Is the amd fx 8320 a good processor?

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tots4life16

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Feb 23, 2016
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I'm building a new desktop, all the parts are arriving by tomorrow. I decided to go with the amd fx 8320 because it was within my budget and it had good overclocking capabilities and since I'm using a water cooler with it I'll be able to crank out higher speeds. I guess my question is should i return the 8320 and look into intel? or is it a good processor and I shouldn't be worrying?
 
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I use the fx 8320E . It's a good processor . I play battlefield 4 maxxed out with a r9 290 . I usually maxx out tons of games . Its good for some people with certain needs
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What's it for? Gaming?

The FX8320 is a decent budget CPU and has some strengths, other than gaming though. You have to look at the whole system too. CPU cost, Cooler cost, motherboard cost, and PSU cost.

With Intel you will not need the liquid cooler in this budget area (and may not need it for the FX8320 either)

An Intel i5 is significantly better for gaming in most situations, but an AMD 8320 system may be quite a bit cheaper if you choose your parts carefully.

It's not so much a bad processor, as an old processor, with all that entails.
 
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It's going to be used for gaming. I had a budget of 1500 dollars and this fit well into the budget. The water cooler seemed to be capable of bringing more performance out of it as well as bring more air circulation throughout the whole system, I guess I could return the processor but it didn't seem like it performed badly. :/
 
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It's ok if you're not a gamer, 8320's productivity performance is ok for the price. Even a base i3 performs better in most games, but a i5-6400 would be better and a good choice with your budget. If you're an AMD fan, get a Radeon 390 or 390x, those cards are a pretty good value.

And I'm not saying that you can't game on a FX chip, just that if you're buying a new CPU for gaming right now Intel's are a better choice.
 
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An I3 processor may perform a bit better in games but the dual cores will make this cpu stutter in some games and may not provide enough power int he near future . As it may leave for upgradable options , it will end up costing way more .
It's a good prices processor which can edit very well and record . Although it's a average cpu for gamers. It's unlocked so you can get the raw power you need .
 
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All true, if that were the choice. I don't think anyone is suggesting an i3 as an option for this OP at this budget, merely that for gaming an i3 and a F8320 achieve similar performance in many situations.

$1500 is a huge budget.


Here's an 'everything you need to make it go' start for 1080p gaming with budget to spare.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($249.89 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.50 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus Z170-K ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($132.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($93.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO 250GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($84.99 @ Micro Center)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($46.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card ($309.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro ATX Full Tower Case ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHDS118-04 DVD/CD Drive ($12.89 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) ($87.95 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: AOC i2267Fw 60Hz 22.0" Monitor ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Keyboard: Cooler Master CM Storm Devastator Gaming Bundle Wired Gaming Keyboard w/Optical Mouse ($24.99 @ Micro Center)
Total: $1339.04
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-02-23 15:31 EST-0500
OP what resolution do you want to game at? 1080p, 2K , 4K. Do you have any bits and bobs already? Monitor, keyboard, HDD???
 
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Component Selection Price
CPU

AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor
$138.99 Buy
CPU Cooler

NZXT Kraken X61 106.1 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler
$129.99 Buy
Thermal Compound

Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5g Thermal Paste
$6.89 Buy
Motherboard

MSI 970 GAMING ATX AM3+ Motherboard
$97.89 Buy
Memory

Corsair Vengeance Pro 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2400 Memory
$69.99 Buy
Storage

Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
$46.89 Buy
Video Card

Asus GeForce GTX 980 4GB STRIX Video Card
$479.99 Buy
Case

NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case
$64.99 Buy
Power Supply

EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply
$65.98 Buy
Operating System

Microsoft Windows 8.1 OEM (64-bit)
$86.89 Buy
Wireless Network Adapter

Edimax EW-7811Un 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0 Wi-Fi Adapter
$10.99 Buy
Monitor

Samsung P2770HD 27.0" Monitor
Total: $1199.48
 
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Generally good stuff.

You do not need that liquid cooler, you could save a bit there.
Your GPU is a 'tweener' for 1080p the cheaper GTX 970 is about as good, especially when overclocked. For anything more, more memory is better and I go straight to the GTX 980ti.
It' want the G2 PSU, the G! is much lower performance (just as powerful and just as efficient)
 
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This is my first desktop I'm building so sorry if this is a dumb question but does the PSU really matter that much? As long as it's meeting the wattage needs isn't it okay?
I know I don't need the liquid cooler but it's able to convert between amd as well as intel so I will be able to use it when I upgrade CPUs. My video card is a beast I know but again it's kinda something I wanted to invest into now and keep it for a while while I upgrade other parts of my PC. The next gpu I plan on getting is definitely the gtx 980 ti. But that's definitely in a year or two when I get all I need out of this one. Could maybe instead just do an SLI bridge and do 2 980s instead tho.
 
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I think you may be missing a few points.
1. With that budget, you can get an Intel build, that will outperform the AMD build.
2. With the Intel build, you won't need to upgrade your CPU anytime soon.
3. If you are planning on upgrading the CPU, it will necessitate a new motherboard, and odds are you'll end up going with an Intel build.
4. A good power supply is absolutely needed on a gaming rig. It will provide constant and consistent power and protect your investment.
 
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No worries. We all build out first computer once.

YES. The PSU matters a lot. It's a 'forever' part that can live on in future builds. It's like a car engine.

Gaming is the equivalent of motor-racing. You need reliable, robust, and high-performance parts. When you are gaming there are huge, frequent, and short changes in voltage demands, and these have to be met by the capacitors in the PSUs. High-performance PSUs have high-performance capacitors that can take the thrashing and beg for more.. High-performance PSUs also deliver smooth power at the voltages they say they will. Other PSUs cry for mother and eventually fail (or not so eventually, like tomorrow fail)

For the budget you have you need a very good PSU.

The same applies to a good air cooler that would be a lot cheaper.

It's not exactly a beast. I have one, donated by a thankful parent. It certainly is good, but good for what? It depends on your needs.

Both NVidia and AMD have new GPU releases close enough to the horizon that I would be very conservative about my recommendations. At the moment, the price/performance for the GTX 980 is poor. for the price, it if better to go up to the GTX 980ti, and for the pesrormance it is better to overclock a GTX970.

If you want to do 1080p., the 970 is fine
If you want to do 2K, I'd suggest AMD or a GTX 980ti
If you want to do 4K, wait. here is not really good single GPU solution today.

Do not get a AMD 83xx if you plan to upgrade soon. You are wasting your money

AMD gives great price/performance, but not at this level, at the moment, with any product..
 
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I already bought all the parts. I have pretty much everything already here the only thing I don't have yet is the PSU and my OS both of which are coming tomorrow. But for the PSU I have is it good enough or do you think it will cause my desktop to randomly shut down from time to time?
 
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Oh okay makes sense now. Hopefully by the time it dies I'll already need one with higher wattage output and this wont put an end to any gaming I do. Does a PSU restrict abilities to OC and if so would this one?
 
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Whoa whoa whoa wait... My PSU has a chance of frying my motherboard? Or did you choose some off brand one?
 
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I know its capacitors could be better, I don't know enough about its ripple or voltage management (which would affect overclocking).

Here's a review I trust. http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story6&reid=442

Not horrible, but better choices are available for a similar price.

What you have is a very good lower performance unit. It will NOT destroy your motherboard.
 
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That power supply is a very good one, you'll be fine. As for an i3 being outdated quickly, you're right, but you can upgrade a system with an i3 to an i5 or i7, you can't with an AMD system and and 8320 will be outdated just as quickly.
 
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Many people say future proof or an upgrade path ?
Well his is true but it will end up costing you more in the future . Plus by the time it's time to upgrade , a new line of processors or something else has came out .
 
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