never properly spooling up all of it's cores.

Agreed, something is fishy with the temps. I get bad temp readings with my FX 6300 whether using AMD Overdrive or HW Monitor. Sometimes my idle temp will show 15C when my ambient is 25C or so. I attribute that to the crappy motherboard.

I also thought myself that the temps were fishy, but I wasn't going to complain about low temps on a processor that normally is toasty.

 

[bigpinkdragon286]

Agreed, something is fishy with the temps. I get bad temp readings with my FX 6300 whether using AMD Overdrive or HW Monitor. Sometimes my idle temp will show 15C when my ambient is 25C or so. I attribute that to the crappy motherboard.

FX CPUs have a very peculiar method of temperature reporting, such that I suggest you basically throw away temperature readings that are not under load.

About the best you can do for a temperature reading is to use AOD (AMD Overdrive) and look at the temperatures it tells you. But even then, it tends to be confusing as it's not reporting a direct temperature, rather, it's reporting how much headroom there is between the current CPU temperature and what AMD has decided is too hot for the chip to run at.

 

[bigpinkdragon286]

If your chip is only running up to 40ºC when loaded for any length of time, it's nowhere near normal.

It's entirely possible for the clock speed of your CPU to be misreported.

The best way to determine would be to benchmark it against the same architecture, at known clock speeds. This certainly won't sort out your problem, but it may just tell you the actual clock speed you are realizing from your current configuration.

The lowest multiplier I can set my FX 8370 in AOD is 8x, but here are some numbers I just generated from CPU-Z 1.76's benchmark feature that you can compare against if you like:

1600 MHz 1-Thread: 462; Multi-Thread: 3033
1700 MHz 1-Thread: 490; Multi-Thread: 3187
1800 MHz 1-Thread: 521; Multi-Thread: 3385
1900 MHz 1-Thread: 550; Multi-Thread: 3599
2000 MHz 1-Thread: 579; Multi-Thread: 3810
2500 MHz 1-Thread: 725; Multi-Thread: 4669
3000 MHz 1-Thread 874; Multi-Thread: 5643
3500 MHz 1-Thread: 1020; Multi-Thread: 6625
4000 MHz 1-Thread: 1166; Multi-Thread 7581
4500 MHz 1-Thread: 1313; Multi-Thread: 8518

 

[mjslakeridge]

Current versions of AMD overdrive do indeed show the Thermal Margin. I happen to have the older version which shows the actual temperature. When I tried to install a current version, it said it was unable to do so, as it was incompatible with my motherboard.

 

[bigpinkdragon286]

Current versions of AMD overdrive do indeed show the Thermal Margin. I happen to have the older version which shows the actual temperature. When I tried to install a current version, it said it was unable to do so, as it was incompatible with my motherboard.

No idea what, if any difference it makes, but I believe 4.0.3 was the first version of AOD that supported the 15h (FX) family of CPUs.