FX-8120 @ 4.5GHz drops (HELP)
FX-8120 @ 4.5GHz drops (HELP)
Throughout this final week of intense play, I began observing a consistent pattern of frequency reductions across various components—CPU, RAM, HT, and others—occurring simultaneously at the same moment. Every half hour or an hour these drops become significant. For instance, the CPU falls to 1Ghz, RAM drops to 800Mhz. My CPU runs at 4.5GHz with a voltage of 1.38, while my RAM operates at 1866MHz with a voltage of 9-10-9-28 at 1.62V. I increased the CPU and RAM voltages to 1.95V (using just a multiplier for the CPU overclock). The motherboard is an Asus Sabertooth 990FX R2.0, and the overclock remains stable. During gaming sessions, my CPU reaches 65°C with the room heater active. I consulted several sources, contacted ASUS Support, but no clear solution has been provided.
ASUS Support suggested the motherboard or power supply unit might be faulty. Regarding the PSU, I’m uncertain because the GPU (R9 280X Toxic) continues to function normally.
My attempts thus far have been:
1. Running multiple software tools to track system behavior—CPUID, Hardwareinfo, AIDA—all show normal readings except for those frequency drops.
2. Clearing the CMOS by removing the battery, unplugging the PSU power cord, and holding the power button for over 30 seconds to fully discharge it.
3. Running Prime, Memtest86, and AIDA stress tests; all passed without any interruptions.
4. Opening the case and removing the GPU to inspect for damaged capacitors—everything appears intact.
5. Disabling the overclock and reverting to default BIOS settings. The drops reappeared when playing.
6. Verifying if power-saving features are enabled in both Windows and BIOS; all are off or set to maximum performance.
I truly hope to discover a resolution or at least a definitive answer—whether it’s a software issue or a hardware problem, and if the latter, which part of the system needs repair or replacement.
It might be the power supply because the CPU and all components require different power than the GPU cards. Try borrowing a power supply and see if it works.
Currently, I lack a backup PSU and question whether I'll be able to acquire one soon. Are there any diagnostic tests or alternative methods to verify if the issue is indeed with the PSU?
I'm not very familiar with the 8120. It seems to function without a turbo mode, which might be typical.
I'm not very familiar with the 8120. Does it feature a turbo mode? It seems this might be typical. Usually, it does. At default settings it increases from 3.1GHz to 4.0GHz. However, when I disable any throttling options, the frequency drops to around 4480MHz instead of the usual range.
Well, if the various software programs I'm using display inaccurate temperatures, it could be the issue. That's why I rely on at least two programs simultaneously to compare data and the results are similar—around 60°C (maximum 65°C) when under heavy load, like during Prime95 testing.