AMD FX6300 and Asus970 performance limitations
AMD FX6300 and Asus970 performance limitations
Hello dear friends! I’m reaching out when I really need assistance, and my electronic calculator can’t bring me any fun anymore.
I have an old bucket filled with junk, a worn-out machine, and recently even struggled with videos on YouTube—constant stutters, just like in games. After fixing the Nvidia drivers one by one, I cleaned up my PC, reinstalled all the drivers, and added extra coolers.
I noticed that my default memory was set to 1066Mhz, but I switched it to 1333Mhz. Once that worked well, I also overclocked everything: memory at 1333Mhz, CPU at 4Ghz, RAM at 2600Mhz, HT at 2400Mhz, and it ran smoothly. The results were amazing—everything functioned perfectly. But after some further adjustments, the stutters returned.
I wondered if I might have overclocked too much and then downclocked, but the issue persisted, though not too severe.
One of the issues was the hot VRM and power supply unit, so I replaced them with new ones.
In most benchmarking tools, I achieved good performance after overclocking, except for a few odd cases: In Furmark, I experienced stutters and poor GPU results; in Novabench, my memory and CPU performed well but my disk and GPU got bad scores.
Best and worst Novabench scores with the same specs.
Details of my setup:
- Windows 7 64bit
- Asrock 970 Pro3 R 2.0 motherboard
- AMD FX 6300 at 3.7 Ghz, 1.35V
- North Bridge at 2600Mhz, 1.38V
- PCIe at 101Mhz (some forums say it helped someone)
Memory: 2x GSkill 4Gb 1600Mhz and 2x cheap unknown manufacturer 4Gb 1333Mhz in dual channel, at 8-8-8-23 ticks and 1333Mhz. Even a small overclock above 1333 caused instability, even with the cheaper model that supports XMP up to 1500 and 1600Mhz.
EVGA GTX1050 Ti 4Gb, no overclocking, new.
Kingston 240Gb SSD, brand new.
All drivers are up to date.
TL;DR:
I achieved solid benchmark results after overclocking RAM and CPU, but overall performance was lower. Initially, it seemed the VRM and cooling were the problem, but once resolved, the issue remained. In Novabench, CPU and RAM still performed well even when pushing the stable threshold, while GPU and disk scores declined. Other tests showed no major anomalies in benchmarking software. Also, Windows takes a long time to boot, though it worked quickly at times.
My concerns:
The power supply unit is problematic
The HT is also an issue
Memory performance is poor
Please help me, my friend—someone with an FX8350 and an Asus M5A78L-M LX3 (GTX1660) has the same symptoms in Novabench, and their FPS drops even more in "Escape from Tarkov."
Looking forward to your advice soon.
Force Manufacturing Ltd is a simple brand of ram. The 1333MHz model is clearly labeled. Given its basic nature, it probably won't perform well at 1600, but should work fine at 1333. A good replacement would be swapping out the Tacens unit—it's a 750w system covering all rails and adding extra power for better performance. The internal capacity is closer to 350w, making it suitable for most PCs. A decent alternative in the 450w-550w range would be the Seasonic S12-II or M12-II 520w. Though it's an older design, it fits your existing gear perfectly while staying affordable.
Start with the basics.
Avoid combining different RAM types, especially name brands from unknown manufacturers (junk). You can't be certain the timing and voltage specs will match.
Is the 'Unknown RAM' equipped with heat spreaders?*
If you need 16GB, look for a bundle of 4x4GB or 2x8GB sets... but right now,
get rid of the junk and let the GSkills run freely!
What is your PSU? The make and model. Usually, you require a power supply of 300 Watts or more. For the 1050ti.
Bah. Nonsense. There's absolutely nothing wrong with 'no-name' ram or mixing ram. Mixing ram is a bad idea if buying ram, since there's no guarantee that it will work or create headaches. OP already owns the ram, and it works. There's no such thing as 'no-name' ram. All ram, from Gskill to Adata to Kingston is made by a handful of OEMs, who do nothing more than slap a heatsink with a brand on it. You'll find the same Samsung IC's in Patriot Elite as Adata XPG as Gskill Trident-Z, or the same Micron IC's in HP's or Crucial or Dell. Lack of a branded heatsink is meaningless to performance, just looks. Mixed ram runs at the lowest speeds of all the sticks, so you won't get 1600 when it's mixed with 1333, all will run at 1333 or all will run at 1600 if you set them to. You may have to bump the ram voltages and/or NB VID, NB FID or CPU/NB to get them stable. But that can also affect VRM/NB temps.
What op should start with is checking windows event viewer, and not only for any critical errors (red flagged) but also for any repetitive errors (multiple yellow flagged) that could point in a general direction if there's a serious amount of conflicts affecting performance. A clean pc doesn't always mean a healthy OS and Windows has had more than its fair share of conflicts with every driver out there.
It could be a bios glitch involving CSM. The latest cards from Maxwell mostly support UEFI BIOS, which can cause problems with older BIOS systems that behave inconsistently. I've noticed everything ranging from complete failure to smooth operation, depending on the card.
Thank you for the advice, I'll examine the Windows event viewer. Regarding the "no-name" RAM issue, the chip maker doesn't list it in Aida64 or anywhere else; the only entry I have is "Module Name A Force 51264Y133I". Still, that's okay.
Today I'll verify the recommendations and ensure a suitable power source is ready, then share the results.
I started using int over 100 only recently, I experienced issues before then. I'll provide an update soon.