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.

 

[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.

Appreciate the help, I may just have to wait for a GPU upgrade later.

 

[Gamestarninja]

That's it, I think I have my answer. Thanks to everyone that helped! This community never lets me down. BTW weberdarren97 it's like 12 P.M. for me too I'm part night owl

 

[Ravi_Singh1900]

I have used the fx 8320 for more than a year and I can say the cpu will bottleneck rx 480 in dx 11 games but will do minimum to negligible bottleneck in dx 12 games and the rx 480 also shines there. This is for Full HD at 1440p, your cpu wont bottleneck the Rx 480. I will say go for rx 480.

The r9 285 is a good gpu so the minimum fps you see won't improve but maximum fps will increase and you can ramp up more settings and texture quality. Also are you running ram on dual channel do that if your aren't that will remove cpu bottleneck to some extent and boost you minimum fps.

 

[Gamestarninja]

I have used the fx 8320 for more than a year and I can say the cpu will bottleneck rx 480 in dx 11 games but will do minimum to negligible bottleneck in dx 12 games and the rx 480 also shines there. This is for Full HD at 1440p, your cpu wont bottleneck the Rx 480. I will say go for rx 480.

The r9 285 is a good gpu so the minimum fps you see won't improve but maximum fps will increase and you can ramp up more settings and texture quality. Also are you running ram on dual channel do that if your aren't that will remove cpu bottleneck to some extent and boost you minimum fps.

Here's my full pc http://pcpartpicker.com/list/ww9WwP
I agree my average fps will go up no doubt and it is $100 cheaper to go with a GPU, but even now, the microstuddering can be quite noticeable and my min. frame rate does sometimes get on my nerves.

Even so a cpu upgrade will last me at least 4 years especially if dx 12 doesn't care about cpu quality.

 

[weberdarren97]

I have used the fx 8320 for more than a year and I can say the cpu will bottleneck rx 480 in dx 11 games but will do minimum to negligible bottleneck in dx 12 games and the rx 480 also shines there. This is for Full HD at 1440p, your cpu wont bottleneck the Rx 480. I will say go for rx 480.

The r9 285 is a good gpu so the minimum fps you see won't improve but maximum fps will increase and you can ramp up more settings and texture quality. Also are you running ram on dual channel do that if your aren't that will remove cpu bottleneck to some extent and boost you minimum fps.

Please note that DriectX games benefit more from powerful CPU cores than it does from having more CPU cores.

Here's a video by Salazar Studio (formerly Science Studio) that shows the downfall of AMD FX chips.

 

[Gamestarninja]

I have used the fx 8320 for more than a year and I can say the cpu will bottleneck rx 480 in dx 11 games but will do minimum to negligible bottleneck in dx 12 games and the rx 480 also shines there. This is for Full HD at 1440p, your cpu wont bottleneck the Rx 480. I will say go for rx 480.

The r9 285 is a good gpu so the minimum fps you see won't improve but maximum fps will increase and you can ramp up more settings and texture quality. Also are you running ram on dual channel do that if your aren't that will remove cpu bottleneck to some extent and boost you minimum fps.

Please note that DriectX games benefit more from powerful CPU cores than it does from having more CPU cores.

Here's a video by Salazar Studio (formerly Science Studio) that shows the downfall of AMD FX chips.

That video didn't show any benchmarks, but i get the point Intel cpus have a better IPC an they have the benefit of having 1 FPU for every core unlike amd that has one FPU per module (2 cores).

 

[Gamestarninja]

Also this is my upgrade so far is it good? http://pcpartpicker.com/list/LFrnD3

 

[weberdarren97]

Also this is my upgrade so far is it good? http://pcpartpicker.com/list/LFrnD3

Looks good mate