AMD FX-4100 For Gaming?

[Sebax]

Hello, I bought the AMD FX-4100 processor for my new gaming rig, but i've heard it's bad for gaming. So anyone that currently owns this CPU can leave me some feedback? i'd like to know how well it will performs. I will also overclock it to 4.0ghz
If it really sucks i'll have to buy a Phenom II but i don't think i have the money after buying all the other parts :l

Here is what i'm building:

Case: NZXT Phantom

Mobo: ASUS M5A97

CPU: AMD FX-4100

Memory: Crosair Vengance 16GB

GPU: ASUS ENGTX 580

PSU:Cooler Master Silent Pro M700

HDD: Western Digital Caviar Black 2 TB

 

[whooleo]

Go for the Phenom II X4 much better overall performance and better IPC. Bulldozer was a fail and this is coming from a AMD fan, but I don't know why so many people are buying them though...

 

[saint7269]

Hold off on BD for a bit. Let AMD work out the kinks first. I built a whole new PC for BD, but I don't want to get it if it's not up to par yet. Hear are 2 CPU's you can grab for cheap.

AMD Phenom II X4 960T Zosma 3.0GHz
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103995
This is what I have. I unlocked all 6 cores. It says $124 but put it in your cart it will be $109.

AMD Phenom II X4 955 3.20GHz
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5752143&CatId=4432
From what I've read you can over clock the hell out of it.

I would go with the 960T it's 95w the 955 is 125w. And you might unlock more cores. Even if you can't you can to over clock the crap out of it. I have mine up to 3.6mhz on stock voltage. I just got it and I'm still playing around with it.

 

[Sebax]

Ok...Now i need money for the Phenom i guess XD anyone up for a donation? ;D

 

[jaguarskx]

Can you return the FX-4100 for a refund?

16GB of RAM for gaming is not necessary, 8GB will be good enough with no decrease in performance.

 

[evang]

if you cant get your money back for it then at least see how it games. if you overclock to 4+ghz i doubt it will bottleneck the 580 much if at all

 

[lozz08]

As above, there aren't many games that CPU will bottleneck if you overclock a bit. Wait until piledriver (next revision of bulldozer 2012) to get another CPU.

 

[iam2thecrowe]

forget it, take it back and build yourself a balanced system. it will bottleneck the crap out of the gtx580. Stick with a 560ti or a gtx570 and get a decent CPU like the i5 2xxx series. its a stupid move to pair a gtx580 wiith a low end amd FX cpu.

 

[amuffin]

LOL 580 WITH AN FX 4100! You could have built a kick ass i5-2500k machine with a lower end gpu instead of a 580. Basically you are screwed

 

[tulx]

LOL 580 WITH AN FX 4100! You could have built a kick ass i5-2500k machine with a lower end gpu instead of a 580. Basically you are screwed

What? The whole point of a gaming PC is to have a mid-range CPU and a fast-as-possible graphics card.
An FX-4100+GTX 580 would roflstomp a 2500k+GTX 550 in most games. (And one cannot even say that a FX 4100 WILL, per definition, bottleneck a 580 - in some cases it will, in others, it won't. Keeping the 4100 until faster Bulldozer CPU's come out is definitely a sensible option)

Sebax - if you can't return the processor and get your money back, keep it. It's not worth scrapping a 4100 for a replacement only until the next iteration of Bulldozer comes out. It will suffice for gaming - most games are far more dependant on a good graphics card than a CPU.

 

[Memnarchon]

What? The whole point of a gaming PC is to have a mid-range CPU and a fast-as-possible graphics card.
An FX-4100+GTX 580 would roflstomp a 2500k+GTX 550 in most games. (And one cannot even say that a FX 4100 WILL, per definition, bottleneck a 580 - in some cases it will, in others, it won't. Keeping the 4100 until faster Bulldozer CPU's come out is definitely a sensible option)

Sebax - if you can't return the processor and get your money back, keep it. It's not worth scrapping a 4100 for a replacement only until the next iteration of Bulldozer comes out. It will suffice for gaming - most games are far more dependant on a good graphics card than a CPU.

Actually No. Why comparing it with 550ti? a more realistic comparison:
A 4100 FX http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103996 $109 + cheapest GTX580 http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007709%20600094002%20600085533&IsNodeId=1&name=GeForce%20GTX%20580%20%28Fermi%29 $499 = $508
A 2500k http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072 $219 + EVGA SuperClocked 012-P3-1573-KR GTX 570 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130620 $349 or GIGABYTE Super Overclock Series GV-N570SO-13I GeForce GTX 570 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125382 $369 = $468 or $488.

No comment on which is better...

 

[tulx]

Actually No. Why comparing it with 550ti? a more realistic comparison:
A 4100 FX http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103996 $109 + cheapest GTX580 http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007709%20600094002%20600085533&IsNodeId=1&name=GeForce%20GTX%20580%20%28Fermi%29 $499 = $508
A 2500k http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072 $219 + EVGA SuperClocked 012-P3-1573-KR GTX 570 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130620 $349 or GIGABYTE Super Overclock Series GV-N570SO-13I GeForce GTX 570 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125382 $369 = $468 or $488.

No comment on which is better...

Of course, you are completely right. But you do understand that switching to a 2500k would entail buying a new motherboard and possibly RAM as well? OP said he's out of money already. The sensible option would be, in case he can't return the 4100, to just keep it and buy a faster AM3+ cpu when one comes out and he has some funds.
A combination of 4100 + GTX 580 should definitely be enough for games.

 

[Memnarchon]

Of course, you are completely right. But you do understand that switching to a 2500k would entail buying a new motherboard and possibly RAM as well? OP said he's out of money already. The sensible option would be, in case he can't return the 4100, to just keep it and buy a faster AM3+ cpu when one comes out and he has some funds.
A combination of 4100 + GTX 580 should definitely be enough for games.

I didnt said that he can do something about this right now. I just said that the choice wasnt the best one. I agree with you that if he cant return anything the best he can do is to stay with what he has now and when he will have enough money he should go for a FX8120 or FX8150. And why he should change RAM? He probably has dual channel DDR3 1333 or 1600 (which is perfect for sandy). I dont see why to change this.
But anyway Sebax stay on this cpu atm (unless you find a buyer or you can return it). And i would agree with saint7269. Buy a phenom 960T and unlock it. When you have the money ofc.

Edit: One more thing. Did you buy the Western Digital Caviar Black 2 TB the last weeks? If you did then you should ask people before buying. If you bought it before 3 or more months then it was a good deal! ^^

 

[vishalaestro]

i suggest u to change four parts..from fx 4100 to i5 2320,mobo is Gigabyte H61M-S2P-B3 and ram corsair vengeance 4gbx2 1600mhz. change psu to corsair or xfx, the best brands..personally i suggest u to get xfx pro supply 850w this will be under your original budget and this cpu will not surely get bottlenecked with your gpu..it can handle 2 gtx 580's easily..and on other parts they are the best u have chosen

 

[saint7269]

You already own everything so the easy thing is to keep it. I miss read your post earlier I though that's what you wanted to buy. I was half asleep at the time. Get a nice after market cooler and over clock it. The FX-4170 is going to be 4.2mhz, so I'm guessing you can hit that easy. There are some games I hear that don't work with BD, but I'm guessing AMD is working on a patch.

COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus $25.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065

COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO $33.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099

XIGMATEK LOKI SD963 $28.99 $8.99 after MIR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233081
This what I have It's a little smaller so I could keep my side fan on. I got it foe $2.99 after MIR. Newegg had $6 off a few days ago.

 

[Sebax]

Thank you everyone for your responses. I'd like to point out first that i can't return the 4100 so my only choice is to keep it, i will though overclock it to 4.0 or 4.2 ghz I have heard that for this CPU you don't really need an after market cooler for OC's lower than 4.8ghz since it's temperature doesn't significantly increases.

As of some of you said that i should wait for the next FX's to come out, but what if these are also bad for gaming? i don't want to waste my money more than i already did (or not, i'll have to test the 4100 out)

So I was thinking that if the 4100 doesn't do what i want it to, i will change it in a couple of months for a Phenom II x4 975 (Newegg link)
because i have read many positive reviews about it when used for gaming and luckily my mobo also supports AM3 cpus along with AM3+

Someone also mentioned something about the HDD and I didn't really understood what did he meant, I know that after the floods in Thailand, HDD prices skyrocketed, but what can I do? This is the only piece i haven't bought for my build, but i have no other choice than buy it for $250

So what do you guys think? should I wait for the new FX's to come out or buy the already good and positive reviewed Phenom 975?

EDIT: Also i don't think that an after market cooler for the CPU is my way since it may not fit because of the Ram's tall heatsinks and the big GPU so i'll have to keep my OC's down
Also i think that a CPU with more than 4 cores is useless for gaming and what it matters a bit more is the clockspeed

 

[tulx]

So what do you guys think? should I wait for the new FX's to come out or buy the already good and positive reviewed Phenom 975?

EDIT: Also i don't think that an after market cooler for the CPU is my way since it may not fit because of the Ram's tall heatsinks and the big GPU so i'll have to keep my OC's down

I would wait for now and see how the next FX's turn out, If they're bad, you can allways buy a P II 960T. Also, aftermarket CPU coolers come in many shapes and sizes, I'm sure you can find something that suits you well.

 

[Sebax]

Probably, but this time i will read more feedback and reviews before purchasing anything

 

[tulx]

Probably, but this time i will read more feedback and reviews before purchasing anything

Good idea.

 

[Raidur]

Drop down to a GTX 570 and get Sandy Bridge (i5-2500k).

That would be the smartest move you could do IMO.

GTX 580 isn't exactly good price/performance, and is quite a silly GPU unless you're loaded (with cash) and are going for bragging rights.

 

[amirp]

Don't buy a new phenom II cpu... take a look at some online reviews, the fx-4100 isn't that far off from the Phenom II x4 980 even: http://www.guru3d.com/article/amd-fx-8150--8120-6100-and-4100-performance-review/10

And since the FX-4100 has a fairly large overclocking headroom I would assume that by overclocking you would be able to match its performance, this brings me to my next point, buy an aftermarket cooler and overclock it well. You will find one that will fit.

Buying phenomIIx4 won't be much of an upgrade. You made the wrong choice initially but it's not horrible... you will be completely fine gaming with it and a 580.
Wait until amd's next set of cpu's are released, hopefully they are better, but for now the sensible option is to keep what you have. The only other alternative now which is a large upgrade is sandybridge, but for that you would need new mobo+cpu....

 

[amuffin]

Of course, you are completely right. But you do understand that switching to a 2500k would entail buying a new motherboard and possibly RAM as well? OP said he's out of money already. The sensible option would be, in case he can't return the 4100, to just keep it and buy a faster AM3+ cpu when one comes out and he has some funds.
A combination of 4100 + GTX 580 should definitely be enough for games.

4100 would bottleneck the 580 in almost every scenario.

 

[amirp]

@amuffin.... please tell him things he should do now, im pretty sure by now he knows that he is bottlenecking the 580.... which isn't really that bad, im sure the fx-4100 can atleast support 60fps gaming so the bottleneck isnt really important

 

[Jim_L9]

Don't look back, look forward. Keep what you have and overclock the processor.

 

[dleavitt]

Yep, keep what you got. Worst case is if Piledriver bombs and you want more performance you could switch to Intel then.