Is my CPU too slow to handle an RX 480?

[Gamestarninja]

As of right now this is my PC:
CPU: Fx-8320 OC 4.0ghz
RAM: 8 gb
GPU: R9 285

So this is my problem. I'm not satisfied with my gaming performance right now and have considered upgrading. The problem is my CPU. Would it be more worth it to get and i5 6500 (including MOBO and RAM for $300) or to get an RX 480 for $200? I can't afford both. While I know my CPU won't literally bottleneck the GPU, it will cause low minimum frame rates and poor performance in CPU demanding titles.

 

[bgunner]

If your worrying about minimum frame rates then get the Intel setup. If you are having low maximum frame rates then get the RX 480.

 

[weberdarren97]

I'd suggest a CPU upgrade. Thanks to the way that AMD graphics cards are designed, they benefit greatly from more powerful cores, even if there are less of them.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-6300 3.8GHz Dual-Core Processor ($141.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: MSI B150 PC Mate ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($81.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($47.88 @ OutletPC)
Total: $271.85
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-11-14 23:20 EST-0500

That's my recommended upgrade... I'd like to know what models you're looking at that you can get all of them for $300.

 

[Gamestarninja]

I'd suggest a CPU upgrade. Thanks to the way that AMD graphics cards are designed, they benefit greatly from more powerful cores, even if there are less of them.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-6300 3.8GHz Dual-Core Processor ($141.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: MSI B150 PC Mate ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($81.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($47.88 @ OutletPC)
Total: $271.85
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-11-14 23:20 EST-0500

That's my recommended upgrade... I'd like to know what models you're looking at that you can get all of them for $300.

I feel that an i3 wouldn't be worth it in my opinion.

 

[CTurbo]

Upgrading your video card would net you more performance RIGHT NOW compared to upgrading your cpu. You wouldn't get 100% from a 480 with a 8320 but performance would still be good unless your motherboard is not very good.

 

[Gamestarninja]

Upgrading your video card would net you more performance RIGHT NOW compared to upgrading your cpu. You wouldn't get 100% from a 480 with a 8320 but performance would still be good unless your motherboard is not very good.

I have a Asus M5A97 LE R2.0 ATX AM3+. Also I don't see how a motherboard would affect performance.

 

[weberdarren97]

I'd suggest a CPU upgrade. Thanks to the way that AMD graphics cards are designed, they benefit greatly from more powerful cores, even if there are less of them.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-6300 3.8GHz Dual-Core Processor ($141.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: MSI B150 PC Mate ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($81.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($47.88 @ OutletPC)
Total: $271.85
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-11-14 23:20 EST-0500

That's my recommended upgrade... I'd like to know what models you're looking at that you can get all of them for $300.

I feel that an i3 wouldn't be worth it in my opinion.

In gaming, even the i3 6100 beats the crap out of an FX 8350. The FX lineup may have a fast clock speed, but it has a low IPC. Basically, Intel does more work per cycle. The i3 6300 is also equipped with Hyperthreading so it does have four threads.

Again, if you could list the model of the motherboard and RAM you're looking at, I'd like to see them. That way I can say whether you've found a better deal or whether you're looking at what I call "low end junk" which would be motherboards without MOSFET coolers and sometimes even without chipset coolers.

 

[Gamestarninja]

I'd suggest a CPU upgrade. Thanks to the way that AMD graphics cards are designed, they benefit greatly from more powerful cores, even if there are less of them.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-6300 3.8GHz Dual-Core Processor ($141.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: MSI B150 PC Mate ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($81.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($47.88 @ OutletPC)
Total: $271.85
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-11-14 23:20 EST-0500

That's my recommended upgrade... I'd like to know what models you're looking at that you can get all of them for $300.

I feel that an i3 wouldn't be worth it in my opinion.

In gaming, even the i3 6100 beats the crap out of an FX 8350. The FX lineup may have a fast clock speed, but it has a low IPC. Basically, Intel does more work per cycle. The i3 6300 is also equipped with Hyperthreading so it does have four threads.

Again, if you could list the model of the motherboard and RAM you're looking at, I'd like to see them. That way I can say whether you've found a better deal or whether you're looking at what I call "low end junk" which would be motherboards without MOSFET coolers and sometimes even without chipset coolers.

Have a look http://pcpartpicker.com/list/QrLL9W

 

[weberdarren97]

Upgrading your video card would net you more performance RIGHT NOW compared to upgrading your cpu. You wouldn't get 100% from a 480 with a 8320 but performance would still be good unless your motherboard is not very good.

I have a Asus M5A97 LE R2.0 ATX AM3+. Also I don't see how a motherboard would affect performance.

That motherboard doesn't have a cooler on the MOSFETs. I bet it's struggling to feed the CPU enough power. In this case, I think a motherboard upgrade could get you a small CPU performance boost but it wouldn't be worth the money because an FX 8320 will never keep up in modern games at all.

 

[weberdarren97]

Have a look http://pcpartpicker.com/list/QrLL9W

Skylake motherboards are capable of running RAM in dual channel mode by default if two sticks are provided. The following memory swap will get you the performance benefit of doubling your memory bandwidth.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($191.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI B150M MORTAR Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($79.88 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Avexir Core Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $311.76
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-11-14 23:34 EST-0500

 

[CTurbo]

Yeah your motherboard is not a good one, and has trouble running the 125w cpus. Check your clock speed under loads to see if you are experiencing cpu throttling. That will tell you what to upgrade. Getting a new cpu may be the best answer. What cpu cooler are you using?

 

[Gamestarninja]

Upgrading your video card would net you more performance RIGHT NOW compared to upgrading your cpu. You wouldn't get 100% from a 480 with a 8320 but performance would still be good unless your motherboard is not very good.

I have a Asus M5A97 LE R2.0 ATX AM3+. Also I don't see how a motherboard would affect performance.

That motherboard doesn't have a cooler on the MOSFETs. I bet it's struggling to feed the CPU enough power. In this case, I think a motherboard upgrade could get you a small CPU performance boost but it wouldn't be worth the money because an FX 8320 will never keep up in modern games at all.

That's true. A CPU upgrade like an i5 would last me a while but it would be no dramatic increase in fps like a new GPU.

 

[skitszo]

i don't really see anyone trying to go AMD with any builds.... maby when the mythical Zen chip becomes available.

 

[bgunner]

Upgrading your video card would net you more performance RIGHT NOW compared to upgrading your cpu. You wouldn't get 100% from a 480 with a 8320 but performance would still be good unless your motherboard is not very good.

I have a Asus M5A97 LE R2.0 ATX AM3+. Also I don't see how a motherboard would affect performance.

That motherboard doesn't have a cooler on the MOSFETs. I bet it's struggling to feed the CPU enough power. In this case, I think a motherboard upgrade could get you a small CPU performance boost but it wouldn't be worth the money because an FX 8320 will never keep up in modern games at all.

Agreed that the Asus M5A97 le boards do not handle the 8000 CPU's well due to thermal throttling. overclocking on this board just makes the CPU throttle more due to the VRM/mosfet's heating up to much causing issues.

 

[Gamestarninja]

Yeah your motherboard is not a good one, and has trouble running the 125w cpus. Check your clock speed under loads to see if you are experiencing cpu throttling. That will tell you what to upgrade. Getting a new cpu may be the best answer. What cpu cooler are you using?

My MOSFETs scream when I stress test for more than 10 min. So my motherboard certainly isn't helping, but in programs that don't stress my cpu like a stress test would, no throttling. Hyper X 212 Plus

 

[weberdarren97]

That's true. A CPU upgrade like an i5 would last me a while but it would be no dramatic increase in fps like a new GPU.

A CPU upgrade would get you a fair increase in FPS and would definitely help your games to play smoother. Keep in mind that even the i3 6100 is an upgrade from any FX chip.

 

[Gamestarninja]

Have a look http://pcpartpicker.com/list/QrLL9W

Skylake motherboards are capable of running RAM in dual channel mode by default if two sticks are provided. The following memory swap will get you the performance benefit of doubling your memory bandwidth.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($191.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI B150M MORTAR Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($79.88 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Avexir Core Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $311.76
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-11-14 23:34 EST-0500

It doesn't make much of a difference, but it doesn't hurt.

 

[weberdarren97]

Yeah your motherboard is not a good one, and has trouble running the 125w cpus. Check your clock speed under loads to see if you are experiencing cpu throttling. That will tell you what to upgrade. Getting a new cpu may be the best answer. What cpu cooler are you using?

My MOSFETs scream when I stress test for more than 10 min. So my motherboard certainly isn't helping, but in programs that don't stress my cpu like a stress test would, no throttling. Hyper X 212 Plus

Even if it's not throttling, it may not be running at its boost speed. If it's experiencing power delivery issues, it'll likely drop down to its regular speed of 3.5GHz.

 

[weberdarren97]

Have a look http://pcpartpicker.com/list/QrLL9W

Skylake motherboards are capable of running RAM in dual channel mode by default if two sticks are provided. The following memory swap will get you the performance benefit of doubling your memory bandwidth.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($191.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI B150M MORTAR Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($79.88 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Avexir Core Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $311.76
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-11-14 23:34 EST-0500

It doesn't make much of a difference, but it doesn't hurt.

Coming from a gamer, trust me it makes a big difference. It makes a much bigger difference than getting faster RAM even.

 

[Gamestarninja]

Yeah your motherboard is not a good one, and has trouble running the 125w cpus. Check your clock speed under loads to see if you are experiencing cpu throttling. That will tell you what to upgrade. Getting a new cpu may be the best answer. What cpu cooler are you using?

My MOSFETs scream when I stress test for more than 10 min. So my motherboard certainly isn't helping, but in programs that don't stress my cpu like a stress test would, no throttling. Hyper X 212 Plus

Even if it's not throttling, it may not be running at its boost speed. If it's experiencing power delivery issues, it'll likely drop down to its regular speed of 3.5GHz.

Nope it's not budging at 4.0 ghz, it's stable. Also I have turbo boost disabled.

 

[CTurbo]

A tower cooler like the 212 Plus only makes things worse. A downfiring cooler like the stock cooler would actually be better for your motherboard. All signs point to cpu throttling under loads. I change my answer to upgrade the cpu + motherboard first, video card later.

 

[Gamestarninja]

Have a look http://pcpartpicker.com/list/QrLL9W

Skylake motherboards are capable of running RAM in dual channel mode by default if two sticks are provided. The following memory swap will get you the performance benefit of doubling your memory bandwidth.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($191.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI B150M MORTAR Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($79.88 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Avexir Core Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $311.76
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-11-14 23:34 EST-0500

It doesn't make much of a difference, but it doesn't hurt.

Coming from a gamer, trust me it makes a big difference. It makes a much bigger difference than getting faster RAM even.

That's interesting, but I'm sure it like only a 3 fps difference at best

 

[Gamestarninja]

A tower cooler like the 212 Plus only makes things worse. A downfiring cooler like the stock cooler would actually be better for your motherboard. All signs point to cpu throttling under loads. I change my answer to upgrade the cpu + motherboard first, video card later.

When I stress test it then yes, but in gaming it doesn't move from 4.0ghz at all.

 

[weberdarren97]

Have a look http://pcpartpicker.com/list/QrLL9W

Skylake motherboards are capable of running RAM in dual channel mode by default if two sticks are provided. The following memory swap will get you the performance benefit of doubling your memory bandwidth.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($191.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI B150M MORTAR Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($79.88 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Avexir Core Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $311.76
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-11-14 23:34 EST-0500

It doesn't make much of a difference, but it doesn't hurt.

Coming from a gamer, trust me it makes a big difference. It makes a much bigger difference than getting faster RAM even.

That's interesting, but I'm sure it like only a 3 fps difference at best

What the FPS difference is depends on the game. On games that make the graphics card do most of the work, you won't notice too much of a difference in FPS but the games will play smoother even if they already had a high FPS. On games that make the CPU do most of the work like Battlefield 1, Cities: Skylines, GTA V and so on, you'll notice a large improvement in FPS as well as the game playing smoother.

Also, faster access to RAM means less of a need to access the pagefile, resulting in reduced hard drive activity. If you're running a HDD and not an SSD, the reduced load will result in faster game load times.

Anyways, it's midnight where I live. I'll be happy to continue this conversation tomorrow but I'm done being online for tonight. I need to go to sleep so I wake up rested so I can talk to my employees without yelling at them. I get mad when I don't get my sleep XD

 

[Gamestarninja]

Have a look http://pcpartpicker.com/list/QrLL9W

Skylake motherboards are capable of running RAM in dual channel mode by default if two sticks are provided. The following memory swap will get you the performance benefit of doubling your memory bandwidth.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($191.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI B150M MORTAR Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($79.88 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Avexir Core Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $311.76
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-11-14 23:34 EST-0500

It doesn't make much of a difference, but it doesn't hurt.

Coming from a gamer, trust me it makes a big difference. It makes a much bigger difference than getting faster RAM even.

That's interesting, but I'm sure it like only a 3 fps difference at best

What the FPS difference is depends on the game. On games that make the graphics card do most of the work, you won't notice too much of a difference in FPS but the games will play smoother even if they already had a high FPS. On games that make the CPU do most of the work like Battlefield 1, Cities: Skylines, GTA V and so on, you'll notice a large improvement in FPS as well as the game playing smoother.

Also, faster access to RAM means less of a need to access the pagefile, resulting in reduced hard drive activity. If you're running a HDD and not an SSD, the reduced load will result in faster game load times.

Cool, I'll keep that in mind, thanks.