Results: Crysis 3
We use a brutal Crysis 3 sequence to punish each processor. Consequently, we'll step down and also include the lowest-quality settings.
The FX-6350’s complete and total dominance proves that Crysis 3 scales well beyond four threads. While there are a couple dips below 30 FPS, each quad-core CPU remains playable at these entry-level settings.
Upped to medium-quality detail settings, my subjective impression of smoothness doesn't completely match the benchmark data. Each quad-core processor spends a few seconds under 30 FPS. But the main problem goes beyond that information. Through the test sequence, not one platform feels completely fluid. Average frame rates are reported higher than they actually feel. I’d call the Athlon II X4 640 unacceptable until you overclock it, though the others are at least playable. Without question, stock and overclocked, the FX-6350 is a pleasure to game on by comparison.
At Very High quality with 2x SMAA enabled, our platform starts suffering from a graphics bottleneck. Yet, scaling amongst these processors is still evident. While the FX-6350 takes a huge performance hit, it's still noticeably smoother than the quad-core models. Basically, an AMD FX-6300 or Intel Core i5 is my minimum CPU recommendation for enjoying Crysis 3. This hard-hitting title isn’t one for low budgets, and it prefers an FX-8350 or Core i7 if you have one.