Hey everyone, I'm upgrading my old AM4 build from 2018, moving from a 2600X to a 5800X. I'm concerned about the VRMs overheating on my Asus Prime B450M-A motherboard since I've read that CPUs with 8 cores can put a lot of stress on the VRMs and that temperatures could spike to around 200°F. I know this motherboard isn't exactly built for the 5800X, and I'd rather not buy a new AM4 board, as I'd prefer to jump to AM5 if that's the case.
So my questions are: Will gaming and software emulation (like RPCS3) really stress the VRMs? What kind of performance drop should I expect? And is there a risk of damaging my CPU with this setup? I'm not planning on overclocking and I just picked up an air cooler for the 5800X. I also have two extra fans placed near the VRMs, one on the left side of the case next to the AIO and one on the top side.
2 Answers
Actually, gaming isn't that stressful for an 8-core CPU. Most games won’t fully max out your CPU. Just ensure you have good airflow in your case—like two intake fans and one exhaust fan, and you should be good to go.
Thanks for the tip! I just bought a Lian Li A3 case and I'm moving my fans over to improve airflow.
Some emulators can stress the VRMs, especially RPCS3. While it has optimizations, certain games might need more processing power. Generally, RPCS3 can utilize several CPU cores, so keep that in mind when playing heavier titles. But many games you'll emulate will be lighter, so it won't be all stress.
Yeah, that's what I was worried about too, especially since I want to play MGS4. I read RPCS3 can even use up to 7 cores! Glad to hear they're still updating it, I'll do more research.
Lol, just to clarify, games like Battlefield, Cyberpunk, and many open world titles do tend to push CPUs. It's definitely a myth that games don’t need good CPUs!