The benchmark score decreased following the overclock adjustment.
The benchmark score decreased following the overclock adjustment.
I'm testing the overclocking of my AMD Fx-8350 on the Biostar TA970 with 8GB RAM. I've been using cinebench at every overclock setting to check performance gains, expecting improvements of about 1 or 2 points per 100MHz. However, when I reached 400MHz (the stock speed), the score dropped from 540 to 511. I've kept all programs identical except for a couple less, but I'm unsure why this happens.
Passmark isn't the best test for showing a CPU's capabilities
Techgeek:
Did you check your temperatures? If yes, what was the maximum reading? It seems like the system was throttling because of heat. I’ve come to this understanding too—I was puzzled by the CPU temperatures shown in programs like Aida64, which displayed a general CPU temperature instead of specific cores. They were around 60 or 70, while the individual cores were lower at 30 to 40. Looking it up, the core temperatures actually mattered, but maybe they weren’t because I pushed my overclock to 4.4GHz and suddenly it throttled. I’m not checking if my cooler is working properly since it’s running at 60 degrees at idle with a Corsair Hydro H60.
The most accurate way to assess AMD's FX line (and all their CPUs) is by utilizing AMD Overdrive and examining the Thermal Margin. The reading functions inversely; a lower value indicates closer throttling, while a higher value suggests greater distance from throttling. Because throttling is the main focus, Thermal Margin is the metric you should prioritize. Other temperature readings tend to be unreliable, especially during idle conditions.
techgeek:
The top evaluation of AMD's FX series (and all their CPUs) comes from using AMD Overdrive and checking the Thermal Margin. The number decreases as you approach throttling, and increases when you move away from it. Since throttling is the main focus, Thermal Margin is what matters most. Other temperature readings tend to be unreliable, especially when the system is idle.
Here is a link that explains this:
An Understanding of Temperature on AMD CPUs and APUs
Sorry, what causes the temperature to rise in the mid-80s under load? The thermal margin decreases as it heats up. Once it reaches zero, the CPU starts throttling.
Sorry, the temperature in Aida64 goes up to 80, but the thermal margin only reduces to around 30.
Sorry, what causes the CPU to throttle in the mid-80s under heavy load? The thermal margin decreases as it gets warmer, eventually reaching zero and triggering throttling.
The temperature displayed in AIDA64 increases to 80, but the thermal margin only drops slightly to around 30.
Have you checked AMD Overdrive? It might help confirm the thermal margin values in AIDA64. Many third-party tools perform poorly with AMD CPUs/APUs, while Intel's DTS is more reliable for temperature monitoring.
techgeek :
Jango_22 :
techgeek :
Under heavy load, what affects the mid-80s thermal margin? The thermal margin tends to shrink as temperature increases. Once it reaches zero, the CPU starts throttling.
Sorry, but the temperature displayed in Aida64 climbs to 80, yet the thermal margin only decreases slightly to around 30.
Have you checked AMD Overdrive? To confirm the thermal margin values in AIDA64. It looks like many third-party tools struggle with accurate temperature tracking on AMD CPUs/APUs. They perform better with Intel, but there’s significantly more data available about Intel’s DTS than AMD’s temperature readings.
I’m using AMD Overdrive for the thermal margin, but Aida64 doesn’t show it.