To Zen or Not to Zen?

[alexsubri]

From the latest articles I've read (simple google search) on AM4 , it stated that shipments of AMD's new Zen processors are going to be shipped out now at least until Dec 2016 with limited quantities, yet a full release in Q1 2017.

I'm intrigued because I've been a long AMD fan and when I heard it has lower TDP, simultaneous multithreading (AMD's solution to Hyper-Threading), DDR3/DDR4 compatibility, and over 40% IPC sounds good on paper, but the make it or break it moment is yet to be determined... (Few leaked benchmarks show huge improvements, but sub-par to Intel i7 latest gen of processors...

So, my question to all those AMD users who are now Intel users, should I upgrade to i5 6600k or stay with my FX 6300 @ 4.3GHZ until Zen??? I do understand Intel is also releasing Kaby Lake-C and Skylake-C in 2017 as well... :-\

I have a GTX 1070 and yes it does bottleneck a little bit in Witcher 3 (all ultra settings) , BF4 (AA is off and 150+ resolution, with 91 FOV) ((not really bad)). I do play at 2560x1400 with a GSYNC monitor, so even though some games bottleneck, I still achieve 60-80FPS and mid 30-40s where its CPU demanding. Doom plays well at 60-80 FPS all on ultra settings, so no complaints there.

Thanks everyone!

 

[Estaric]

Zen has me intrigued

 

[the54thvoid]

With G-sync your bottlenecked fps should still be adequate. In your shoes. Unless you're absolutely desperate, I'd hold off till Zen. At least then you will know all you need to.
If you buy now, you'll still be anticipating Zen.

 

[JATownes]

I'll admit I will probably jump on the Zen train, if reviews justify the purchase. I admittedly just switched from an FX9370 @ 4.9Ghz on a Sabertooth 990FX to a 6700K @ 4.6Ghz on a Sabertooth Z170 Mark 1, and the difference is HUGE! The 6700k really let my video cards shine.

JAT

 

[GLD]

Drop an 8350 or 8370 cpu in your rig if you cant resist the upgrade bug right now, then wait until ZEN is actually out and fully tested before you do a system change. That is my 2 cents anyway. I keep getting the urge to get a 8350/8370 myself while waiting for ZEN.

 

[alexsubri]

With G-sync your bottlenecked fps should still be adequate. In your shoes. Unless you're absolutely desperate, I'd hold off till Zen. At least then you will know all you need to.
If you buy now, you'll still be anticipating Zen.

You're right. Without my G-SYNC monitor and 144Hz the more demanding games would play a lot more horrible with the bottlenecking.

I just hope Zen pulls out. AMD processors aren't preforming at the pace Intel is creating theirs.

 

[alexsubri]

Drop an 8350 or 8370 cpu in your rig if you cant resist the upgrade bug right now, then wait until ZEN is actually out and fully tested before you do a system change. That is my 2 cents anyway. I keep getting the urge to get a 8350/8370 myself while waiting for ZEN.

I was thinking about this, but isn't the 6300 performance and the 8350 about the same? In terms of bottlenecking?

 

[Jborg]

Drop an 8350 or 8370 cpu in your rig if you cant resist the upgrade bug right now, then wait until ZEN is actually out and fully tested before you do a system change. That is my 2 cents anyway. I keep getting the urge to get a 8350/8370 myself while waiting for ZEN.

Honestly the FX 6300 @ 4.5Ghz the OP has is probably pretty similar to the performance of an FX 8350. I would not go that route, especially at this point in time. And also coming from the owner of both an FX 6300 and an FX 8350 @ 4.5Ghz.

I was thinking about this, but isn't the 6300 performance and the 8350 about the same? In terms of bottlenecking?

Yes I would say its not worth the upgrade, and to put that money into your Zen purchase

 

[crazyeyesreaper]

Going forward Zen should prove to be somewhat decent. Multi-threading in games due to better APIs is finally taking a step forward after being stagnant for years. With better APIs AMDs idea of more cores / threads for the price means if you multi task / stream while gaming etc means Zen may prove useful. It will really come down to price. But think about it 8 cores 16 threads hell they have the option of 16 core 32 thread. If they can offer say 4770k IPC but with 16 cores 32 threads at an acceptable price the Chip will obviously prove worthwhile. AMD can't win the IPC race. Simply because Intel is almost always a full node shrink ahead. But AMD can still get close and offer more cores / threads for multi threaded workloads.

 

[alexsubri]

Honestly the FX 6300 @ 4.5Ghz the OP has is probably pretty similar to the performance of an FX 8350. I would not go that route, especially at this point in time. And also coming from the owner of both an FX 6300 and an FX 8350 @ 4.5Ghz.



Yes I would say its not worth the upgrade, and to put that money into your Zen purchase

Thank you for your input. I've researched this as well when I was thinking about upgrading my 6300, which made me think over to Intel's i5 chips. But when I heard about Zen, I felt a thrill up my leg

 

[RejZoR]

Thank you for your input. I've researched this as well when I was thinking about upgrading my 6300, which made me think over to Intel's i5 chips. But when I heard about Zen, I felt a thrill up my leg

That sensation on the leg was just a feeling of money leaving your pockets

 

[m0nt3]

im waiting for zen. It still seems so far away, but be strong and hold out!

 

[GreiverBlade]

i got from a FX6300 to a 6600K passing by a 4690K, altho only the FX6300 and 4690K had the same GPU: a R9 290, and i run a 1070 now

with the same GPU ... i noticed some improvement but not really much to be honest, i.e: more stable minimal fps, and sometime higher max but rarely.

i did only go intel because i wanted ... (compulsive buying ... )

 

[alucasa]

Wait & see for me. 4 core + HT ain't cutting it for me for rendering, so I've been thinking of grabbing second hand 8 core xeon chip. But if Zen proves to be alright, then the fund will go to AMD instead.

So, wait & see for me.

 

[erocker]

Nobody knows your answer at this time... Maybe AMD does.

 

[alexsubri]

Sweetness, I feel better now on staying with my AMD until Zen 禪 release and benchmark results.

Side question: Has anyone else seen any new leaks? I've read some rumor articles with rumor pics and I've seen the AMD video. Nothing new as of yet.

 

[alucasa]

By the by,
is AMD planning to include Zen in their APU setup?

 

[TheoneandonlyMrK]

One socket am4 for both apu and CPU and ill wager that socket lasts more then a year.

 

[xvi]

If you got an i5 6600k, do you think you'd want to upgrade to Zen when it comes out?

I've been an AMD fan for a long time, but I've greatly enjoied my 3930k and 6700k systems to the point that I think it would be really hard to go back to AMD's FX lineup.

 

[eidairaman1]

Keep what you have right now. PS my rig is at 5.1GHz. Runs everything I throw at it fine.

 

[alexsubri]

Keep what you have right now. PS my rig is at 5.1GHz. Runs everything I throw at it fine.

Holy torpedo batman! What's your voltage settings at and PSU watts? I had my CPU reach 4.5 stable, but with the heat recently, I moved it down to 4.3 for the sake of overheating. I get low 40s and about 50c while playing games. I have a 212 EVO Push Pull method

 

[xkm1948]

If ZEN is awesome I wish the price of 8/10 core HEDT processors can drop a lot. I am eager to pick up a cheap used 5960X. So don't fail me now ZEN!

 

[JATownes]

Holy torpedo batman! What's your voltage settings at and PSU watts? I had my CPU reach 4.5 stable, but with the heat recently, I moved it down to 4.3 for the sake of overheating. I get low 40s and about 50c while playing games. I have a 212 EVO Push Pull method

I'm curious about this as well...I could push my 9370 to over 5, and even though my custom loop could keep it cool enough, the VRMs on my Sabertooth 990FX board were going to burn the house down if I kept pushing.

@eidairaman1 - are you actively cooling your vrms? I'm shocked you can stay stable and 24/7 on air with that high of clock. You have a very cherry chip!

 

[little cat]

6 months waiting for Zen !? I wouldnt . My preference is i7 6700

 

[TheoneandonlyMrK]

I've got my fingers crossed,I can't see a downside, with a decent mortherboard and a monoblock I'd be set for a few years messing with different cpus and apus.