- 32nm Vishera 95W
- 8MB L3 Cache
- Socket AM3+
Not bad at all!
11/15/2014
This review is from: AMD FX-6300 - FX-6000 Series Vishera 6-Core 3.5 GHz Socket AM3+ 95W Desktop Processor - FD6300WMHKBOX
Pros:
Excellent little CPU from AMD. Runs stable at stock speeds - 3.5 GHz base speed - 4.2 GHz under full load - when thermal throttling is enabled. Also very overclockable without generating a high level of heat. This is due to it's low 95 watt power consumption. With some tweaking it easily overtakes it bigger brother (FX 6350), when the bigger brother is running at stok speeds of course. I'm sure the 6350 will overclock just as well, maybe even better. Although, as others have stated, why spend the extra money when all that will do is cause more heat build up and empty your wallet in the process.
I was able to get this particular CPU up to 4.5 GHz with some tweaking of the FSB, multiplier, and a slight voltage increase. Runs cool as a cucumber with a CLLC on it. Tears through every next-gen game that has came out recently as of this review date. Recognized instantly on first boot, even with a 990XA chipset MB. Unsure how it reacts to 990FX chipsets as I have no intention of upgrading my MB until the next best thing arrives. Very happy, although there are some drawbacks and concerns (see cons and other thoughts).
Cons:
First off, don't let this review persuade you not to buy this processor. Your results may differ greatly from my own.
On that note...Temperature monitoring FX processors is an ongoing concern to almost all who own them. Don't believe me? Google it...you won't believe how many discussion boards there are out there about this problem. Put lightly, you may get false temperature readings with any software you might use to monitor such things. One person stated that these CPUs don't register accurate temps until the CPU is under load, and the temp goes above 25-30c. Meaning you can get false idle temps as low as 10c, which is just impossible. Your CPU can not be running at a termperature lower than the environment it is in. So unless you're pumping liquid nitrogen into your case, this is just a totally false reading. Also others, as well as AMDs website, state that the FX series of processors actually have onboard (meaning built into the CPU itself) temperature sensors. These can clash with your motherboard's socket temp sensor and register false readings. A lot of software out there such as - AIDA64, CPUID HWMonitor, Speedfan, MB Monitor, and others - can give you different types of readings. Core temps for each core, the main core temp, and the socket temp. There is a formula that some use to determine the actual temp, but I don't always feel like doing a math equation every time I want to OC and check temps (more on how I check temps in other thoughts).
Lastly, I know WEI is not the best way to benchmark anything, but upon installing this CPU and replacing my old CPU (Phenom II x4 960t BE), my CPU scores lower than the old CPU. Even with a 4.2-4.5 GHz overclock. Still gets high benchmarks in good software meant for that purpose, but just worried me at first after this purchase. Just food for thought.
Overall Review:
I actually purchased this CPU because after having my old Phemom II x4 960t Black Edition for almost 4 years, I needed to get rid of the only bottle neck in this build. Granted I had the Phenom II overclocked to 3.7 GHz with 2 hidden cores unlocked making it an x6. It ran great for the entire time I had it. I just wanted to finally break that 4 GHz mark. On a limited budget for upgrades I eventually went with this. I figured alot of the reviews said it was just as good as the 6350, just required less power to run. As did my Phenom II. Got it in no time flat thanks to Newegg, installed it, and was off without a hitch. After the breaking in period, which I believe you should do, you don't have to. I just feel that slowly overlocking the processor over time of use helps stress it into a more stable OC. I was able to get to 4.7 GHz with a voltage I wasn't comfortable with. Being that I have had termperature monitoring issues, I backed it down to 4.5 GHz and it is now running stable and I am happy at that clock speed. I'm using a Corsair H80i AIO liquid cooler to cool it, and it works just fine. Maybe not the Corsair Link software, but that's a whole other can of worms. Find myself banging my head against the wall with every new software/firmware update from Corsair.
Most people know not to expect these types of results with every processor, as every CPU is different and may go further or not as far when overclocking. I find it best to adjust the multiplier as little as possible. Just turning down the memory clock, tweaking the FSB, and then dialing in the right voltage has worked for me. On my old CPU all that you had to do was change the multiplier, it was kind of moron-proof for a stable OC. This was far more difficult. Others results may vary though. I've seen people with these running at 4.8-4.9 GHz with custom loop liquid cooling. As far as temp monitoring goes for me, since I don't want to do the math equation, I know from previous CPUs that my liquid temp is normally only about 2-5c off of my current CPU temp. So if my radiator isn't blowing out hot air and my Link software says my liquid temp is at 38c, my CPU is probably not 58c like the software says, more like 42-45c. To conclude I am using a Gigabyte GA-990XA-UD3 MB, 16 GB Corsair Vengeance DDR3 1866, and I won't go into the other hardware as my fingers are getting tired.
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- Jeff S.
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Owned For:
1 month to 1 year
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