Question 1

does it come with thermal paste?

Accepted Answer

It comes with a little pad of paste already applied. I didn't use anything else, and the system hovers right at 25 degrees Celsius almost all the time.   I put it in the Antes 900 case, so it has 5 fans helping out.  They are all set on slow speed, though, so it is very quiet.

Question 2

Can this CPU run Win 8?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely will run any operating system you want it to.  I have this processor running on 3 computers at home, all have Windows 8.1, and plan to upgrade to Windows 10 as soon as it's available.  WONDERFUL chip, I have so many programs on the computers with this chip and I wait for almost nothing...VERY fast!

Question 3

If I do not overclock the processor will it still become hot with default configuration?

Accepted Answer

It does not appear to be any worse than a FX-8350.  I run mine at stock voltages and speeds with a Noctua cooler.  Around the time that the FX-8370 came out, I had to purchase another processor to upgrade my brother's computer, so I figured I might as well get the 8370 and give my brother the 8350 that I had been running.  Both of us are running with Gigabyte 990FXA-UD5 motherboards.

Question 4

Can you switch processors without having to reinstall windows, is it as easy as upgrading ram etc.?

Accepted Answer

That shouldn,t be a problem. You may have to update your bios but Asus offers an easy bios updater through their windows Asus suite. Do this before you replace the cpu.

FYI, this is a great processor. I'm currently running it a 4.3Ghz and it's very fast and stable. Better energy efficiency than the 8150 it replaced.

Question 5

Does it come with thermal paste/compound or does that have to be bought separately?

Accepted Answer

This CPU does come with thermal paste, and does not need to be bought separately.

That being said, this runs at a fairly high base clock and I would recommend getting a nicer heat sink than the one provided, as well as using the thermal paste that comes with it rather than the stock paste.

Question 6

Can I swap out my AMD FX-4100 Zambezi 3.6 Ghz (3.8GHZ Turbo) Desktop Processor FD4100WWMGusBX?

Accepted Answer

The quick answer is if your MB has an AM3 socket probably not.

If your Mother board is a an AM3+ compatible mother board you will probably be in luck with the right bios.

Looking up your AMD FX 4100 4-Core Processor, 3.6 it is a Socket AM3. You therefore, most likely have a AM3 compatable mother board Where the FX-8370 is a AM3+.

AM3+ is a Upgraded version of AM3. All AM3 processors go with AM3+, Motherboards but AM3+ processor are not compatible with AM3 Motherboards.

AM3+ pin-holes measure 0.51mm, in comparison with the 0.45mm of AM3, and were specially designed to allow for durability and improved power delivery.

In the upgrade word I typically always buy the processor, MB and Memory together. It is truly the best bang for the buck. when I have upgraded RAM and or processors within the range my MB was designed for it has been a disappointing and not a cost effective experience.

I hope this helps

Question 7

I've currently got a ASUS Crosshair IV Formula running an AMD Phenom II Black Edition X6 1090T CPU. 2 questions:

A.)Will this FX-8370 work on my existing MB?

B.) Would there be a noticeable difference?

Accepted Answer

This will work in the Crosshair IV Formula with the 3029 beta BIOS - ECC and sleep will not function, and you'll see somewhat lower performance compared to a 990FX system. I have a CHIVF myself, and briefly ran an 8350 with the beta bios. Any Vishera silicon should POST in the Crosshair IV if you're running the 3029 beta. There will be a noticeable improvement over your 1090T in certain capacities, the two will perform similarly in many ways, and the odd thing or two will run better on the Phenom. Thuban generally has better single core performance, and Vishera will be at a slight disadvantage due to the older chipset. That said, it all comes down to clock speeds and usage. If you can clock your 1090T to >4 GHz and run the CPU-NB at 3 GHz or above, you'll need to hit about 4.7-4.8 GHz with the 8370 before there's a discernible difference in many tasks. The CHIV is definitely capable of delivering that much power, but it's a lot harder to keep Vishera cool at 4.7+ than Thuban at 4+. If you intend to run newer games that are optimized to take advantage of the 8370's multithreaded throughput, it's probably a worthwhile upgrade. The 8370 is also probably faster than the 1090T at stock, but you probably overclock if you own a Crosshair.  I opted to continue running an unlocked 960T at 4.2 GHz & 3 GHz CPU-NB because I can keep it Prime95 stable on air.

Question 8

Does the fan that comes with this have pre applied thermal paste, i dont know if i need to buy some and would the fan that came with this be considered a heatsink fan?

Accepted Answer

Yes, yes, yes.

It does come with preapplied paste, but I would recommend scraping it off and using something higher quality. Under high stress, the fan and processor actually fused together in my computer. It took me hours to properly desperate them so I could apply some quality paste.

Question 9

If I am upgrading to this from an AMD FX-6100, will I need to reset my CMOS?

Accepted Answer

It's not required; the mobo should be able to recognized the new cpu no problem but if you want to clear the cmos for peace of mind it doesn't to do it too. But your good to go without clearing the cmos

Question 10

FX-8970 VS. Fx-8350?????

Good mother board choice???

Accepted Answer

8370 definately, takes way less volts to operate at same frequency. i drive it daily at 4.6GHz@1.2875V on Asrock 990FX-extreme4. It can hit 5 easy but sits a little on the warm side and I've got it on liquid. I would recommend and asus sabertooth or crosshair though, but I was on a budget. am extremely pleased with it

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