AMD FX 6350 vs Intel i7 4790k. Is really worthy?

[Sgaroz]

Hi!
First of all, here're my specs:
Operating System
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit SP1
CPU
AMD FX-6350 19 °C
Vishera 32nm Technology
RAM
8,00GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 669MHz (9-9-9-24)
Motherboard
Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd. GA-78LMT-S2P (Socket M2) 30 °C
Graphics
VG248 (1920x1080@144Hz)
4096MB ATI AMD Radeon R9 290 (Sapphire/PCPartner) 44 °C
Storage
465GB Seagate ST500DM002-1BD142 ATA Device (SATA) 26 °C
Optical Drives
ELBY CLONEDRIVE SCSI CdRom Device
ATAPI iHAS524 B ATA Device
Audio
Realtek High Definition Audio
PSU
Corsair VS 650W
---
As you can see, my pc is equipped with a nice Sapphire R9 290 Tri-X because my main purpose, with this machine, is gaming.
Unfortunately I experienced quite a lot of problems since i've upgraded my Graphics Card (RANDOM reboots mainly while gaming and browsing on internet). Errors point always to my MoBo Northbridge:

Event ID 20 - WHEA-Logger

A fatal hardware error has occurred.

Component: AMD Northbridge

Error Source: Machine Check Exception

Error Type: HyperTransport Watchdog Timeout Error

Processor APIC ID: 0

The details view of this entry contains further information.

Lately I found out that my FX-6350 Vishera 6-Core is not supported on the GA-78LMT-S2P because its Thermal Design Power is too high.
Result: either for trying to solve the random reboot issue (accompanied by WHEA-Logger win error) that for the Thermal Design Power incompatibility...PROBABLY i need to change my MoBo.
The problem is: for a gaming purpose, should i change my CPU too?
Or, like Tom's HW "Best Gaming CPUs For The Money: January 2015" article says (http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106-5.html):

You can use this hierarchy to compare the pricing between two processors, to see which one is a better deal, and also to determine if an upgrade is worthwhile. I don’t recommend upgrading your CPU unless the potential replacement is at least three tiers higher. Otherwise, the upgrade is somewhat parallel and you may not notice a worthwhile difference in game performance.

p.s. my proc. is in the second tier.
Is it really a non-worthwile difference in game performance from a FX 6350 to a i7 4790k?

Thanks!

 

[boogieboy]

Hi!
First of all, here're my specs:
Operating System
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit SP1
CPU
AMD FX-6350 19 °C
Vishera 32nm Technology
RAM
8,00GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 669MHz (9-9-9-24)
Motherboard
Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd. GA-78LMT-S2P (Socket M2) 30 °C
Graphics
VG248 (1920x1080@144Hz)
4096MB ATI AMD Radeon R9 290 (Sapphire/PCPartner) 44 °C
Storage
465GB Seagate ST500DM002-1BD142 ATA Device (SATA) 26 °C
Optical Drives
ELBY CLONEDRIVE SCSI CdRom Device
ATAPI iHAS524 B ATA Device
Audio
Realtek High Definition Audio
PSU
Corsair VS 650W ------- Not Enough
---

The GPU your using Sapphire R290 Tri X requires a bigger PSU with higher Wattage if you look at it's official site you will find in the System Requirements tab that a 750w PSU is need in order to run this baby. I would suggest you replace your PSU ASAP and get a 750w to 800w PSU at least or if you can afford so a bigger (1000 to 1200w) quality 80 PLUS Certified PSU is always welcome such as Corsair from the same brand etc

Restarting of PC during gameplay or in the middle of browsing is the sign of Powerful GPU running on a Under Powered PSU as the PSU fails to pass correct power to the GPU when it is needed most which lends the PC to reboot or even shutting off in some cases to reduce the over stress on the PSU and well it is also dangerous that this can also damage your PC components like Motherboard and RAMs trust me I learned my lessons the hard way when I was a kid though on the other hand new motherboards are capable of controlling many things and has sufficient features to prevent any kind of damage due to voltages etc but still in the end we should be careful about them.

 

[Sgaroz]

Hi, thanks for the reply!
The PSU fail was an option to consider but:
1. how come the rebootings are so random in IDENTICAL situations
2. in several hardware forums people told me that 50A on 12V line of my PSU are more than sufficient
3. it seems that if i turn up the GPU's fans nothing happens (over-heating?)

What about the CPU choice?
Thanks!

 

[RoasterMen]

Maybe 50A is more than sufficient for your R9 290 but how about the total continuous wattage your PSU can give?

 

[Solarstarshines]

Hi, thanks for the reply!
The PSU fail was an option to consider but:
1. how come the rebootings are so random in IDENTICAL situations
2. in several hardware forums people told me that 50A on 12V line of my PSU are more than sufficient
3. it seems that if i turn up the GPU's fans nothing happens (over-heating?)

What about the CPU choice?
Thanks!

Only a few possible cases here ok

#1 GPU has completely gone bad no fans running on boot could be a sign the fans are shot it will restart it self every time because of no cooling and it will do it with in 5 minutes watch the temp rise to the shut down point

#2 Could be the PSU but also keep in mind Corsair underates a lot of PSU's but also could be one issue

#3 test it in someone else's machine and see if the same results show usually in your case i would call bad GPU the fans don't spin meaning something is already defective and could get worse as it drags on RMA or return to store asap


Now if you tried all of these and it still does it it would boil down to the PCI-E on the mainboard which in most cases you would just RMA or just upgrade to something better all around

As Both of the CPU's in Question you will definitely get more bang with Intel but at the same time it cost so if you are looking to go intel then you better be ready to spend on getting quality to run like it should

 

[Sgaroz]

WHEA-LOGGER error happened again a while ago.
I was playing: i did not have any problems in 1 intensive hour.
Then the screen froze, the audio looped and the system rebooted. (see blue screen viewer screenshot in attachments)
A little bit before the crash, i checked the temps (HWMonitor):
- Cpu was around 28-30C
- MoBo was around 37-42C
- GPU was around 47-49C
I'm waiting to have my pc checked by a tech. BTW i did several tests a while ago:
- memtest86+ (3 passes)
- Prime95 (Very high test)
- Seagate diagnostic tool for HD
I'm really concerned and curious at the same time

 

[Solarstarshines]

WHEA-LOGGER error happened again a while ago.
I was playing: i did not have any problems in 1 intensive hour.
Then the screen froze, the audio looped and the system rebooted. (see blue screen viewer screenshot in attachments)
A little bit before the crash, i checked the temps (HWMonitor):
- Cpu was around 28-30C
- MoBo was around 37-42C
- GPU was around 47-49C
I'm waiting to have my pc checked by a tech. BTW i did several tests a while ago:
- memtest86+ (3 passes)
- Prime95 (Very high test)
- Seagate diagnostic tool for HD
I'm really concerned and curious at the same time

It all points to the ram

Your ram is not compatible or it is no good

 

[Sgaroz]

How i find out?
Should i test it with win memory diag tool? How many passes?

 

[Solarstarshines]

How i find out?
Should i test it with win memory diag tool? How many passes?

I would test each stick to see which one acts funny

 

[Faladu]

Lately I found out that my FX-6350 Vishera 6-Core is not supported on the GA-78LMT-S2P because its Thermal Design Power is too high.

What told you that?

Sounds ridiculous, need proof.

I am gaming with a FX-8350, been great, upgraded from 1090T.

RAM problem wise, I would have expected some BSOD's and I'd run a MEM-TEST boot CD to verify all the sticks at once.

PSU bad or weak, yeah definitely get a better/higher one, don't worry 1000W only uses what it needs, better more headroom then not.

And original heading..... That's a system redo mostly going from AMD to Intel or vice versa, so it's a very costly change, if you wanted a gaming rig for typical play that system if stable should be fine, I'm running a Radeon HD 7950 3 gig, now about 3 year old tech, and it's more than fine, still, so that 290X should be golden a while.

 

[Sgaroz]

How i find out?
Should i test it with win memory diag tool? How many passes?

I would test each stick to see which one acts funny

I'm testing it one stick at a time. How many passes do i need for 1 stick? 8 like for memtest?

 

[Solarstarshines]

How i find out?
Should i test it with win memory diag tool? How many passes?

I would test each stick to see which one acts funny

I'm testing it one stick at a time. How many passes do i need for 1 stick? 8 like for memtest?

Did you read the compatibility list ? also run it till it crashes basically do as many passes till it crashes if it doesn't then i would say OK ram but also you can tell bad ram with the mhz settings too if they are off or one is running full speed and the other is not

 

[Sgaroz]

I would test each stick to see which one acts funny

I'm testing it one stick at a time. How many passes do i need for 1 stick? 8 like for memtest?

Did you read the compatibility list ? also run it till it crashes basically do as many passes till it crashes if it doesn't then i would say OK ram but also you can tell bad ram with the mhz settings too if they are off or one is running full speed and the other is not

Update:
In the last few days:
- tested the ram (one stick at a time) with Windows Memory Diag. Tool for 14 hours each stick - All ok
- after that I brought the Pc to assistance in order to test the VGA with another PSU and with another pc. They called me back saying that they don't have a PSU bigger than mine (Corsair VS 650w) nor a PC quite performant BUT they were "quite sure" it was a weak-PSU issue because they have read on "Tom's Hardware forum" that my card absorbs 550w in idle mode (which is wrong - a 290X overclocked in full-load absorbs 540w).
What shall I do now (money-wisely)??