Does my motherboard have enough power phases?

[Kirigar]

So, since I bought this computer I have been getting some pretty bad performance. And I didn't know what the problem was. But after some searching around I found out that my cpu was somehow bottlenecking my GPU pretty badly. Which I thought was pretty weird because I have an FX-8320 and an R9 290x, which is enough for most games.

Then I found out that the problem could be my motherboard, because it has a 4+1 phase design. I'm not entirely sure what that means, but I think it is the source of the problem.

So can anyone tell me if it is the problem, and how I can fix it, or if i should buy a new motherboard

P.S. English is not my first language

 

[Kirigar]

I also just noticed that I probalby posted this question in the wrong category so if anybody can tell me how to change the category that would be great. Thanks

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

It's not your board , FX 8000 and 9000 series do bottleneck some of the higher end cards in some games, that's why a lot of people have moved on to intel i5 and i7.

 

[Kirigar]

Ok, I understand that it can happen in some newer games, but it even happens in some old games. For example when I played Assassin's Creed 3 I could hardly consistently hit 60 fps and that game came out in 2012. And this happens with almost every game I play. (Except for the small indie titles)

 

[GhislainG]

So, since I bought this computer I have been getting some pretty bad performance. And I didn't know what the problem was. But after some searching around I found out that my cpu was somehow bottlenecking my GPU pretty badly. Which I thought was pretty weird because I have an FX-8320 and an R9 290x, which is enough for most games.

Then I found out that the problem could be my motherboard, because it has a 4+1 phase design. I'm not entirely sure what that means, but I think it is the source of the problem.

So can anyone tell me if it is the problem, and how I can fix it, or if i should buy a new motherboard

P.S. English is not my first language

Is it overclocked? Does it throttle? Use AMD Overdrive to monitor it at full load; if the frequency doesn't drop to 1.4 GHz and the thermal margins are 10°C or higher, then it isn't powerful enough for the GPU.

 

[Kirigar]

So, since I bought this computer I have been getting some pretty bad performance. And I didn't know what the problem was. But after some searching around I found out that my cpu was somehow bottlenecking my GPU pretty badly. Which I thought was pretty weird because I have an FX-8320 and an R9 290x, which is enough for most games.

Then I found out that the problem could be my motherboard, because it has a 4+1 phase design. I'm not entirely sure what that means, but I think it is the source of the problem.

So can anyone tell me if it is the problem, and how I can fix it, or if i should buy a new motherboard

P.S. English is not my first language

Is it overclocked? Does it throttle? Use AMD Overdrive to monitor it at full load; if the frequency doesn't drop to 1.4 GHz and the thermal margins are 10°C or higher, then it isn't powerful enough for the GPU.

Yes, it is overclocked to 4.0GHz. I've done some stress tests and the Frequency does indeed sometimes drop to 1.4 GHz. During the drop to 1.4GHz the thermal margins are 40 degrees celcius

 

[GhislainG]

Then the VRM on the motherboard is throttling the CPU to protect itself. What motherboard and CPU cooler? Since you most likely have a cheap motherboard with a 4+1 phase VRM, you shouldn't overclock the CPU since throttling is worse than a slower CPU. Depending on the motherboard, throttling may possibly be prevented, but a motherboard with a 6+2 or 8+2 phase VRM that fully supports your overclcoked CPU would be the best solution.

 

[GhislainG]

It would be nice if you could post a picture of AOD while the CPU is throttled to 1.4 GHz.

 

[Kirigar]

It would be nice if you could post a picture of AOD while the CPU is throttled to 1.4 GHz.

http://imgur.com/0NtWt42

 

[GhislainG]

It would be nice if you could post a picture of AOD while the CPU is throttled to 1.4 GHz.

The]http://imgur.com/0NtWt42

The CPU has to be throttled by the motherboard. Motherboard and CPU cooler?

 

[Kirigar]

Motherboard: ASRock 970 extreme3
CPU Cooler: CoolerMaster Hyper 212 EVO

 

[GhislainG]

Motherboard: ASRock 970 extreme3
CPU Cooler: CoolerMaster Hyper 212 EVO

It's normal you have throttling issues because you ignored the ASRock recommendation: "* For cooling the CPU and its surrounding components, please install a CPU cooler with a top-down blowing design." A CM 212 Evo doesn't meet that requirement; you have a couple solutions:
- Add a fan to cool the VRM (difficult with a large cooler already installed)
- Replace the cooler by one that meets the requirements (top-down and a fan that displaces a lot of air like the AMD Wraith)
- Buy a new motherboard with a good VRM (ASUS 970 Pro Gaming/Aura, GIGABYTE GA-970-Gaming SLI, MSI 970 Gaming, Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3P or any other 970 or 990FX motherboard with a good VRM)

Personally I'd seriously consider the ASUS 970 Pro Gaming/Aura and the GIGABYTE GA-970-Gaming SLI.