After the AMD processor lineup was replenished with FX models with a large number of cores, all users started talking about them, even fans of Intel products. How is it - the price of a processor is two times cheaper than that of a competitor, and the performance "comes on the heels"! In this article, we will talk about a rather interesting modification of AMD - FX-6100. The fact is that this processor has 6 cores - such an average product between the state employee and the top 8-core crystal, as the buyer thinks. But he will be wrong. More precisely, the processor will be called the most powerful device in an inexpensive budget class.
The reader will get acquainted with the technical characteristics of the processor, see the tests of the new product and, thanks to the feedback from the owners, get a complete picture of this wonderful AMD product.
Main competitor
Perhaps the world would not have seen an AMD processor with six cores on store shelves, but this became inevitable for the manufacturer when its main competitor, Intel, introduced the new Core i3-2125 to the market in the middle-class budget sector. The capacities of budget-class processors (in the Russian market there was only one crystal with the old Fen technology, which all buyers avoided), AMD at that time was not enough to fight the competitor, and modifications with eight cores fought for primacy with Core i5. It was urgent to occupy an open price niche.
The manufacturer introduced several products for the budget price niche to the world community. All of them were slightly different from each other in cost and performance. Such a decision should have knocked out a competitor from the market. The new AMD FX-6100 processor , its specifications and price immediately attracted the attention of the buyer. Definitely, the novelty was interesting in that there were six cores on board the crystal that worked independently of each other. It was from this moment that the battle of the titans began: Intel against AMD.
Specifications
The consumer clearly liked the manufacturer’s approach to creating the processor, because for its creation the company's technologists developed a completely new Zambezi core, refusing to use old technologies. As a result, the new AMD FX-6100 BOX received the following specifications:
- Interaction with motherboards on Socket AM3 / AM3 +.
- A new 32 nanometer process technology is used in production, which made it possible to place 1.2 billion transistors on one chip.
- The number of computing processes corresponds to the number of cores - 6 pieces.
- The nominal core frequency is 3300 MHz (3900 in Max Turbo mode).
- Full cache sizes of all three levels are used.
- The processor supports two channels of DDR3 memory operating at 1333/1600/1866 MHz.
- All instruction sets for 32-bit and 64-bit applications, including MMX, are supported.
- Heat dissipation at peak loads does not exceed 95 watts. We are talking about a base frequency of 3300 MHz. With increased productivity, heat can reach 150 watts.
Appearance and packaging
Although the AMD FX-6100 processor is the smallest device in the system, it is already established that the packaging for the “heart” of a computer will always be beautiful and huge. It is worth noting that the manufacturer completely changed the appearance of the box for all processors of the Black Edition series. Instead of utopian black, it is made in red and white style, to match all AMD products. The main attribute - packaging with a window for contemplating the processor - has not changed. The contents of the box for all brands are identical and have long been considered the norm:
- the processor itself in miniature plastic packaging, which is able to protect the device from physical influences during transportation;
- AMD branded sticker on the owner’s system unit;
- complete cooling system (fan and radiator);
- colorful instructions with pictures for installing the processor and mounting the cooler;
- a lot of "waste paper" (leaflets, certificates, warranty and recommendations).
Overclockers are advised to read the manufacturer’s warranty, because it says that the three-year warranty period is interrupted in case of violation of the basic operating conditions, which include the frequency of the device’s cores.
Questions to the cooling system
Coolers, which were supplied in the same package with the devices, always received a low rating from those who like to test processor power using overclocking. Therefore, AMD FX-6100 Six-Core Processor is no exception. An aluminum radiator with a copper core at the base and a 70 mm cooler looks somehow weak. However, according to the manufacturer, such a system is able to cope with the cooling of the processor at peak loads of up to 100 watts.
As users note in their reviews, for standard frequencies (3300-3900 MHz) this cooling system is quite enough, but overclocking fans should think about more advanced coolers from world famous brands. Accordingly, it is recommended that the processor in such cases not be purchased in the BOX version, but preference should be given to OEM delivery.
Sports interest
Naturally, all potential buyers are interested in comparing two processors in the same niche from different manufacturers. For the purity of the experiment, AMD FX (TM) 6100 Six-Core should be compared in tests with Intel Core i3-2125. In fact, these are two identical processors, judging by their technical characteristics and price, although the latter has only two cores.
As the test results show, in demanding applications where processor power is required (archivers, password crackers, video and sound encoders, mathematical calculations), the new product from AMD leads. Undoubtedly, 6 cores are more productive than two. However, the situation changes dramatically in benchmarks, when only one core participates in the test - Intel Core i3-2125 outperforms the competitor (Cinebench R11.529, 3DMark).
But with games a moot point. Applications that are “sharpened” for the operation of one or two cores, no doubt, show the best results with the Intel processor. And all the others, for the operation of which need the overall system performance, show decent results with the AMD FX-6100 chip. It is worth noting that in recent years, many game manufacturers have written codes without being tied to processor threads, and accordingly, the new AMD has more chances to win in performance over its competitor.
Higher, faster, stronger
In the media you can find many arguments of the "experts" who assure others that the AMD FX-6100 Six processor is a lite version of its older brother FX-6300. Logically, these two processors have a lot of the same parameters: the number of cores, cache, memory bus, instructions, heat dissipation, and the technical process. That's just the chipsets used for their production are different, and the technologies have slight differences. Testing will put everything in its place.
- GeekBench processors benchmark test shows that the performance of the 6300 processor is 7677 units (for 6100 this parameter is 6945).
- The AMD FX-6100 processor does not support the FMA3 feature, which is used to speed up tasks.
- The 6300 Crystal is faster by 10% with all applications with an updated version of the Turbo Core AMD instructions (video editors and 3D modeling).
The right approach
Many potential buyers who want to overclock the AMD FX-6100 processor, owner reviews suggest that it is worthwhile to purchase a decent cooling system to protect the crystal from overheating. The choice falls on expensive devices from the High-End class, the cost of which is not comparable with the price of the processor itself. Naturally, the buyer immediately abandons his desires. There is no need to rush here, the main thing is to know one truth: any cooler on the market that is positioned for a certain heat dissipation is definitely more effective than the BOX version.
The choice of a decent cooling system within 3000 rubles is quite large, and for most buyers it is not carried out at the level of characteristics, and the link goes to the brand. The Zalman, Scythe, Deepcool, Cooler Master devices have proven themselves perfectly. Any cooler you like from the proposed options is guaranteed to cope with the task. For an AMD FX-6100 processor with a heat dissipation of 95 W, it is worth choosing a cooling system with a factor of one and a half. That is, the cooler must cope with the dissipated processor power of 142.5 watts.
Overclocking potential
Many newcomers after installing the proprietary AMD Catalyst software, find that on one of the application’s tabs there is processor information that indicates the nominal processor frequency and overclocking potential. Very often, the user contemplates a figure equal to 4.3 GHz, of course, he accelerates the crystal to the maximum.
Doing this at the initial stages is not worth it, IT experts recommend overclocking the AMD FX-6100 3.3 GHz processor to the maximum allowable level specified in the device specification - 3.9 GHz in Max Turbo mode. It is necessary to work in this mode, to observe the temperature characteristics of the cooling system, including programmatically, using special utilities. If there is a problem, reduce the frequency by 100 units. If the heating is controlled and the processor is stable, you can start to increase the frequency in increments of 100 MHz.
Overclocking Instructions
How to overclock the AMD FX-6100? Judging by the reviews in the media, many users are interested in a complete step-by-step instruction with recommendations for overclocking the processor. No problem:
- Enter the computer BIOS.
- Go to the Advanced tab.
- Select "JumperFree Configuration".
- Find the menu "CPU Ratio".
- To the right of the found menu is the “Auto" parameter. You must click on it and in the list that appears, select the correct multiplier (19.5x corresponds to a frequency of 3900 MHz).
- Save and restart your computer.
Only on this the epic with overclocking does not end, because many users pay a minimum of attention to the cooling system, so the manufacturer assumed all responsibility. The AMD FX-6100 Six processor is equipped with an overheat protection system (58 degrees Celsius). Protection works great - it just halves the core frequency by writing the desired parameter to the BIOS. There are two ways to solve the problem: either put a powerful cooling system, or trick the lock.
Blade walking
To fully overclock the AMD FX (TM) 6100 processor, the user will have to delve into the management of its voltage. The main thing here is not to rush, to achieve the result you need to slowly but surely change the parameters and monitor the temperature of the crystal. From the BIOS menu, when setting the multiplier, you need to find another item - “CPU Over Voltage”. In the field, instead of the "Auto" parameter, you must specify the voltage. Professionals recommend starting with 1.21 volts. After saving and rebooting the system, you need to check the stability of the work. If the core frequency is reset, decrease the processor frequency.
As a result, through trial and error, the user will arrive at the correct result. It is worth noting that for each computer, these indicators are different (3600 MHz and 1.24 V, 3900 MHz and 1.36 V). After overclocking, many owners in their reviews recommend not focusing on the maximum, because in peak loads the processors do not have time to cool in a timely manner, accordingly, the lock will work.
CPU stress test
Judging by their reviews, many users are not particularly clear on the issue of testing an overclocked processor, because there are so many similar software on the Internet that the eyes are wide open when choosing. Testing the stability of the AMD FX-6100 processor, the characteristics of which were changed by the user, professionals recommend using the OCCT program. The fact is that only this application can test on given parameters and provides a lot of useful information.
To set parameters in the OCCT program, the user must set the test time (10-20 minutes is considered normal). Be sure to specify the test version (32 or 64 bits). Test mode select the maximum - a large set, and the number of tests is better set to "Auto".
In addition to the test result, at the end of the program, the user is given the opportunity to monitor the temperature and voltage of the processor during the load of the cores. The system will naturally freeze. This is normal, because OCCT takes all the resources on itself.
Owner reviews
Many buyers, who took into account the AMD FX-6100 Six-Core processor, are interested in detailed reviews of the owners - advantages, disadvantages and what they are expressed in.
- Positive reviews primarily relate to an affordable price, which is very low for such a productive device. This processor can handle any game available on the market. It all depends on the video card, and no one will say that the crystal is weak or there are not enough cores.
- There is potential for overclocking for the future. It is provided with an unlocked multiplier, but has a strange protection against overheating.
- The processor supports all known instructions, and accordingly, it will work even with applications written for Intel products (this applies more to software developers).
And if we talk about the shortcomings, for starters it is worth paying attention to the cost of the device and similar competitors in this price category. And only then you can study other people's reviews.
- Weak cooling system BOX version of the processor.
- The crystal does not accelerate to 3900 MHz in Max Turbo mode.
- The multiplier is locked, there is no way to change the processor frequency (this negative is no longer for the processor, but for the seller, who endowed the buyer with a cheap motherboard that does not support overclocking).
Finally
After a decent review and comparisons of the AMD FX-6100 processor with competitors, there is a feeling that this device is perfect. Low cost, high performance, overclocking potential - all that any computer owner needs. Yes, everything is just that, but only for a certain period of time until a new technology appears and is introduced into a new software or game. Then the power of this processor will be clearly insufficient. But if you think like that, then in anticipation of perfection, a potential buyer will never have his own computer.
The low cost of the processor in the budget price niche only provides the buyer with the opportunity to assemble a personal computer for their own finances. It is worth noting that budget computers are purchased for offices, enterprises or home use, where complex mathematical calculations and, especially, gaming performance are not required. Therefore, it makes no sense to compare the processor in question with the High-End class.