Observations with an FX-8350

[guskline]

Perhaps this thread should be relabeled "The FX-8350 - the poor man's wanna be 3770k"

 

[2is]

Perhaps this thread should be relabeled "The FX-8350 - the poor man's wanna be 3770k"

Can't be that poor if you can afford to keep it powered! :'(

 

[Greenlepricon]

Can't be that poor if you can afford to keep it powered! :'(

It costs more to keep my living room lights on every night than to keep my computer running while I'm home :\

 

[inf64]

It costs more to keep my living room lights on every night than to keep my computer running while I'm home :\

Yep,this power draw argument is just silly. One standard light bulb draws 100W of power,each household has at least 4 or 5 of these running almost all the time. Then you have heating(electric),electric ovens, microwave ovens,water heaters and a bunch of electronics besides the PC(TV,sound systems,etc.). All of these make a CPU power draw difference a mere noise in the power bill. Turn off one light or buy a few "green" power friendly light bulbs and voila, more power saved than what your "power hungry" PC could have done buy switching to lower power components. Note that PCs usually idle ,approx. 90% of the running time,so any difference in power draw will be miniscule.

 

[ShintaiDK]

Yep,this power draw argument is just silly. One standard light bulb draws 100W of power,each household has at least 4 or 5 of these running almost all the time. Then you have heating(electric),electric ovens, microwave ovens,water heaters and a bunch of electronics besides the PC(TV,sound systems,etc.). All of these make a CPU power draw difference a mere noise in the power bill. Turn off one light or buy a few "green" power friendly light bulbs and voila, more power saved than what your "power hungry" PC could have done buy switching to lower power components. Note that PCs usually idle ,approx. 90% of the running time,so any difference in power draw will be miniscule.

If you got 4-5 100W lightblubs you are seriously on a wrong path. A modern home uses around 3-4Kw/h per day with all appliances and light.

Tho 100W Lightblubs and FX chips do go hand in hand...

 

[Jovec]

I know that it was meant in jest, but the FX power draw shouldn't really be a factor for most buyers. Conversely, it's lower price isn't too much of a factor for many of us either. This isn't a "Get a better job" comment and everyone certainly has the right to spend their money how they choose, but more to the nature that for for most of us computers are something of an irrational hobby, and we are talking about relatively small amounts of money for something we enjoy immensely and spend countless hours using. This is why the price/performance argument, while it can be a useful metric, tends to fall apart.

 

[Torn Mind]

Yep,this power draw argument is just silly. One standard light bulb draws 100W of power,each household has at least 4 or 5 of these running almost all the time. Then you have heating(electric),electric ovens, microwave ovens,water heaters and a bunch of electronics besides the PC(TV,sound systems,etc.). All of these make a CPU power draw difference a mere noise in the power bill. Turn off one light or buy a few "green" power friendly light bulbs and voila, more power saved than what your "power hungry" PC could have done buy switching to lower power components. Note that PCs usually idle ,approx. 90% of the running time,so any difference in power draw will be miniscule.

100 watt bulbs have been legislated out of existence and 60 watts were more ubiquitous anyway due to those 60-watters not being a fire hazard in most fixtures. Not to mention the gradual adoption of CFLs and LEDs.

 

[Greenlepricon]

I know that it was meant in jest, but the FX power draw shouldn't really be a factor for most buyers. Conversely, it's lower price isn't too much of a factor for many of us either. This isn't a "Get a better job" comment, but more to the nature that for for most of us computers are something of an irrational hobby, and we are talking about relatively small amounts of money for something we enjoy immensely and spend countless hours using. This is why the price/performance argument, while it can be a useful metric, tends to fall apart.

Yep I agree. If I didn't have the AM3+ mobo ahead of time I would have probably changed to Intel. Ah well, I'll make it a few years down the road and see what's the best at that point in time. AMD and Intel are both fun to play with, and this might be one of my last chances to play with AMD processors .

All I can say is that I saved a few bucks and am doing everything I want to with piledriver. Maybe doing it a little slower than most of you lot but that's ok as far as wasting my time with games goes . We all get to have fun and I'm glad Piledriver at least sneaked into its correct pricepoint unlike Bulldozer. Thanks again IDC!

 

[Greenlepricon]

100 watt bulbs have been legislated out of existence and 60 watts were more ubiquitous anyway due to those 60-watters not being a fire hazard in most fixtures. Not to mention the gradual adoption of CFLs and LEDs.

Not to mention that "watts" has more become a term for brightness instead of power usage in the lighting industry. Anyway I have quite a few lightbulbs rated at 13 watts spread around randomly. I think some of the others I have are 40 or 50 watt incandescents? When they die they'll get replaced by the 13w fluorescents, or LED's if I can pull some extra change out of my pockets. Right now I would say maybe about 200w running through bulbs alone in my house (and I'm pretty conservative about turning lights on).

 

[Abwx]

A modern home uses around 3-4Kw/h per day with all appliances and light.

Tho 100W Lightblubs and FX chips do go hand in hand...

The number you are quoting amount to 10$ monthly.....

You really have to ressort to blatant misleading and obvious
lies to make the FX so called high comsumption look as high
as possible...

I suggest you to post less in AMD related thread since you re
only here to spread some crappy viral marketing and really
no usefull POV....

 

[frozentundra123456]

I know that it was meant in jest, but the FX power draw shouldn't really be a factor for most buyers. Conversely, it's lower price isn't too much of a factor for many of us either. This isn't a "Get a better job" comment, but more to the nature that for for most of us computers are something of an irrational hobby, and we are talking about relatively small amounts of money for something we enjoy immensely and spend countless hours using. This is why the price/performance argument, while it can be a useful metric, tends to fall apart.

I agree with you that unless you are a heavy user, the added cost of power for the FX is minimal. But OHOH, it just intuitively feels "wrong" to use more power for less performance, especially in gaming. And if you use the computer heavily for a few years, the added power cost does add up, even more so if you overclock. If you do the calculations for max usage 6 hours per day, 15cents per kwh, 100 watt difference, every day of the year, that is 30 to 35 dollars per year.

Basically though, your last statement is the bottom line to me as well. Get what you want, and enjoy it. If for some reason you want the FX save some money up front and pay more in power. If you prefer a 3570 or 3770, pay more up front, get better preformance in most cases, and save some on the power. I mean most people pay what 100 to 300 dollars a month for cell phone and family data plan, then there is cable, internet, buying games if you are a gamer and on and on. So in this context, an extra few dollars a month for power is minimal, as is 100 dollars or so extra for the cpu you want, especially if you keep the machine for several years.

 

[2is]

It costs more to keep my living room lights on every night than to keep my computer running while I'm home :\

It was a joke guy. What isn't a joke is going with any FX processor over an Intel equivalent seems silly in almost all cases, with the exceptions being a very small subset of programs that may work better with it. If you aren't running these programs, and most people aren't, the price difference is as negligible if not more so than the power draw.

 

[Greenlepricon]

It was a joke guy. What isn't a joke is going with any FX processor over an Intel equivalent seems silly in almost all cases, with the exceptions being a very small subset of programs that may work better with it. If you aren't running these programs, and most people aren't, the price difference is as negligible if not more so than the power draw.

Don't worry we all know it was a joke. Still something worth mentioning nontheless since quite a few people I know don't understand how much power electronics take. I don't mean anything bad towards you

 

[grimpr]

I declare the FX-8350, non guilty!

 

[hans030390]

Yep,this power draw argument is just silly. One standard light bulb draws 100W of power,each household has at least 4 or 5 of these running almost all the time.

A "standard" light bulb for me is rated at 13W or so...

 

[2is]

A "standard" light bulb for me is rated at 13W or so...

True. I don't remember the last time I've seen anyone use a 100w bulb in their home. The most inefficient house Ive been in is my cousins who has a couple dozen 60watt halogens becuase he likes the type of light they produce. Though they aren't always on at the same time and often times dimmed.

 

[inf64]

A "standard" light bulb for me is rated at 13W or so...

I'm in Europe and I've just checked my light bulbs(almost all incandescent). I stand corrected,I only have one 100W and it's in the pantry. The rest are either 60W or 75W plus I have a few special LED types in the living room (these are very economical) . PC's power draw is just not a big factor in overall power bill IMO. 100W in idle and up to 300W under load scenario is really not that much considering other devices and expenses one household usually has.

 

[ShintaiDK]

The number you are quoting amount to 10$ monthly.....

You really have to ressort to blatant misleading and obvious
lies to make the FX so called high comsumption look as high
as possible...

I suggest you to post less in AMD related thread since you re
only here to spread some crappy viral marketing and really
no usefull POV....

Funny since its you that keep getting kept caught in misleading.

And no, its not 10$ either.
www.energy.eu

 

[ShintaiDK]

I'm in Europe and I've just checked my light bulbs(almost all incandescent). I stand corrected,I only have one 100W and it's in the pantry. The rest are either 60W or 75W plus I have a few special LED types in the living room (these are very economical) . PC's power draw is just not a big factor in overall power bill IMO. 100W in idle and up to 300W under load scenario is really not that much considering other devices and expenses one household usually has.

If you live in Europe, you should know that its almost, if not already impossible to even buy those lightblubs anymore. That happend back in 2009.

Even in China you cant buy 100W blubs anymore, they got banned last october.

 

[guskline]

Can't be that poor if you can afford to keep it powered! :'(

Not poor thank goodness, but with an AM3+ mb the move to the PileDriver seemed most appropriate. What I really find amusing is the constant bashing by certain posters of the "excessive" power draw of the FX 8350.

Does it draw more power than the 3770k? Absolutely. Is it less efficient? Sure. But when you go down the path of less power draw, perhaps I can ask those critics why they are using separate high end GPUs such as a GTX680 with their 3570k/3770k when, if they claim they want to be power efficient, they don't just use the IGPU built into their cpu? That would probably save as much $$$ as they contend I waste on the FX 8350.

Look, my post about the FX 8350 was not a jab at 3770k owners, rather a jab at myself and others who own the FX 8350 for paying less but having the "poor man's" 3770k which is less efficient and uses more power than the 3770k. However, I'm glad to take on the power efficiency argument. BTW, I have for the last few years converted my entire house over to 13W-18W bulbs, including spot lights. I turn the lights off when I leave the room. I turn my computers off when not using them. Using the FX 8350 vs the 3770k as a basis for a lecture on power savings seems a little hollow when running a GTX680 ( which I also own because it is a great GPU) but it does draw power.

 

[ShintaiDK]

Does it draw more power than the 3770k? Absolutely. Is it less efficient? Sure. But when you go down the path of less power draw, perhaps I can ask those critics why they are using separate high end GPUs such as a GTX680 with their 3570k/3770k when, if they claim they want to be power efficient, they don't just use the IGPU built into their cpu? That would probably save as much $$$ as they contend I waste on the FX 8350.

You get the most efficient there is. Not giving up on your lifestyle.
http://images.anandtech.com/graphs/graph5699/45174.png

A regular 7970 would have been a worse solution there.

Else with your statement we should be using Atoms and Brazos.

 

[inf64]

If you live in Europe, you should know that its almost, if not already impossible to even buy those lightblubs anymore. That happend back in 2009.

Even in China you cant buy 100W blubs anymore, they got banned last october.

I can buy them . I'm not in Denmark so we don't need to obey all EU regulations so strictly .

 

[ShintaiDK]

I can buy them . I'm not in Denmark so we don't need to obey all EU regulations so strictly .

Its banned in the entire EU. So you need to live outside the EU then.

 

[inf64]

Its banned in the entire EU. So you need to live outside the EU then.

Yes . Ain't it great?

 

[guskline]

You get the most efficient there is. Not giving up on your lifestyle.
http://images.anandtech.com/graphs/graph5699/45174.png

A regular 7970 would have been a worse solution there.

Else with your statement we should be using Atoms and Brazos.

Misread my statement my friend.

Reminds me of a situation years ago when a group of us were out at dinner and one in the group, an OBGYN doc, who was a fitness freak, made a scene when the Cardiologist put a small pat of butter on his roll. The OBGYN gave us all a lecture on the evils of butter and how it would kill us and on and on. When he finished, the Cardiologist leaned over to me and whispered, "he's going to die from stress a heck of a lot sooner than I am going to die from using a small pat of butter.

Cheers and have a stress free day!