FX-8350 Drops from 4.4GHz to 1.4GHz

[Corey Brandon]

My CPU mostly runs at 1.4GHz, this causes me to have very bad fps, around 10-17 on Arma 3, then when it actually runs at 4.4GHz, it runs at 40-50 fps. I first noticed this problem while stress testing after overclocking, but experiences with the game lead me to believe it kept dropping before overclocking. I have a min of 37C and high of 62C

System specs if they help.

Windows 7
AMD FX-8350
8.00GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 937MHz
Gigabyte 970A-DS3P
3072MB ATI AMD Radeon R9 280
1863GB Seagate ST2000DM001-1ER164 ATA Device


Thankyou for any response.

 

[gskill support]

Disable power saving features in BIOS and see if a consistent frequency is better.

 

[nathanstrainrocks]

The 8350 should not run at 4.4 unless you have overclocked. It has a maximum of 4.2

 

[Corey Brandon]

The 8350 should not run at 4.4 unless you have overclocked. It has a maximum of 4.2

I have overclocked, I've had this problem before I overclocked though

 

[Corey Brandon]

Disable power saving features in BIOS and see if a consistent frequency is better.

All of the power saving features are disabled.

 

[GhislainG]

Your problem probably is caused by the motherboard that may not have good enough VRMs for that CPU (4+1 phase instead of 8+2 phase for the Gigabyte 970A-UD3P).

 

[yatys93]

have you checked in catalyst to see what the CPU power options are set to? as there is a slider that goes from 1.4 to 4 in there, might need to move the minimum up.

 

[bmacsys]

Your problem probably is caused by the motherboard that may not have good enough VRMs for that CPU (4+1 phase instead of 8+2 phase for the Gigabyte 970A-UD3P).

This, he is probably getting some thermal throttling from the crappy power section on that board.

 

[GhislainG]

Unfortunately an FX CPU can officially be supported, but that doesn't mean the motherboard won't throttle it to protect itself.

 

[gskill support]

Do you have the latest BIOS?

 

[CTurbo]

It's throttling under load. It's a common problem with the FXs when used on MOST AM3+ motherboards. It's the main reason why the FX cpus are NOT "better for a budget" because you pretty much HAVE to get a good motherboard to get them to perform. Set it back to stock speeds and you may even have to set it to FX8320 stock settings.

 

[sely04]

Add a fan pointing to the back of the socket on the backside of the motherboard. This will fix your problems at 4.4ghz.

 

[Corey Brandon]

Thanks guys, I will try a new mother bored. I will post back the result then.
Any recommendations for motherboards compatible with my specs?

 

[CTurbo]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3P ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($76.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $76.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-06-24 22:43 EDT-0400

 

[sely04]

This is what I have:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131851&cm_re=Asus_M5a99_R2.0-_-13-131-851-_-Product

When I overclocked to 4.5ghz, I put a little fan on the back of the motherboard, covering the back of the CPU socket. Since the VRMs all stem from there, I had no problem with thermal throttling.

 

[GhislainG]

This is what I have:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131851&cm_re=Asus_M5a99_R2.0-_-13-131-851-_-Product

When I overclocked to 4.5ghz, I put a little fan on the back of the motherboard, covering the back of the CPU socket. Since the VRMs all stem from there, I had no problem with thermal throttling.

Your motherboard is a lot better; by adding a fan to cool the VRM it supports 220W CPUs.; therefore it has no issues with an overclocked FX-8350. The Gigabyte 970A-DS3P is fine for a 95W CPU, but it sometimes throttles when using a 125W CPU. Being able to support a processor doesn't imply that it won't throttle to prevent damage to the VRM. The Gigabyte 970A-UD3P costs a bit more, but it has no problems supporting the FX-8350.

 

[bmacsys]

It's throttling under load. It's a common problem with the FXs when used on MOST AM3+ motherboards. It's the main reason why the FX cpus are NOT "better for a budget" because you pretty much HAVE to get a good motherboard to get them to perform. Set it back to stock speeds and you may even have to set it to FX8320 stock settings.

This isn't exactly true anymore. The 95 watt variants are fine with lesser boards. They even overclock well with less volts and heat. Still a good 8+2 board is my minimum.

 

[CTurbo]

He's using a 125w cpu on a board with 4+1 PP ======== throttling.

 

[Corey Brandon]

Hey guys, just to Clarify, it was the motherboard throttling. Thanks for all the help. I now have an ASUS Sabertooth z97 mark S and an Intel i7-4790k. Can see the difference straight off the bat for gaming.