Is this cpu TRULY 6-core?

It is right in the middle of Hyper threading and and actual core(it just does not have 2 of everything, some if it is shared).

So while it is 3 cores(Modules) with 2 threads units in each.

On a budget it is not a bad way to go. Intel still has stronger cpus, but at a cost.

AMD FX processors above 4 cores run with 6 or 8 physical cores, that share resources in pairs(Modules). So its 6 physical cores in 3 modules of resources.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e9/AMD_Bulldozer_block_diagram_%28CPU_core_bloack%29.PNG

look at this picture, this is a FX piledriver module. The FX 6300 has 3 of these, the 6 "logical cores" are the 2 integer clusters pictured inside. Its not a full core though because only certain aspects of the module are duplicated, like there is still only one FPU in the module for example. Since theres 3 modules x 2 they say its 6 logical cores/threads handled at once. windows will recognize how many threads able to be executed at once as "cores". hence 6 cores.

it's a very good cpu for the price, that can run 6 heavy threads in parallel...wich is something even a core i5 can't do...it's perfect for gaming if you're on a budget. intel has better per core performance though, so in some single-threaded games the amd cpu wont do as good as intel. future is to multi-threaded game though so its a non-issue and even in single-threaded game the performance are still very acceptable with this cpu.

THIS.
While the FX-6300 does have SIX cores as said, the way they are grouped is not efficient for gaming.

*What YOU really should care about is VALUE (cost vs performance) and for that you need to look up benchmarks. The problem is:
a) There are cheaper 2-core Intel CPU's that can beat this one on some games, but don't have the raw horsepower for programs like video editing that can actually use 4+ cores.
b) There is a cheaper 4-core AMD CPU that may be a better value as well.

Based on your budget and intended usage I think you would be better building around THIS CPU:
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/amd-cpu-ad760kwohlbox

the fx-6300 cpu is better than the athlon, for planetside 2 (single-threaded game) you would be better with a core i3, same for skyrim...for blender 6 core is better so fx-6300 there and for every other games too...your build is nice, will work great if you could swap the psu for antec, evga, seasonic or xfx equivalent would be better other than that its fine.

$640 (USD) build which includes Windows 8.1 64-bit:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3xXiI

*What CPU you get must be put in context with the BUDGET you have as well so that you can choose the OPTIMAL balance of parts.

I was unsure of whether $600 included Windows so I just made up a build so we can refer to that and make changes as needed.

**Points on my build:
1) The CPU has a stock cooler, however I'd personally recommend getting the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo to reduce noise especially under load. For some reason this cooler is missing now from this site.

2) The motherboard is FM2+ (not AM3+) because of the chosen CPU. This was the cheapest motherboard I'm comfortable recommending in terms of quality.

The board is also micro-ATX due to cost AND because of the case I wanted to choose. Be warned some other boards only have a PCI (not PCIe) slot once the main graphics slot is used.

Asus F2A85-M PRO: https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/F2A85M_PRO/
- better heatsink/capacitors to CPU voltage regulation than most boards in this price
- restore corrupted BIOS
- better PCIe expansion than other micro-ATX boards

3) CPU:
I think this is arguably the BEST CPU in your budget.

4) Memory: 2x4GB 1600MHz (pretty typical).

5) Asus GTX750Ti:
Great card. It's similar to an HD7850. It will perform better if overclocked so it's a good value. It also requires LESS POWER than similar cards which allowed a cheaper power supply.

GTX750Ti benchmark (Asus at 10% overclock; now goes to about 25% stable I believe getting close to stock GTX660):
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ASUS/GTX_750_Ti_OC/25.html

6) Power Supply:
I read a good review, and have purchased this one. It's suitable for up to 1x6-pin graphics card. Pretty good value and that's the focus.

7) WINDOWS 8.1 64-bit:
*I know a lot of people still recommend W7 but I strongly recommend Windows 8.1. You can easily avoid the new interface with Start8 ($5) and there are quite a lot of improvements under the hood, as well as things coming that will not support Windows 7.

Summary:
Good luck on your build. Again, wasn't sure what exactly the budget included. If you have to make any changes make sure:
a) parts are all still compatible, and
b) Quality is there (customer reviews mainly)

nice build, i would favor radeon r7 265 over the 750ti, its faster by a good 12% overall and should be about the same price, you pay a premium for the low consumption on the 750ti...everything else is nice.

Of the R7-265 cards only two were about the same price. To be fair, I'd have to compare to the Asus version which has $8 more, but then I'd spend about $10 more on a slightly better power supply so it's now $18 more which actually makes the VALUE basically identical now but the build price has gone up.

(I've also heard that the GTX750Ti can overclock slightly higher than R7-265 on the same cooler which closes the performance gap slighty. I can't confirm that but I do know that many got stable 25% on the Asus GTX750Ti.)

I tend to favor some of the NVidia features as well such as PhysX, Shadowplay, G-Sync, Gamestream.

Personally, I've been using Shadowplay a lot to record gameplay video. You can now stream via Twitch and even record the DESKTOP!

Gamestream uses the same NVENC real-time encoder so you can stream video to an HDTV from a different part of the house. Currently, it mainly uses the NVidia Shield, but SteamOS will work as well. Neither interests me, however I think we'll see a low-cost ($50?) device that connects to your HDTV to allow streaming and controller communication to talk to a remote PC. I'd like to see that basic functionality baked into most HDTV media devices in the future (H.264 low-latency input from PC, and send controller presses back to PC).

To be fair AMD has Mantle, but it's difficult to predict how much impact that will have.

he will benefit from CUDA possibly in the 750ti, it would be better for him

i have physics with my gtx780 and this is a feature i will NEVER consider again in the future, it changes strictly nothing in the few games that uses it...shadowplay i use to record, its nice...if op record its a thing to consider...to me Mantle has to be considered a lot more since this system is exactly the type of system that will beneficit a lot from mantle...and the psu you picked will run with the r7 265 the consumption for this card is also fery low...

beneficit from cuda? theres no such thing, a cuda core is the equivalent of a stream processor in amd card...its not a feature its the processing unit itself that is made with cuda cores...i dont know if im clear though...

If a program supports CUDA you absolutely must have an NVidia card that supports this or you won't benefit from it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CUDA#Supported_GPUs

You need the SOFTWARE support (CUDA extensions) as well.

I don't think there's any real "TRUE" six-core processors outside of the high end workstation Intel CPUs. AMD, I believe, employs a physical version of Intel's HT technology (Two "cores" sharing modules). which would be why it consumes significantly more power, and why it produces more heat.

ahhh programs accelerated and supported by cuda cores...im a gamer you know i dont think about that kind of stuff sorry...lol facepalm! but you must know that many other software supports acceleration from amd gpu's only...

*Comparison of the two main builds (AM3+ vs FM2+).

(I'm not saying get one or the other. The best may be to switch around a few components.)

FX-6300 build: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3onxA

X4-760K build: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3xXiI

1) 760K better for gaming:
The 760K is a similar design but a higher CPU clock. It's hard to find reviews but I'm pretty certain the 760K would be better for gaming overall.

The FX-6300 should be better for video editing/converting.

2) Motherboard:
The chosen AM3+ board is "okay" but I'd prefer to see a bit better.
- AM3+ board not ideal for overclocking CPU (it can, but the lack of VRM heatsink and lower-quality components makes me question how much, and how stable it could be.)
- AM3+ board max DDR3 memory is 8GB (2x4GB). I agree with that to start due to budget, but he may wish to get another 8GB or even 16GB for video editing once he has the money.
- older chipset on AM3+ board
- no USB3 on AM3+ board?

3) GTX660 vs GTX750Ti:
Obviously the GTX660 is faster. It just wasn't in my budget at first though apparently I don't need a hard drive in my build.

Summary:
The main issue as I see it is the CPU and Motherboard. My advice at this point is perhaps get the FX-6300 but also a better motherboard. Please, don't skimp on the motherboard.

I do think the X4 would be better for gaming now, but I can't predict how much that will change once games become better able to use the extra CPU threads.

*Thus, I'll make my final build recommendation which will be $540 max (without Hard Drive or Windows as that's what your build had).

revising the 6300 build so much things wrong with it...one second

I built a budget 6300 system(the price was too good to turn up on a budget system). I have NO complaints from it.

Here, i revised the FX-6300 build it was the better of the two systems, but now it's much better you get a lot more for your money and much better quality parts all over, you now have a very high quality 8+2 power phase motherboard that can support and overclock FX 8 core chips if you may desire to upgrade in the future and allow for monster overclocking of the FX-6300 CPU, it's also ATX not micro ATX, you now have an aftermarket CPU cooler, the MSI twin frozr Gaming OC is a FANTASTIC graphics card, the memory is also better quality and reliability with kingston you can't go wrong, this case is very nice for the price you can even fit a 2 fan radiator on top for water cooling if you may desire, the EVGA PSu is miles ahead of the corsair CX builder in terms of quality and reliability...wich btw is not a recommanded PSU...and all this for 10$ less..
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($112.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper TX3 54.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($18.16 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3P ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston Blu 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (Purchased For $0.00)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Thermaltake VL80001W2Z ATX Mid Tower Case ($24.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($34.99 @ Micro Center)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer (Purchased For $0.00)
Total: $496.10
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-24 22:43 EDT-0400)

** NOTE: 55$ worth of mail in rebate included in the price of this build.

My BUILD ended up being almost exactly the same as the above one by "paitjsu sadff".

Differences:
1) CASE:
I don't like is the CASE. I prefer this one which is slightly more expensive: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-case-rc912kkn1

The customer score is pretty low for the $25 case but I don't know why as I can't figure out how to view the comments.

2) CPU cooler:
I recommend the Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO. It's about $30 but it's a lot better.

*If your budget is really strict, then please don't skimp on the motherboard. Anyway, I'm done.

here, check this out, can't beat that quality for the price man, really :
http://www.thermaltake.com/products-model.aspx?id=c_00001579

Bottom mounted PSU with filtered air intake, water cooling options on top...blue led fan,ruberised feet...really, 24.99$...

I'd go with paitjsu sadff's build above and spend the couple more bucks for the Hyper 212 EVO cpu cooler myself , don't worry if they're true cores or not, the fx 6300 is very good for the money, and stuff is only going to go more threaded in the future with mantle and DX12 and the consoles having 8 core AMD apu's.

That gigabyte board is very good, 8+2 powerphase, in my AMD build, I'm likely going to use that board, I really don't care about SLI/Crossfire, I'd rather have 1 good GPU