Best Gaming CPUs For The Money: October 2011

[cleeve]

AMD's long-awaited FX-series CPUs arrived in October, and we discuss the impact that the company's Bulldozer architecture has on gaming. AMD also introduced other products into retail, including its Phenom II X4 960T, A4-3300, and Phenom II X2 270.

Best Gaming CPUs For The Money: October 2011 : Read more

 

[julianbautista87]

you basically have two options: Intel or f*** you. Come on AMD! why are you so good on the gpu market and so bad in the cpu market?

 

[ojas]

weren't we promised a round-up of the sandy bridge pentium processors a long time ago?

really should have a comparison of the various sub $100 processors from both AMD and Intel. Could use the i3-2100 for reference.

would be useful for entry-level gaming builds and office builds.

Or, could be useful to check if it's a good idea to pair a G860 or Phenom II x4 840 with a GTX 460/560 or 6850 and get decent gaming performance.

 

[cleeve]

[citation][nom]ojas[/nom]weren't we promised a round-up of the sandy bridge pentium processors a long time ago?[/citation]

Yes, and I'm working on it! behind schedule, although the delay means we can include the FX series. The budget FX-4000 CPUs look like they might not be that terrible considering they're multiplier-unlocked.

 

[tlmck]

I for one am very happy with my Phenom II X4 840. Of course I got mine on sale at a local place called Microcenter for $59.99. Won't win any benchmark contests, but it plays every game I throw at it at high settings. Good enough for me.

 

[de5_Roy]

1. i totally agree with this article.
2.

Instead, Intel's lower-cost Core i3s and Core i5s are likely better (and less expensive) options.

this made me chuckle. okay, it made me laugh. i never imagined the day when intel would seem like a value proposition, in gaming, even. but this is true - among 32 nm cpus, intel is cheaper and a better all round performer.
if you read anandtech's bd review they used a core i5 2400 in their benches which beat bd in some if not enough benchmarks. i wonder how a core i3 2100, core i5 2400 will fare against fx 4100, 6100 and 8120. i think the core i5 will emerge as a better cpu despite being locked.
it's funny to see 'quadcore' 3.6 GHz FX-4100 @ $115. imo fx 4100 is a 125 tdp dual core with ht(amd version). no one needs this space-heating-almost-as-costly-core-i3 dud. it's not a good upgrade from a ph ii 955. fx 6100 and fx 8120 are of better value among bd cpus.

 

[qu4k3r]

When will the other FX models review be ready ?

I'd like to see where 8120,8100,6100,4170,4100 are located in this chart.-

 

[dragonsqrrl]

[citation][nom]qu4k3r[/nom]When will the other FX models review be ready ?I'd like to see where 8120,8100,6100,4170,4100 are located in this chart.-[/citation]
Guru3D did a review of the FX lineup. It's mostly non-gaming benchmarks, but it gives you a good idea of how the other processors in the FX series perform in general.

http://www.guru3d.com/article/amd-fx-8150--8120-6100-and-4100-performance-review/http://www.guru3d.com/article/amd-fx-8150--8120-6100-and-4100-performance-review/

 

[Stardude82]

The G840 is about $80 now. That should shift things next month. Heck the G620 is faster than the 455 in gaming benchmarks and that's been sub $80 for a while.

 

[jet-21]

I think it would be nice if toms would do a chart where they would merge both the best gaming cpu and the best cpu for the money. ie: the best gpu combo for the best cpu price point. Just my musings

 

[de5_Roy]

just a little correction to my earlier comment: seems only fx 4170 is a 125 w tdp, fx 4100 is a 95 w tdp bulldozer cpu(still 30w higher than core i3's 65 w tdp).

 

[qu4k3r]

[citation][nom]dragonsqrrl[/nom]Guru3D did a review of the FX lineup. It's mostly non-gaming benchmarks, but it gives you a good idea of how the other processors in the FX series perform in general.http://www.guru3d.com/article/amd- [...] ce-review/[/citation]
I also saw these reviews:
http://nl.hardware.info/reviews/2382/amd-fx-8150--8120--6100--4100-bulldozer-review
http://www.techspot.com/review/452-amd-bulldozer-fx-cpus/page10.html

But I'm still doubtful about what cpu to buy

Having a Q6600 oc@3.2GHz I've bought an AM3+ mobo which I really like and I want to use it, so I'd rather buy a cpu 3 tiers higher than mine on AMD side.

 

[alhanelem]

not surprised that bulldozer didn't even show up in this article

 

[dontqqnub]

The 2700k isn't on the list. =\

 

[fyasko]

[citation][nom]dontqqnub[/nom]The 2700k isn't on the list. =\[/citation]
it's best "gaming" cpu's for the $... think about it...

 

[Dacatak]

I got an X4 955 BE for $88. No tax, no BS MIR, free shipping. Boo-yeah.

 

[jdw_swb]

2500K....still an awesome CPU for the price.

 

[Aoyagi]

[citation][nom]julianbautista87[/nom]you basically have two options: Intel or f*** you. Come on AMD! why are you so good on the gpu market and so bad in the cpu market?[/citation]
Because AMD has never intered GPU market itelf, it's ATI. And come on, they still need to get over their own CPUs ^^ (meaning Phenom 2s)

 

[RCPG]

Where is the Phenom II X4 840 on the hierarchy chart? It's recommend and it's not even on the chart. And I have a Phenom II X4 850 which also isn't on the chart. Please update the chart with these two processors.

 

[Onus]

Disappointing for AMD, but predictable.
At the low end, unless perhaps it is for a single, specific application in an unchanging environment, I still don't see ever recommending a non-HT dual core (e.g. Pentium) over a 3- or 4-core CPU (e.g. Athlon II); not for modern workloads.

 

[Reynod]

By the looks of it don you haven't had time to bench the rest of the Bulldozer CPU lineup yet?

Once some of the cheaper silicon in that range hits the street would you mind doing some gaming benchies and seeing if there is a good quality gaming chip in the mix?

I would think there might be.

Good work on this regular article as usual.

 

[evga_fan]

maybe I'm blind but I can't seem to find either of these; Phenom II X4 960T, A4-3300, and Phenom II X2 270 on the hierarchy list...

 

[shuuski]

Why didn't you put the Intel Celeron G530 / 540 in like you said you would before, surely for the price they would have to be included if the Atlon x3 is there

 

[hmp_goose]

[citation][nom]Cleeve[/nom]Yes, and I'm working on it! behind schedule, although the delay means we can include the FX series. The budget FX-4000 CPUs look like they might not be that terrible considering they're multiplier-unlocked.[/citation]
Don't forget the Celeron Gs …

 

[CaedenV]

hmmm... the list looks oddly similar to how it did most of the summer