are you waiting for Steamroller?

Upgrading?

  • Now

    Votes: 3 14.3%

  • Waiting for Steamroller

    Votes: 18 85.7%
  • Total voters
    21
X

XenatR

Limp Gawd
Joined
Oct 13, 2012
Messages
183
hey guys, just wondering if anyone is considering upgrading now, while prices are low, rather than wait till Steamroller comes out (and potentially 9000 series ATi cards at the same time)

my current system is Phenom 955 BE @ 3.6Ghz/NB 2.6Ghz, Gigabyte 78LMT-USB3, 8gb Samsung Green, MSI HD 7770

i only use my system to play games, specifically Battlefield 3, which my computer handles fine at low settings 64player servers, but sometimes fps dips to 40 which i would rather avoid

i was considering the FX-8350 & Tahiti 7870.. which only costs approx £330 combined, giving me a nice boost

would you upgrade, or wait for Steamroller & ATi... also when are they due?

are you guys in the same 'should i or shouldnt i' boat?


regards;;
 
Wait for steamroller. In the mean time I'd look for a better MOBO with atleast a 970 chipset and up that cpu to 4 or 4.2 if you can get there.

I had picked up a M5A97 Evo last year used for about 60 bucks. Have been able to get my 960T up to 4.1GHz but stick it at 3.9 usually. Wish I would of got a 990x for SLI though.
 
I think it'd give you a nice boost. That board has a little better cooling than the regular 78LMT-S2P or whatever it is, so it might be worth pushing it a little harder and see what you can get out of it, but a Tahiti LE GPU would be significantly faster than what you're using now (I've used both).
 
RogueTrip said:
Wait for steamroller. In the mean time I'd look for a better MOBO with atleast a 970 chipset and up that cpu to 4 or 4.2 if you can get there.

I had picked up a M5A97 Evo last year used for about 60 bucks. Have been able to get my 960T up to 4.1GHz but stick it at 3.9 usually. Wish I would of got a 990x for SLI though.
Click to expand...

any ideas on release dates? hmm.. thing is i really wanted mATX motherboard.. i dunno i just prefer a smaller case as otherwise theres so much empty unused space :/ i tried overclocking my C3 stepping to 3.8+ but it would go.. not sure if its because of cpu/nb voltage or what, but my H60 was trying to cool the Phenom and it would go to 60C and it would bluescreen. im not a massive overclocker expert, but ive got the following settings:

CPU-Z & CPUID
3.6Ghz @ 1.344v all cores load @ 46C (H60 push pull)
-TMPIN0 @ 35C
-TMPIN1 @ 46C
-TMPIN2 @ 61C

Bus 100x36
HT 2000
NB 2600 @ 2.8v & +0.2v

Samsung Green 666mhz 3:10 8-8-8-24-32-1T (unstable at tighter timings for some reason :/) possibly need more NB

possibly the mobo is holding me back, or the powersupply (powercool x-viper 450w modular.. no idea who makes these and they dont have a website)

i will be purchasing the upgrades using a 12month payment method from ebuyer.com, so 300£ will cost approx £30 per month (minimum spend for this option is £300)
 
XenatR said:
any ideas on release dates? hmm.. thing is i really wanted mATX motherboard.. i dunno i just prefer a smaller case as otherwise theres so much empty unused space :/ i tried overclocking my C3 stepping to 3.8+ but it would go.. not sure if its because of cpu/nb voltage or what, but my H60 was trying to cool the Phenom and it would go to 60C and it would bluescreen. im not a massive overclocker expert, but ive got the following settings:

CPU-Z & CPUID
3.6Ghz @ 1.344v all cores load @ 46C (H60 push pull)
-TMPIN0 @ 35C
-TMPIN1 @ 46C
-TMPIN2 @ 61C

Bus 100x36
HT 2000
NB 2600 @ 2.8v & +0.2v

Samsung Green 666mhz 3:10 8-8-8-24-32-1T (unstable at tighter timings for some reason :/) possibly need more NB

possibly the mobo is holding me back, or the powersupply (powercool x-viper 450w modular.. no idea who makes these and they dont have a website)

i will be purchasing the upgrades using a 12month payment method from ebuyer.com, so 300£ will cost approx £30 per month (minimum spend for this option is £300)
Click to expand...

If you're buying on "credit" just stick to what you have and save money for Steamroller. You're paying an extra 60 for no reason.
 
kirbyrj said:
I think it'd give you a nice boost. That board has a little better cooling than the regular 78LMT-S2P or whatever it is, so it might be worth pushing it a little harder and see what you can get out of it, but a Tahiti LE GPU would be significantly faster than what you're using now (I've used both).
Click to expand...

yea, and ive have a Nocuta P12 blowing directly over the socket :)
 
i'm waiting to see what Steamroller's platform is.

it had better be a total reinvention of the out-of-date Hypertransport 3 / socket AM3+ / 990FX chipset!
 
R3MF said:
i'm waiting to see what Steamroller's platform is.

it had better be a total reinvention of the out-of-date Hypertransport 3 / socket AM3+ / 990FX chipset!
Click to expand...

im sure its still going to be AM3+ :eek:

when is Steamroller coming out anyway?
 
Last I heard 1h of 2014 was a projected date for SR but upward of 30% increase in performance (pound of salt needed there ;) ). The 8000 series should be end of year or beginning of 2014.


What are the full specs of your system? That 450w PSU isn't a great choice if planning to run any FX chip or 7870 GPU.

My rig can take over 500w at full load and I'm still on Thuban Phenom II

Your gigabyte board has a couple of marks against it. 4+1 Phase control (not great for OC). Don't even think it uses digital vrm's which has extra LLC (load line calibration). Even so I'd think 3.8GHz (if 955 is c3 rev) should be doable. 760 chipset will hold back performance a bit on its own. You could just wait as I remember there should be another chipset refresh upon SR's arrival.

There isn't much point to getting faster cpu/gpu until that backbone of the system is beefed up.

EDIT: is the 955 125w or 95w?
 
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Piotrsama said:
If you don't mind waiting 6-8 months, then go ahead.
I'd go with the 8350 now.
Click to expand...

6-8months??? if that is the case i will upgrade for sure!! surely amd will lose out on a lot of sales to nvidia by delaying launch so long of both SR and ATi cards???? :S

RogueTrip said:
Last I heard 1h of 2014 was a projected date for SR but upward of 30% increase in performance (pound of salt needed there ;) ). The 8000 series should be end of year or beginning of 2014.


What are the full specs of your system? That 450w PSU isn't a great choice if planning to run any FX chip or 7870 GPU.

My rig can take over 500w at full load and I'm still on Thuban Phenom II

Your gigabyte board has a couple of marks against it. 4+1 Phase control (not great for OC). Don't even think it uses digital vrm's which has extra LLC (load line calibration). Even so I'd think 3.8GHz (if 955 is c3 rev) should be doable. 760 chipset will hold back performance a bit on its own. You could just wait as I remember there should be another chipset refresh upon SR's arrival.

There isn't much point to getting faster cpu/gpu until that backbone of the system is beefed up.

EDIT: is the 955 125w or 95w?
Click to expand...

955 is 125w!
full rig:

Phenom x4 955 BE @ 3.6Ghz
Corsair H60 (push = stock h60 fan ; pull = Gentle Typhoon 1850rpm)
Gigabyte 78LMT-USB3
Samsung Green VLP 30nm 2x4Gb
MSI HD 7770
Powercool X-Viper 450w Modular PSU ( http://www.cclonline.com/product/93...ol-X-Viper-Modular-450W-Power-Supply/PSU0445/ )
AVP Defender 100 Case ( http://www.cclonline.com/product/103107/AVP-DF100/Cases/AVP-Defender-100-Black-Mini/CAS0766/ ) so cheap but brilliant to work with and modding options!!
& finally a side panel mounted Noctua P12 fan blowing onto mosfets etc

*edit* i want to be ready for Battlefield 4 primarily
 
Steamroller isn't ready, and is partially dependent on the fabs getting 28nm ready for CPUs.

Steamroller in the form of Kaveri for FM2/FM2+ will be out by the end of this year. Steamroller for AM3+ is not going to be ready until early 2014.

HD8xxx series (or 9xxx series)... no one even knows what the next gen will be called for sure, let alone release dates.

Get rid of that Powercool and buy a better power supply first. Then work on upgrading the rest of your system.
 
I'm not sure if I should go haswell or wait for something better on the amd side.

My daily driver is the p2-940 in my sig with ddr2...
 
For my personal rig I roll a 3930k because I use my rig mostly for overclocking, for my wife's computer I buy whatever new processor amd has out because I understand the need to support amd to keep them alive so intel doesn't go crazy. That being said, gaming I notice almost no difference between her comp and mine with identical cards. Hers with the fx-8350 is a much better "value" as far as performance per dollar. Not only are the CPUs cheaper, but the high perf motherboards are also alot cheaper. Hers won't hold a candle to mine benchmarking though, if that's not your main function then....
 
Tsumi said:
Steamroller isn't ready, and is partially dependent on the fabs getting 28nm ready for CPUs.

Steamroller in the form of Kaveri for FM2/FM2+ will be out by the end of this year. Steamroller for AM3+ is not going to be ready until early 2014.

HD8xxx series (or 9xxx series)... no one even knows what the next gen will be called for sure, let alone release dates.

Get rid of that Powercool and buy a better power supply first. Then work on upgrading the rest of your system.
Click to expand...

something like this? http://www.scan.co.uk/products/520w...lus-platinum-full-modular-eps-12v-fanless-atx

i know its from one extreme to the other, but i really would like a high quality modular supply which is VERY quite, if not silent, as i will try to do the same in other areas of my pc

Robstar said:
I'm not sure if I should go haswell or wait for something better on the amd side.

My daily driver is the p2-940 in my sig with ddr2...
Click to expand...

do it!! amd needs our support!! intel cpu are great but the company apparently uses underhand techniques to gain more exposure!!

Sheppard said:
For my personal rig I roll a 3930k because I use my rig mostly for overclocking, for my wife's computer I buy whatever new processor amd has out because I understand the need to support amd to keep them alive so intel doesn't go crazy. That being said, gaming I notice almost no difference between her comp and mine with identical cards. Hers with the fx-8350 is a much better "value" as far as performance per dollar. Not only are the CPUs cheaper, but the high perf motherboards are also alot cheaper. Hers won't hold a candle to mine benchmarking though, if that's not your main function then....
Click to expand...

i like that thought process :) and yes, all i am doing is gaming!
 
I was in a similar situation as you. I had a 965 clocked to 4.0 under an h70 and I recently upgraded to the 8320.

I didnt think the 965 was holding me back in gaming, but I had the upgrade bug and was able to get the 8320 for $140 @ microcenter and then I used the 965 to upgrade my sons computer.

I havent even oc'ed the 8320 yet. For gaming I haven't noticed a differance, but when I use my photo editing software there is a night and day difference (even though the 8320 is clocked lower right now). Once I crank it up I expect it will be better all around.

It was definitely worth the money to me in my case, even knowing that I will want to upgrade again when steamroller comes out.

You can always resell the 8350 when you upgrade and get half your money back out of it.
 
Sheppard said:
Well top of the line would be my Lepah 1600w gold haha
Click to expand...

There's more to power supplies than just wattage. The Lepa isn't a top performer (though very close) in terms of ripple and voltage regulation compared to other new units coming out.
 
Faethon said:
If i were you and unless you have programs that can use more than 4 cores, i 'd wait for Steamroller.

The 965 at stock has about the same single core performance as a stock 8320, if you take Cinebench's word for it.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/102?vs=698
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but look at the games increase :X

i really just want to prepare myself for when battlefield 4 is released, as my current system wont run that very well (less fps at the same settings as in bf3)

question: does the quality of a power supply limit overclocking? ive been doing a little research and have found out things like ripple etc, which, on expensive psu's, doesnt really cause a problem

im very interested in the Seasonic X-Series 650w, as it is cheaper than that 520w Fanless, and the fan doesnt spin till around 300w load, which is great

would this psu alone help me overclock my current c3 Phenom @ 3.6Ghz, to 3.8? possibly 4? i never got higher than 3.6 stable
 
XenatR said:
but look at the games increase :X

i really just want to prepare myself for when battlefield 4 is released, as my current system wont run that very well (less fps at the same settings as in bf3)

question: does the quality of a power supply limit overclocking? ive been doing a little research and have found out things like ripple etc, which, on expensive psu's, doesnt really cause a problem

im very interested in the Seasonic X-Series 650w, as it is cheaper than that 520w Fanless, and the fan doesnt spin till around 300w load, which is great

would this psu alone help me overclock my current c3 Phenom @ 3.6Ghz, to 3.8? possibly 4? i never got higher than 3.6 stable
Click to expand...

I am not the right person to ask about overclocks. But, i doubt the quality is stopping you, as long as your PSU operates within ATX specs limits. What could stop you, is if your PSU isn't giving enough amperage for the needs of your system while overclocked. Another thing is your motherboard. I see there are many revisions of your motherboard in Gigabyte's site, but at the end, it's 4+1. Not great for overclock, but an FX 125W would have even more problem overclocking as it draws more power than the Phenom 965.

Another possibility is that you 're doing something wrong while overclocking (like not disabling Cool n quiet or C1E). 100Mhz overclock for a BE CPU is VERY low. Without being an overclocker, my guess is that you should expect to hit 4 Ghz on the 965.

But wait, this forum is full of overclockers, they will solve the mystery of your weak overclocking.
 
I can show you my hwbot account, I'm xtremesystems #1 enthusiast league
To what degree a bad power supply will effect overclocking is unsure, it certainly can if you have failing caps or the power supply is unusually noisy
 
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Im definitely upgrading to Steamroller but unsure if Im going to try Piledriver in the meantime. I generally buy a new CPU every year for something new to overclock and play with and Ive had this 8150 about a year now and have reached its limits and have been itching for something new to try my hand at.

So yeah, Im going with Steamroller but might spring for a 8320 between now and then as something to hold me over til Steamroller gets here.
 
MacLeod said:
Im definitely upgrading to Steamroller but unsure if Im going to try Piledriver in the meantime. I generally buy a new CPU every year for something new to overclock and play with and Ive had this 8150 about a year now and have reached its limits and have been itching for something new to try my hand at.

So yeah, Im going with Steamroller but might spring for a 8320 between now and then as something to hold me over til Steamroller gets here.
Click to expand...

not an 8350 ?
 
Nah. I sprung for the 8150 because it was higher binned and would yield better overclocks but here I sit at 4.5 while I see a lot of 8120's up around 4.8! Granted mine is OCCT tested and stable and is solid enough that I can run Cool n Quiet which kicks ass cause this thing aint exactly efficient so being able to have idle cores at 1.4 GHz and .85V is a winner in my book. Probably couldnt have done that with an average 8120.

Hmmmm, maybe I should go for the 8350 after all. :D

But the 8320's are going for $149 shipped right now so thats tempting too.
 
MacLeod said:
Nah. I sprung for the 8150 because it was higher binned and would yield better overclocks but here I sit at 4.5 while I see a lot of 8120's up around 4.8! Granted mine is OCCT tested and stable and is solid enough that I can run Cool n Quiet which kicks ass cause this thing aint exactly efficient so being able to have idle cores at 1.4 GHz and .85V is a winner in my book. Probably couldnt have done that with an average 8120.

Hmmmm, maybe I should go for the 8350 after all. :D

But the 8320's are going for $149 shipped right now so thats tempting too.
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yea the 8320, depending on the site, is £30-45 cheaper :eek:

are they the same chip? will they overclock to the same #?
 
Yeah theyre all the same chip. AMD and Intel dont make a different chip for each model, they make one and then the ones that perform better and handle higher clocks get the higher binning and the faster model numbers. So the 8350 is the same chip as the 8320, its just the chips that are stable at the higher clocks will get the 8350 badge while the rest will get the 8320.
 
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