AMD FX-8350 8-core 4.0Ghz ( 4.2Ghz Turbo ) Question

[DaveLembke]

So I installed my upgrade, a AMD FX-8350 8-core 4.0Ghz with 4.2Ghz Turbo feature to my latest gaming system.

Question I have is... do I need to enable a BIOS feature to enable this extra 200Mhz boost from 4.0 to 4.2 or is this something that only certain motherboards support while others do not?

It was my understanding (or misunderstanding for that matter) reading the specs on this CPU that this feature was internal to the CPU, and so I thought it was automatic to kick in.

Here below is a screenshot of me stress testing it and it never went faster than 4000Mhz.

Also here is my motherboard Biostar A960D+ Socket AM3+ http://www.biostar.com.tw/app/en/mb/introduction.php?S_ID=627

Also I bought this XFX nVidia GeForce 260GTX Black Edition video card off my brother used for $40 which is quite the upgrade from the ATI HD5450 1GB Video Card I had prior. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150330




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[Calum]

Try checking your CPU speed with CPU-Z instead - http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/cpu-z.html - and see if that reports any differently.

I would like to warn you however that your board's VRMs are only rated to 95W and are not heatsinked, the 8350 is a 125W chip (some say it can draw even more than that, I would imagine when hitting max turbo it may well exceed 125W) which is not safe.  I have no idea why Biostar think it's acceptable to list a 125W CPU as working with that board but most manufacturers have been doing that for years, long enough for this thread to have become invaluable - http://www.overclock.net/t/946407/amd-motherboards-vrm-info-database

[DaveLembke]

Thanks for the heads up on the potential issue where this motherboards VRM's are rated lower than the max CPU listed. I wasnt aware of this. 

I guess I will be buying a new motherboard ( most likely Gigabyte brand ) soon then to protect my CPU from the chance that a VRM could roast and fail and send too much to the CPU from the source side to the output side. if it roasts and bridges internally.

Good suggestion on the CPUZ, just in case the gadget is reporting wrong somehow.

[Calum]

No problem, sorry it's bad news

Have a look at the overclock.net thread I linked to and check the VRMs on any AMD board before purchasing - I use it as a quick reference when recommending AMD boards or CPU upgrades due to the widespread issues with overstressed VRMs and some power hungry AMD CPUs.  If you don't push your CPU hard your board should be fine, just avoid extended periods of full load until you're able to replace the board with something with a better VRM setup.  Alternatively you could heatsink the VRMs to help them out, it's not a fix as such but it's better than nothing and shouldn't cost you more than a few $ and some time.

Some tiny heatsinks, attach them with some thermal tape or epoxy and try to ensure they get some airflow (the stock CPU cooler which blows down would suffice for this) - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007XACV8O

[BC_Programmer]

Regarding monitoring software, In addition to CPU-Z, there is of course SpeedFan and HWMonitor. I'm partial to HWMonitor (as well as CPU-Z) myself- I suppose my apathy towards Speedfan could be because using it causes this system to bluescreen.

Gigabyte is a good brand of motherboard too- can't really go wrong with them. I would suspect even their "value" oriented boards would probably be better than some motherboard brands such as Biostar and MSI.

[DaveLembke]

Found this Motherboard, but not sure if VRM's are rated high enough or not. Did a search for this MB at the link you provided and didnt find a match. I am thinking this might be an OK board for the fact that its Gigabyte brand and at least they added a heatsink across them.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128565

As far as adding small heatsinks to the VRM's, if this was a SFF type of desktop that laid flat, it would probably be ok, but on a minitower, I'd be concerned with one of these aluminum blocks coming loose and falling onto the back side of the video card below etc. Back many years ago I bought a peel and stick GPU heatsink with a small fan on it for the GeForce 2 card that I had that the original fan died in on my Pentium III 733Mhz and the one day I turned the computer on and heard a strange buzzing noise inside the case. The heatsink came free and was hanging from the P-connector power and the small GPU fan was grinding face down on the bottom of the minitower case.

Since then, I would rather have real heatsink anchors the push and turn type or the plastic rivot type etc that wont just pop off like that.  Leave it to me to have bad luck like this  

About the motherboard I linked though I was surprised that the motherboard still had the 760G chipset which has been around for a few years. I would have expected the 960 or newer. But feature wise and the fact that its mATX, it looks like the match to my needs if the VRM's are high enough rating.

[camerongray]

I wouldn't get one of those basic boards with the 760G chipset.  They are cheap but extremely outdated without support for the most basic stuff like native USB 3.0 or SATA III.

Look for one with a more modern chipset like a 970 although these only tend to be ATX so if you have to be MicroATX you may be out of luck.

[DaveLembke]

hmm... looks like I might have to upgrade to a full height case I guess and just go with an ATX vs a mATX. I am finding just as you stated that the mATX seems to be common with the 760 but not the newer chipset.

Thanks for everyones input on this.

[Calum]

The 78LMT-USB3 has 4+1 phase VRMs which are OK for 125W CPUs, plus they're heatsinked so it's better in that respect.  However as Cameron says it's a very budget orientated board and is lacking in modern features, I have one in my parts bin you could have for shipping but I think shipping to the US would be more than it's worth to be honest.
I don't see any mATX boards I'd recommend to pair up with that CPU.

As far as adding small heatsinks to the VRM's, if this was a SFF type of desktop that laid flat, it would probably be ok, but on a minitower, I'd be concerned with one of these aluminum blocks coming loose and falling onto the back side of the video card below etc. Back many years ago I bought a peel and stick GPU heatsink with a small fan on it for the GeForce 2 card that I had that the original fan died in on my Pentium III 733Mhz and the one day I turned the computer on and heard a strange buzzing noise inside the case. The heatsink came free and was hanging from the P-connector power and the small GPU fan was grinding face down on the bottom of the minitower case.

Thermal epoxy or tape should hold them on just fine, I've never had an issue with heatsinks falling off if attached properly with thermal epoxy or tape even on GPUs where they're upside down.  It does depend on the quality and method of application though, but as long as you clean up the mating surfaces with isopropyl alcohol or similar and ensure they're absolutely clean and dry before sticking you shouldn't have an issue.

[DaveLembke]

I have one in my parts bin you could have for shipping but I think shipping to the US would be more than it's worth to be honest.

Thanks for the offer, but your right it wouldnt be cheap to ship and would probably cost more than the board is worth. I shipped my friend in Canada a motherboard with RAM, CPU, and heatsink for an ATX Fatal1ty board I had that was socket 775, but sadly maxed out on a Pentium D and didnt support Core 2 Duo or Quad. It cost about $31 to ship to Ontario, Canada from New Hampshire USA.

Given confirmation that the Gigabyte board is a good match for 125watts, I bought one.

 I guess I will place the 95 watt Athlon II x4 620 2600Mhz CPU back into the Biostar board and give that board to my wife as an upgrade. She currently has a Core 2 Duo E6600 2.4Ghz which runs fine, but she has mentioned wanting to play some newer game titles that the dual-core might struggle with, but the quadcore would play fine. For graphics she has a GeForce 9800GT with 1GB VRAM. So the video card upgrade would probably also be happening for her in near future depending on the game requirements.