Is the AMD FX-6350 a viable choice?

Jeeperii · Feb 12, 2016

I have been looking for CPU's and I came into this AMD FX-6350, is it good now?

Archaic59 · Feb 12, 2016

The AMD FX platform is dead. Stick with Intel unless you simply can not afford a decent CPU.

CTurbo · Feb 12, 2016

No don't bother. It would run like crap on a cheap motherboard. It would get outperformed by a simple i3 too.

celtic_warrior99 · Feb 12, 2016

The FX-6350 is still a decent CPU, although an intel cpu would be better. But the FX-6350 would still be able to handle games. What games were u planning on using it for?

Jeeperii · Feb 12, 2016

celtic_warrior99 :

League of Legends and maybe some steam games like rocket league.

TheConsiderateIlliterate · Feb 12, 2016

FX platform is so incredible old with next to no room for upgrade. Would not recommend.

celtic_warrior99 · Feb 13, 2016

That CPU would be fine for those games if you ar eon a budget, but if possible, it would be better to get an intel cpu, at least an i3 4160 or i3 6100 .

CABoyer · Feb 13, 2016

It seems that most people here are Intel Fan Boys, as much as i will not recommend FX-6350, i do recomend the FX-8350 its less then $180 on amazon. the Cpu has never given me any Problems and the 8350 is comparable in most Test benches to the i7-4770t which is running at about $300 right now on amazon. Ill say this depends if you already have an AMD system and dont want to switch your system to Intel.. the fx 8350 would be your best AMD option. when it comes to intel vs AMD, if you want to build the BEST Pc and money isnt much of an object, then Intel is your best option, if you want the best for the money and you already have an AMD system go with the 8350.. but i will warn you the 8350 is a 125w Possessor so make sure you have good airflow because they tend to run pretty hot .. i use a corsair H100i liquid cooler for my Cpu never gets above 45 Celsius even under load.

Also as example i can stream ARK on twitch without any CPU issues . and Ark generally rips hard into CPU's

Andrei-Florin Gogan · Feb 13, 2016

Altough I agree the AM3+ is a dead end, I do not agree with people who are saying it's not a decent CPU and bla bla. I have owned this exact CPU and gaming and multitasking in the same time was no problem for me. It all depends on your budget and how you like to play your games. Obviously Intel has better single core performance which helps a lot in games but if you really want to pay xx$ more for 10 FPS when you get already what you want......then I guess you can go Intel.

CTurbo · Feb 13, 2016

Don't blame us for being "Intel fanboys" when AMD hasn't released new material in years. Why would I recommend 2012 parts when 2015/16 parts will outperform them for the same overall cost? You guys think I hate AMD, but that's not the case. Every single personal PC I have ever made has had an AMD cpu including my current HTPC with an A10. The FX cpus were extremely competitive against Intel's Sandy Bridge cpus and pretty competitive against Ivy Bridge. They started showing their age against Haswell and even more so against Skylake. My biggest gripe against AMD is the fact that they still market their cheaper AM3+ motherboards as 125w cpu compatible when they obviously are not REALLY compatible. Sure they officially work, but they almost always throttle under load.

Anyway, a simple i3 + $40 motherboard would outperform a FX6300/6350 in every single task that uses 4 cores or less. That's like 95% of everything. A properly setup overclocking FX build ends up being considerably more expensive than it's closest Intel competition. That would be the i3 for the 6 core FXs and a regular locked i5 for the 8 core FXs.

It's particularly annoying that people are still pretending that the FXs are SO much cheaper than Intel because it's simply not the case. Intel currently has AMD beat at every single price range from $40 to $10000.

So again, while the FXs are not completely terrible, I still see no reason to ever recommend one at this point unless you are trying to build a budget rendering PC.

celtic_warrior99 · Feb 13, 2016

I'm not an Intel fan boy. If you read my answer then you will see the I don't say it's a terrible CPU. But for the game so he is playing on it, he would benefit from more from a Cpu with stronger single core performance, eg i3 6100.

Ryan Mcguinn · Mar 4, 2016

I'm still running a fx 6300 I bought 3 years ago. It's very much a viable choice. I play majority of the new AAA games paired with a 7870 at medium settings and no aa at 1080p ~60fps. I'm buying a 390x in the next few days though. So I'll make the switch to likely an i7 fairly soon. It's a good cpu if you aren't doing heavy video editing or trying to max graphic intensive games like witcher 3. The only issue as others have mentioned is it's a dead platform. You'll end up having to buy a new motherboard in order to upgrade your cpu to an i5/i7 in the future.

azzazel_99 · Mar 4, 2016

Bottom line its old and with intel's current stuff thats out no its not viable as an upgrade unless you have a motherboard that would take it already. If you have to do a full system upgrade (motherboard and cpu) absolutely not! It's not a viable choice. I know because my wifes computer has a 6300 in it now.

jeffredo · Mar 4, 2016

Depends on the price you can get it for. Its still viable for a modest gaming rig. The whole "AM3+ socket is a dead end" argument doesn't really make sense. Most Intel sockets are good for a couple of years before they're replaced. Socket 1150 is basically in that situation.

azzazel_99 · Mar 5, 2016

also most 1150 socket stuff beats any 8350 and below in gaming. Thats the point everyone is making. dont buy into the am3 socket unless you already have a am3 mobo.

jeffredo · Mar 5, 2016

azzazel_99 :

I'm not saying it doesn't (my main PC an an i7-4790k), but the whole "dead" socket argument makes no sense. Again, (if you didn't comprehend it the first time), Intel sockets last about two years before they are replaced. And yes, 1150 and 1155 are just as dead as AM3+ using that metric. If you bought an 1150 motherboard with something like an i3 or G3258 processor you better move quickly to get an upgrade. In another year the supply of new CPUs is going to dry up. As far as "don't buy it" goes, MicroCenter in the US has the FX-8320E for $89.99 measly dollars right now. You can get a CPU/Motherboard combo for $129.98. You can get an FX-6300 CPU/Motherboard bundle for $99.98. You can absolutely game quite satisfactorily on them. If one is really budget constrained there is nothing wrong with getting an FX system. If you can afford Intel by all means go that route. I did.

ibjamie92 · Mar 5, 2016

i'll just point out that intel charges more for the exact same cpu if its overclockable, which makes no sense

azzazel_99 · Mar 5, 2016

Yes but you pick up a used i5-2500k for $150 and it will blow away pretty much any 6300,6350,8320 or 8350 in games. Plus when clocked to 4.2ghz or higher its (aside from rendering capability) as fast or faster than a 4770k or 4670k. The older intel socket even a (i5-2500k) is still very much so a competitive gaming cpu even at todays standards for running things on ultra. Awesome sauce network just did a benchmark of a i7-2600k vs a new i7-6700k and there was on average less than a 5% performance difference. Thats on a old intel socket and mobo. You will NOT get those type of results running old amd stuff. What im saying and everyone else is old intel stuff is still current and feasible because of how fast they still are and for the price you can still get them at vs amd's aging product that just doesnt perform anywhere near that same level. Yes if you already had a am3 motherboard and just needed a cpu upgrade sure a 6350 wouldnt be a bad route but if you have to do a complete system build (mobo and cpu) buying outdated and slow (when put besides intel's equal product line at the time) it just doesnt make sense. Its like buying a used car for the same price you can buy the newer model at for almost the exact same price.............you wouldnt do.

I also own a fx6300 and a i5-2500k in almost identical systems aside from the gpu's and at stock or overclocked speeds my i5 destroys my 6300 and it can be purchased used for close to the same price.

jeffredo · Mar 7, 2016

azzazel_99 :

An old Sandy Bridge i5-2500k is faster than an FX-6300 in gaming but you'd need your head examined to buy one used for $150 (along with a used motherboard) as the basis for a new build. #1. They're always been in different performance categories #2. They're $60 apart. If you're going to start giving that wide of a price spread you might as well add some more and get a current i5.

azzazel_99 · Mar 7, 2016

$150 for a cpu and motherboard and it not only destroys a 6300 but it also beats 8350's so sandy bridge k series cpu's are still even by todays standards still very much capable to performing along side even the newest cpu's

Benjiwenji · Mar 8, 2016

azzazel_99 :

You can use words such "destroy" or "blow away" to describe the comparison between an i5 and a Fx 6300, but people still get 1080p/60 on ultra when they pair the Fx-6300 with 970, 290, or higher.

Most people still run a 1080p/60hz monitor, plenty are still on 720/900p, and will not benefit from above 60 FPS. So what's the point of paying extra for something that you will not benefit from?

And if you're talking about 1440p or 4k, the bottleneck becomes even greater on the GPU where the CPU matters less so than lower resolutions.

OP,
The following build at a $500ish price with the Fx-6300 and r9 380 will go a long way in a budget system. The bottleneck will still be on the GPU rather than the CPU at the sub $300 GPU price point. However, if you mainly play ARMA, DayZ, GTA V, then you'll see a noticeable performance gain on the side of Intel.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($98.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3P ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($85.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung Spinpoint M8 1TB 2.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($45.18 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 380 2GB Video Card ($189.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Deepcool TESSERACT BF ATX Mid Tower Case ($37.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($55.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $543.92
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-08 10:05 EST-0500

Or here is an i5 with a dirt cheap mobo, which I wouldn't get for my own build, but for the sake for budget with Intel.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus H110M-C D3 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($55.57 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung Spinpoint M8 1TB 2.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($45.18 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 380 2GB Video Card ($189.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Deepcool TESSERACT BF ATX Mid Tower Case ($37.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($55.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $614.70
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-08 10:12 EST-0500

Or i3 with the same dirt cheap mobo. Although I'd personally pick the Fx-6300, I also thinks this is an excellent budget option.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-6100 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor ($121.69 @ B&H)
Motherboard: Asus H110M-C D3 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($55.57 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung Spinpoint M8 1TB 2.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($45.18 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 380 2GB Video Card ($189.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Deepcool TESSERACT BF ATX Mid Tower Case ($37.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($55.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $536.40
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-08 10:13 EST-0500

azzazel_99 · Mar 8, 2016

since the original poster asked about the 6350 anyways and not the 6300...........the 6350 new will run around the $130 range

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/amd-cpu-fd6350frhkbox

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113327&nm_mc=KNC-GoogleAdwords-PC&cm_mmc=KNC-GoogleAdwords-PC-_-pla-_-Processors+-+Desktops-_-N82E16819113327&gclid=CjwKEAiAjfq2BRDpmdHmssaW5xsSJABToP4lzxDr9eTfSntDO6qMA_2cJP4MOEiStMwNmDrg4wyOaxoCPbHw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

and for roughly the same price you can purchase a 2500k which as i stated destroys not only the 6350 and 6300 but also the faster 8350's and for $20 more

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Intel-Core-i5-2500K-3-3GHz-Socket-H2-Quad-Core-Processor-SR008-1882-/231857276108?hash=item35fbc544cc:g:eZMAAOSwB4NWz631

now i dont know about anyone else but when trying to put together a faster system usually if you can be faster (in this case the 2500k and not the 6300 or 6350) for $20 more i'd do it. But thats just me.

Benjiwenji · Mar 8, 2016

Most people on this forum do not promote used CPUs because of the inherent risk of used parts. I would never recommend used CPUs from non-certified online deals, and I wouldn't buy used parts like that unless they are from a family or close friend.

Inconsistency in used parts conditions and prices is not a valid comparison of worth across different CPU models.

Furthermore, you keep using the terms such as "better" and "destroys", which I understand the i5 is "better", but in specific goals, such as gaming, the Fx-6300 can reach solid 60 fps (depending on the GPU) in modern AAA titles. So how does this "better"ness translate to actual observable performance given specific tasks?

azzazel_99 · Mar 8, 2016

easily in games that rely more on single threaded speed vs multi core speeds. People also purchased used cpu's and gpu's all the time and especially using something like ebay these days you are protected as a buyer through paypal so if you are promised a working product and its not no longer are you just out money you will (one way or another) be compensated it the product doesnt work so not sure why buying used product online is a problem anymore. I own a 6300 and a i5-2500k so i know first hand the performance of the 2. If i had a motherboard that supported a fx6300 already and just wanted to upgrade the cpu duh i would just get that 6350 or 6300 but if im having to buy a new motherboard AND cpu picking up a 2500k would be the better purchase if buying through a protected service like ebay/paypal. Again benchmarks all over the web all day long show the performance differences in all sorts of games both multi core and single core. My advice as well as everyone else's is just that.....advice from personal experience of owning both of the cpu's in question. Take the advice or dont we are here to help the OP not to argue that amd is better than intel or intel better than amd. However there is hard evidence showing the intel overall is the faster of the 2 for arguably no price difference. Now that the OP has that info he can choose what he wants to purchase.

Benjiwenji · Mar 8, 2016

If you had read my comment they you'll see that I have listed the single threaded dependent games. That's hardly a fraction of the games. I will list them again here, ARMA, DayZ, and GTA V. It is of coursed not limited by those three, but that's really about it.

Furthermore, "easily" as answer seems to be avoiding the question, so I will rephrase it. With a Fx-6300 paired with a 970/290, or better GPU, I can get 1080p/60 on most games using a 1080p/60hz monitor.

Given that, what do I actually gain through
A: the risk of getting a used CPU or,
B: Spending extra for a new i5 ??
I won't take "easily" as a valid argument.

With that said, the only compelling argument is either the i3 6100 or Fx-6300 at this price range.

For you information, stock 6300
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rutk9ErhKG4

Again, solid 60FPS with the exception of mods in skyrim @ 4.2 ghz
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTNCEBZr_YU

Updated:
Stock 6300 on Rise of tomb raider,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oACw8ucsj8I

Even here on GTA V,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lCq8Qk9wjY

Note that the recording program in the background also have an impact on the performance.

Is the AMD FX-6350 a viable choice?

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