The place of grandpa FX8350 in a 2018 Universe.

[Fif23]

Well , grandpa is getting old. the FX8350 has been serving amazingly well on an Asus 970 Aura, with about 20 gigs of DDR3.
So far I've had zero issues. Mostly Windows operations, Firefox, Adobe Acrobat, casual overwatch at 1080p 60hz.

It still works, but I am looking at the market now (Wanted to buy a Bluetooth Dongle and asked myself, why don't I have Bluetooth ? Is it that old ? haha)
I'm seeing new AMD's, ryzen, and DDR4, and NVME Discs.

I looked at the graphs comparing 8350 to others, and they all show how x5 faster the new chips are.
In real life, on a loaded Windows and loaded Firefox over Dual monitors, is there a huge different in the smoothness between Ryzens and this ?

And if even the office environment benefits from Ryzens CPU's, which one is the best "bang for buck" for someone who keeps CPU's/Mobos for 5-8 years at a time (like me ? ) I assuming I dont want to get the Entry ones if I plan on keeping it like I kept the 8350

And one more small question - Should I also upgrade my Sata ssd to one of those nvme/m2 or does it matter less than the CPU ?

 

[Vya Domus]

In real life, on a loaded Windows and loaded Firefox over Dual monitors, is there a huge different in the smoothness between Ryzens and this ?

Nope.

And if even the office environment benefits from Ryzens CPU's, which one is the best "bang for buck" for someone who keeps CPU's/Mobos for 5-8 years at a time (like me ? )

Wait for the new chips coming this spring.

 

[eidairaman1]

You really dont need the nvme right yet.

Cpu suggestions is the Ryzen 2600X or 2700 non X, an AsRock X370 Taichi or Asus Crosshair 6 Extreme, or X470 Based Taichi or Crosshair 7 Extreme when those come out.

Otherwise build a Threadripper with a X399 Zenieth Mobo

 

[cucker tarlson]

Since nothing you do is memory speed intensive and you have plenty of memory I'd suggest staying on DDR3. 8350 has a huge power draw and mediocre performance. You can get E3-1231 v3 (xeon version of 4790, 4c/8t at 3.80GHz with 80W TDP) and some h97 mobo (no need for z97 for you). This is the same tier as 1600X but no need to sell your ddr3 and get ddr4, which would be a bad deal.

 

[Bill_Bright]

Since nothing you do is memory speed intensive and you have plenty of memory I'd suggest staying on DDR3.

If buying a new motherboard, it really does not make sense to stick with DDR3 (if you can even find a new motherboard that supports the latest processors and DDR3).

If buying a new motherboard, I say why go with legacy technologies and DDR3? Go with DDR4. It is considerably faster and more energy efficient.

I think before you will be able to move forward, you need to decide if you will be keeping that old FX8350 or not. Considering that board and CPU came out 6+ years ago, and you are considering this upgrade because you want to get closer to the state-of-the-art, I say start over and buy all new - at least for your main components (CPU, RAM and motherboard). You can always upgrade your graphics, drives and more once you build the budget back up to prolong the life of this new computer.

Tell Grandma you worked hard all these years. You gave her a grandchild. It is time you treat yourself to something really nice - unless she would rather you spend your time at the bars and casinos!

 

[Vario]

You will just have to take the cost of the DDR4 upgrade at some point. Right now DDR4 is expensive but it has been expensive for many months now. If you do buy Ryzen you will want to make sure you get the Samsung B Dies, one of the guaranteed ways to do this is to buy the DDR4 3200 CL14 kit that G Skill sells, it can be purchased as 2x8GB for around $220. The 32GB version is substantially more expensive and not worth it. I'd recommend that ram for Intel as well, it is the best. I am using it myself.

 

[Sasqui]

Given the price of RAM, I would try to re-use it (assuming it's good stuff). That said, you'd probably be looking at a used motherboard. Me, I'd go with 4xxx series (Haswell Refresh) or newer. Shopping for new, you'll get the best and yes, DDR4 is faster. And shopping for new is always more fun

SSD vs NVME, you won't notice much difference... unless you need a larger drive, it wouldn't be worth it for everyday use.

 

[newtekie1]

In real life, on a loaded Windows and loaded Firefox over Dual monitors, is there a huge different in the smoothness between Ryzens and this ?

Nope. I still use my FX8350 system on a daily basis for the tasks you mention, and I can't tell the difference between it and my 8700K system in those tasks. I can when I'm encoding video for sure, but not in normal every day tasks like internet browsing and office work.

 

[Vario]

I'd get an 8600K and Z370 motherboard and 16GB of DDR4, thats what I did. I noticed an improvement coming from a 3770K so I would imagine going from an 8350 would be something! It would cost somewhere between 500 and $650 depending on what motherboard, what ram, and where you buy it from.

8600K is plenty for what you do, it is very fast single thread and it has 6 real cores. I don't think you need 12 threads or hyperthreading.
Or I would wait until the new gen comes out, New ryzen will be faster and the security fixes for Intel may change everything.

 

[Bill_Bright]

Given the price of RAM, I would try to re-use it

Yes, DDR4 is more expensive but I say when you factor in the price of the CPU, motherboard, and everything else, then factor in the anticipated 5 - 8 years of use the OP indicates he will use this computer, the price difference is negligible at best.

If you look at Newegg and compare their cheapest Corsair 2 x 8GB DDR3 with their cheapest Corsair 2 x 8GB DDR4, is the extra $15 really a deal breaker? For me, for only $15 more, I say it is a deal maker!

 

[Sasqui]

If you look at Newegg and compare their cheapest Corsair 2 x 8GB DDR3 with their cheapest Corsair 2 x 8GB DDR4, is the extra $15 really a deal breaker? For me, for only $15 more, I say it is a deal maker!

Not if he already has 20GB of DDR3 silly... read the OP

If he didn't, then it's a no brainer for DDR4

 

[Bill_Bright]

I did read it. And he said "if", silly. Read the OP.

He said he is looking to step into 2018. DDR3 came out over a decade ago.

I am trying to move him forward, you are trying to hold him back.

 

[jboydgolfer]

"Grandpa"?!

It's still a very capable CPU ,six years is not by any stretch an old system ,just an older system. it's older than some may run them ,but it's certainly not too old. Id hazard a guess that in 95% of casual computer activities you'd notice no difference with a new pc, it would be in the specialized 5%-10% of activities, like rendering,etc , basically stuff no one does all of the time.

It's simple if your activities are held back by the PC (whether it's two years or 20 ) then you should upgrade ,if it doesnt, then there's no need to. Personally I try to upgrade every 3 to 6 years.

And if you do upgrade ,don't skimp and try to make your DDR3 work for the new build ,just buy some new ram, or wait and see if prices drop. I got 2x4Gb DDR4 @ $85 last week, its pricey, but such is the enthusiast pc hobby

 

[Sasqui]

I did read it. And he said "if", silly. Read the OP.

He said he is looking to step into 2018. DDR3 came out over a decade ago.

I am trying to move him forward, you are trying to hold him back.

You're an odd duck for sure. I read this to mean he HAS 20GB of DDR3...

"Well , grandpa is getting old. the FX8350 has been serving amazingly well on an Asus 970 Aura, with about 20 gigs of DDR3."

 

[Bill_Bright]

You're an odd duck for sure. I read this to mean he HAS 20GB of DDR3...

He does. He also has a 6 year old CPU and a 6 year old motherboard that he says still works.

But the whole point of his thread is that he wants to move into 2018. Sticking with DDR3 is not.

He has expressed interest in a new CPU and other newer technologies.

If saving the most money is his desire, then sure, stick with the legacy, slower, less efficient DDR3. But in that case, since everything still works, why upgrade at all? He can still add a BT dongle. In fact, most motherboards still don't come with integrated BT anyway.

 

[jboydgolfer]

You're an odd duck for sure. I read this to mean he HAS 20GB of DDR3...

"Well , grandpa is getting old. the FX8350 has been serving amazingly well on an Asus 970 Aura, with about 20 gigs of DDR3."

he is saying "about 20Gb of DDR3"

my motherboard is a Z370 and No Blue Tooth @Fif23 so unless you find a VERY specific MoBo, your still gonna need a Dongle.

 

[Bill_Bright]

@Fif23 - knowing your budget would help too.

 

[Sasqui]

he is saying "about 20Gb of DDR3"

my motherboard is a Z370 and No Blue Tooth @Fif23 so unless you find a VERY specific MoBo, your still gonna need a Dongle.

1) That's over $150 in memory, so worth considering.

2) Yea, almost all desktop boards with BT are via an add-on adapter. USB would probably be the best (re-usable)

 

[TheoneandonlyMrK]

Since nothing you do is memory speed intensive and you have plenty of memory I'd suggest staying on DDR3. 8350 has a huge power draw and mediocre performance. You can get E3-1231 v3 (xeon version of 4790, 4c/8t at 3.80GHz with 80W TDP) and some h97 mobo (no need for z97 for you). This is the same tier as 1600X but no need to sell your ddr3 and get ddr4, which would be a bad deal.

While that's a price conciouse choice it's a sidegrade imho ,still gaming here at 4k 60 fps on a fx8350 vega setup that in total while gaming pulls 4-450 watts max , you can do better but its not the gaping chasm it looks on paper In use and the Op should buy a Bluetooth dongle and chill for a year , maybe get an nvme drive and pciex adapter , and upgrade this pc one last time, the drive can meet his new pc in 2019 when something better in performance or value terms turn's up or hopefully with better security given All the hooplah atm , i would not(will not but im skint too soo) be swapping now , cryptos in a bad place too atm so soon there might be some bargains to be had.

 

[Vario]

I have onboard bluetooth on my Z370 Taichi. I have only ever tried to pair my PS3 controller and that didn't work though, probably as much to do with the drivers for the controller as anything, it does work with a usb cable.
I think you should ditch the 8350 and DDR3 this year, but whether you want to wait for Ryzen 2 or revised Coffee Lake or buy now is the question to consider, IMO. 8350 is pretty slow single thread for games, you are sure to notice an improvement for games where CPU speed is critical.

 

[TheoneandonlyMrK]

I have onboard bluetooth on my Z370 Taichi. I have only ever tried to pair my PS3 controller and that didn't work though, probably as much to do with the drivers for the controller as anything, it does work with a usb cable.
I think you should ditch the 8350 and DDR3 this year, but whether you want to wait for Ryzen 2 or revised Coffee Lake or buy now is the question to consider, IMO. 8350 is pretty slow single thread for games, you are sure to notice an improvement for games where CPU speed is critical.

Not so much unless you're gaming at 1080p 144hz then sure but not in any release I have played, I put it down to modern games expecting and being designed for quadcores as a typical pc and those loads do ok on FX chips as they spread the load well , that's not an opinion it's learned i also have a kabylake and a merrydale systems and two fx setups though one's not in use atm.
And I use a lenovo ,quadro equipped newish 24 core xeon system all day i know how they run.

 

[Papahyooie]

Q6600 is grandpa. FX8350 is more like 35 year old dad.

Unless you're gaming at high hz, you won't see any improvement by upgrading, except for in heavily threaded applications.

 

[FatLeeAdama]

If you aren't gaming or encoding video, I would see no reason to go Ryzen yet. I really do want to go Ryzen 2 if I can put back some money though. It just the price for PC parts is just too damn high right now. Your rig is almost identical to mine and I know what you mean about the mindset of it getting old though. I am still casual gaming at 2560 x 1080 pretty well. So I am holding off for now.

 

[Fif23]

Thanks for all the awesome comments folks !!!
Wow, i just cheked newegg, what the hell happened to DDR prices ?! I used to buy 32 gigs of DDR3 for like 100 bucks. What happened ??

 

[AlienIsGOD]

Thanks for all the awesome comments folks !!!
Wow, i just cheked newegg, what the hell happened to DDR prices ?! I used to buy 32 gigs of DDR3 for like 100 bucks. What happened ??

Phones happened