Overclocked AMD FX 4170/6100 vs. Intel Core i3

[Guest]

Which of these processors will produce better performance??? The FX would be overclocked on air cooling. I'm also wondering if the higher clock speed of the FX 4170 beats the slower clock but more cores in the 6100. I just need to know if the FX's perform better than the core i3 if they're overclocked.

 

[jmsellars1]

If you're talking about gaming performance I would grab an i3. The FX-4170 would probably beat it if overclocked but it would consumes like 3 times the power and run a lot hotter. It would also end up costing like $180 once you have a decent cooler and you can get an i5 for that.

The extra 2 cores on the FX-6 won't make the slightest bit of difference in games.

If you are talking about performance in something like rendering or audio/video editing then the FX-6 would probably be best.

 

[pacioli]

If it is gaming performance you are talking about you want to go with the an i3. the FX series has a slight advantage in productivity software.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/fx-4100-core-i3-2100-gaming-benchmark,3136-9.html

Even when overclocked the 4170 has lowered performance over an i3 2100

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106-5.html

Notice the i3 2100 one tier above the fx 4170 in gaming performance

 

[Guest]

Would overclocking with stock heatsink and fan still produce higher results than the i3???

 

[pacioli]

Overclocking an fx 4170 with an aftermarket cooler doesn't produce better performance results than an i3 2120 except in certain applications/games that use the 4 true cores. Overclocking the FX 4170 simply makes it tie the i3 2120 in performance.
Even then... you still have to deal with a lot of extra heat in your case due to the high power usage. An i3 sips power compared to an FX chip.

So here is the lowdown...
The i3 2120 and the FX 4170 have similiar performance when the FX 4170 is overclocked. To overclock the 4170 you need an aftermarket cooling solution as the 4170 is already highly overclocked from the factory.

The i3 2120 costs less than the FX 4170. When you add in an aftermarket cooler the i3 2120 costs a lot less than the FX 4170

The i3 2120 produces less heat than the FX 4170. You don't need as much cooling to keep your system running cool and quiet.

The i3 2120 uses much less power than the FX 4170. Your total cost to operate will be much less over time with an i3 2120.

So the i3 2120 outperforms the FX 4170 in 3 of these 4 points. In the first point it ties the FX 4170.

The reason to get an FX 4170 would be if you owned an AMD system with say, an older athlon CPU and you wanted to upgrade with the minimum expense.

If you were building a new system the i3 2120 is a better choice all around.

 

[Guest]

I'd really like to overclock though. Which FX should I get though??? I'm not sure which one to get out of all of them (minus the 8 core). Maybe you could also recommend a good cooler/heatsink???

 

[pacioli]

Overclocking for the sake of overclocking doesn't make much sense... You overclock to get more performance out of an inexpensive chip. But if an OC still can't make your chip beat a chip that is priced less it is an exercise in futility.

The FX series of chips are all the same architecture. The FX chip that has been getting the highest OCs is the FX 4170 because they tend to be binned higher. All the 4 core FX series have the same OC potential. The 4170 is your best bet if you want to OC to the highest level. A 4100 OCed to 4.5 Ghz is the same as a 4170 OCed to 4.5 Ghz. It makes no difference.

The other FX 6 cores and 8 cores don't OC as high because of the thermal ceiling. They have more cores producing heat so they can't reach stable OCs at as high levels as the FX 4170.

The thing that matters most is the amount of performance you get from a chip versus the price you pay.

One of the most recommended coolers out there is the Coolermaster Hyper 212+ or the 212 EVO. They can be found in the $30-$40 range.

If you add the $140 for an FX 4170 to the $40 for a decent cooler you are looking at the same price as an i5 2400 which easily outperforms by a large margin an overclocked FX 4170.

At that point it becomes silly to throw money at the FX 4170 instead of getting the i5 2400. If you have a Micro Center nearby it becomes an even greater waste of money as you can get an i5 2500K for $169.99. Plus Micro Center gives you $50 off selected motherboards when you buy an i5 2500K. I have my i5 2500K OCed to 4.75 Ghz. It is one of the top CPUs available. The i5 2500K can be easily clocked to 4.0 Ghz using the stock cooling solution.

For $20 more you can pick up an i5 3570K at Micro Center too... That is the latest greatest Ivy Bridge CPU from Intel.

 

[gonzosquirrel]

I'd really like to overclock though. Which FX should I get though??? I'm not sure which one to get out of all of them (minus the 8 core). Maybe you could also recommend a good cooler/heatsink???

Don't worry about pacioli's responses. He still is avoiding answering your true question just because he thinks that "overclocking just for the sake of overclocking just doesn't make much sense." And all he is really trying to do is sway you towards intel when you have already made up your mind on an FX chip. He's missing the point of the question. Overclocking, why? Because we can! Besides, I have never overclocked to get "more performance out of an inexpensive chip." I overclock to get more performance out of an expensive chip!

For overclocking, you would do just fine with either the FX4100 or the FX4170. There have been many results of these chips hitting 4.8Ghz or better on a good aftermarket air cooler and 5.0Ghz or better with a self contained water rig like the Antec Kuhler 920.

Air coolers are all about what you want to spend. Look through the Tom's Hardware archives to find the "Big Air" comparisons for all of the ones they tested. You could spend a budget amount for a good Hyper 212+ (~$30.00) or much more for the Big Noctua cooler. For a self contained water rig, I believe you will be spending in the range of $90.00-$110.00 these days. You choice really depends on how much noise you are willing to put up with. Ex: I get better cooling with a Hyper212+ with two fans in a push-pull setup than I did with my H80 water setup. It was about 3 degrees cooler at idle and max, but the Hyper 212+ was noticeably louder at full load due to two fans cranking up.

 

[pacioli]

Don't worry about pacioli's responses. He still is avoiding answering your true question just because he thinks that "overclocking just for the sake of overclocking just doesn't make much sense." And all he is really trying to do is sway you towards intel.

The OP had a question...

"Which of these processors will produce better performance???" followed by
"I just need to know if the FX's perform better than the core i3 if they're overclocked..."

The OP is looking for the better performer between an OCed FX chip or an i3 chip. I answered that question in great detail. I really don't care if the OP gets an AMD or an Intel CPU. I simply answered the question.

And yes, overclocking doesn't make much sense when it costs you more $ for the CPU, costs more $ in electricity, adds more heat to your system, and still gives poorer performance.

It's like buying a Chevy Malibu for $25K and adding another $25K in upgrades to make it go really fast. When you could have just spent $50K on a Corvette.

 

[gonzosquirrel]

I'd really like to overclock though. Which FX should I get though??? I'm not sure which one to get out of all of them (minus the 8 core). Maybe you could also recommend a good cooler/heatsink???

This was his question. Maybe you missed it...I know it was pretty tough to find, being that it was right above your response.

So the proper response would be something like this:

"In my opinion, overclocking just for the sake of overclocking doesn't make any sense. But since that is what you like to do, good luck in your endeavors and you may want to take the advice of some of the other posters in here."

Or maybe you could have just quietly left the room since he clearly decided he didn't want an intel. Amazing how some people try to push their opinions, even when the recipient isn't listening.

But wait, there's more! Your post, and stats show that you went and bought an i5-2500k and, wait for it, wait for it...overclocked it?

Now I think you were that kid in school who just has to have a response to everything...even if it is hypocritical. Thankfully, most people aren't. So enjoy having the last word Mr. Overclocked-non-overclocker.

Spoiler

P.S. I bought a $30,000 WRX, put about $5,000 in performance upgrades on it, boosted the HP by 50% as proven on a dyno, and although it won't take a $50,000 Corvette on the dragstrip (my 12.9 @ 105 was about a half second off), it will take it in the twisties and on a road course. Besides, I get 24 mpg city and 31 mpg highway, can take all three of my kids for a ride, and have all wheel drive for when it gets a little snowy. So I think I'll continue to overclock, and go spend the extra 15 grand on a new Ducati.

 

[TheBigTroll]

yeah sure. a fx overclocked to 4.8ghz would get you the performance of a i3 2120 but you deal with the 200w TDP that it puts out. if i were you, get the i3 2120. if you are not to get the i3 2120, get a phenom ii x4 965 as it beats the fx chips in games pretty easily. the phenoms are more competitive than fx

 

[pacioli]

This was his question. Maybe you missed it...I know it was pretty tough to find, being that it was right above your response.

So the proper response would be something like this:

"In my opinion, overclocking just for the sake of overclocking doesn't make any sense. But since that is what you like to do, good luck in your endeavors and you may want to take the advice of some of the other posters in here."

Or maybe you could have just quietly left the room since he clearly decided he didn't want an intel. Amazing how some people try to push their opinions, even when the recipient isn't listening.

But wait, there's more! Your post, and stats show that you went and bought an i5-2500k and, wait for it, wair for it...overclocked it? Now I think you were that kid in school who just has to have a response to everything...even if it is hypocritical. Thankfully, most people aren't. So enjoy having the last word Mr. Overclocked-non-overclocker.

Spoiler

P.S. I bought a $30,000 WRX, put about $5,000 in performance upgrades on it, boosted the HP by 50% as proven on a dyno, and although it won't take a $50,000 Corvette on the dragstrip (my 12.9 @ 105 was about a half second off), it will take it in the twisties and on a road course. Besides, I get 24 mpg city and 31 mpg highway, can take all three of my kids for a ride, and have all wheel drive for when it gets a little snowy. So I think I'll continue to overclock, and go spend the extra 15 grand on a new Ducati.

I'm sorry you've chosen to turn this into a personal argument. I will politely step out of it as to not offend you any further.

I simply sought to give the best advice to a new builder. We are all here trying to help.

 

[pacioli]

yeah sure. a fx overclocked to 4.8ghz would get you the performance of a i3 2120 but you deal with the 200w TDP that it puts out. if i were you, get the i3 2120. if you are not to get the i3 2120, get a phenom ii x4 965 as it beats the fx chips in games pretty easily. the phenoms are more competitive than fx

I totally agree with that... the 965 BE is a great overclocker and since new stock has appeared at $110 at newegg.com right now it really hits the sweet spot. A 965 BE is a great choice that when overclocked can surpass the i3 2100 in performance.

 

[gonzosquirrel]

Remolten...Do you currently have an AM3+ motherboard? If so, microcenter will sell you an FX4100 for $99.99, and a Cooler Master Hyper 212+ for $29.99. That would satisfy your overclocking needs at a very affordable price. And if you don't have an AM3+ motherboard, they will give you $40.00 off of any AM3+ board. So you could get a brand new 990FX board like the Biostar TA990FXE for $74.99 or the ASRock 990FX Extreme 3 for $79.99. The 990FX board is AMD's top of the line platform for overclocking. By my math that puts you back $130 if you have a board, and just over $200 if you don't. Another option if you have an AM3 motherboard is to do what Pacioli and TheBigTroll said above. The Phenom II 965 is a smokin' overclocker! And wouldn't you know it? It is currently the same $99.99 as the FX-4100 at Microcenter.

By comparison, at microcenter, an Intel i3-2125 is $129.99 and they do not offer any motherboard discounts on that processor. So you would have to purchase a motherboard and the least expensive LG1155 board starts at $119.99. So that puts you back approximately $250.00. Admittedly, I'm not too familiar with Intel's motherboards, so I don't know what would be the best overclocking board with the newest features that would be comparable to an AMD 990FX. Also, to get any type of motherboard discount, you have to purchase either an i7-2700K ($279.99), an i7-3820 ($229.99), or an i5-3570K ($189.99). And again, I'm not sure what a good choice of motherboard would be for any of them. But using the least expensive LG1155 example, you are still looking at around $260.00.

Oh yeah, with that Hyper 212+ I have overclocked my Phenom II 1090T to 4.1Ghz (@1.45volts) on an ASuS Sabretooth 990FX board. And I don't have temperatures go over 50 degrees celsius under a full load. I would expect lower results with either an FX or a quad core Phenom II at similar, or lower voltages.

 

[Guest]

I'd really like to overclock though. Which FX should I get though??? I'm not sure which one to get out of all of them (minus the 8 core). Maybe you could also recommend a good cooler/heatsink???

to give you direct answer:

the only FX processor worth getting and overclocking is the AMD FX 8150. that will give you the gaming performance of an i5-2500K @ stock. other than that you are wasting money better spent on a Phenom II x4.

end of story.

 

[TheBigTroll]

By comparison, at microcenter, an Intel i3-2125 is $129.99 and they do not offer any motherboard discounts on that processor. So you would have to purchase a motherboard and the least expensive LG1155 board starts at $119.99. So that puts you back approximately $250.00. A.

the statement with the motherboard being at least 110 is bull. i can find a asrock h61 board (no oc since i3 cant anyways) for 50 bucks. you are right though about how amd has cheaper motherboards overall (ex. crosshair v for only 219.99)

heres that asrock board
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157315

 

[gonzosquirrel]

the statement with the motherboard being at least 110 is bull. i can find a asrock h61 board (no oc since i3 cant anyways) for 50 bucks. you are right though about how amd has cheaper motherboards overall (ex. crosshair v for only 219.99)

heres that asrock board
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157315

Good find. I didn't know that the i3 couldn't overclock. And I had searched on Microcenter for Z77 boards only...lol...again, I'm still learning about Intel. Microcenter does have an ASRock H61 for $49.99...
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0388089