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AMD FX 6100? - Think I made a mistake

Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 10:50 pm
by therob1065
Hey All,

It's been a while since my last upgrade, and I think I made a mistake. I recently purchased the following setup/config (all currently en-route):

AMD FX-6100 Zambezi 3.3GHz Socket AM3+ 95W Six-Core Desktop Processor FD6100WMGUSBX
Sony Optiarc 24X DVD Burner, Bulk Package Black SATA Model AD-7280S-0B - OEM (Free with CPU !!!)
ASRock 970 EXTREME3 AM3+ AMD 970 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
Kingston HyperX 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 Desktop Memory Model KHX1600C9D3K2/8G ($20 mail-in rebate
)

Subtotal $304.97
Tax $0.00
UPS 3 DAYS $7.56
Order Total $312.53
-20.00
$297.53

This seemed like such a great deal I couldn't pass it up. The reviews on newegg were good and I had just watch an AMD tech interview hyping the new Bulldozer architecture.
Post purchase I'm reading in forums about how much Bulldozer sucks, and the excitement of starting a new build has completely faded. I'd like some opinions on whether I should scrap this build and save up for an core i5 2500k rig, or just run with this build and pray for the Phantom "Bulldozer Windows 7 patch" that's been popping up in forums as of late.

What I plan to used the box for is (Gaming, Video and Audio encoding, Application development (Java))

Re: AMD FX 6100? - Think I made a mistake

Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 11:05 pm
by TheEmrys
What is the purpose of your computer?

You could always do better, but that doesn't mean you did bad. If you use general computer, some gaming, and some video encoding, you'll probably be pretty happy.

You also got pretty good value, don't forget that. It won't ever be the fastest computer out there, but with highly threaded applications, you'll be doing pretty well. Moreover, if you find that Microsoft develops a special patch, or is included in Windows 8, you'll be thrilled.

Re: AMD FX 6100? - Think I made a mistake

Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 11:07 pm
by TurtlePerson2
I probably would have gone with Intel, but it's certainly an upgrade over an E6600. It will be a noticable boost.

The complaints with Bulldozer stem from the fact that it's not much faster than the previous generation of AMD processors. At launch, they also weren't a very good value, though if you found a good deal that may not be true for you.

I wouldn't hold my breath for the magical "Bulldozer Patch." If it were coming we would probably know about it because AMD would be shouting about it as loud as they could.

Re: AMD FX 6100? - Think I made a mistake

Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 11:16 pm
by therob1065
TheEmrys wrote:
What is the purpose of your computer?

You could always do better, but that doesn't mean you did bad. If you use general computer, some gaming, and some video encoding, you'll probably be pretty happy.

You also got pretty good value, don't forget that. It won't ever be the fastest computer out there, but with highly threaded applications, you'll be doing pretty well. Moreover, if you find that Microsoft develops a special patch, or is included in Windows 8, you'll be thrilled.


It will be for general use as you stated above, and to play around with so OC'n. Thanks for the response. I think I'll stick it out with BD for the moment.

Re: AMD FX 6100? - Think I made a mistake

Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 11:39 pm
by Bensam123
Yeah, what Emrys said. BD by any means isn't better then a SB, but it is by no means a terrible chip. People tend to over emphasize difference when there is very little. Bulldozer is neither as fast or as power efficient as a SB, but when it comes down to it, you can chalk it up to personal preference. Your computer wont be running half as fast or gobbling twice as much power. You can read TRs take on the BD and look at the graphs, it's usually about a 10% difference.

http://techreport.com/articles.x/21813/19

Imagine a best fit line following the middle of the pack. BD is not a outlier, you're getting pretty much what you pay for. Don't let sensationalism get the best of you.

Looking at the prices, about the only thing I could say is wrong with your purchase is that you bought the 3(6) core model instead of the 4(8) core model. That is my personal preference though. ;)

Re: AMD FX 6100? - Think I made a mistake

Posted: Wed Nov 23, 2011 7:10 am
by just brew it!
As has been noted, everything is relative. Bulldozer does indeed suck compared to its pre-launch hype, and if you're building new today there are certainly better-performing choices out there. But it is still a capable processor; as long as you got a good price on it there is no reason to regret your decision.

Re: AMD FX 6100? - Think I made a mistake

Posted: Wed Nov 23, 2011 8:52 am
by FuturePastNow
Actually, gaming (GPU bound) and media encoding (very multithreaded) are two of the things Bulldozer does a decent job of. And for basic user stuff like web browsing, you may as well be using any old dual-core.

I do think the FX-6100 is a bit overpriced compared to the X6 processors it purportedly replaces- it's priced the same as the 1090T- but it should use less power and overclock better, if you care about those things.

You may have made a "mistake" in the sense that you could have gotten more raw CPU power for your money, but I don't think you'll encounter any problems.

Re: AMD FX 6100? - Think I made a mistake

Posted: Wed Nov 23, 2011 11:36 am
by irvinenomore
It's no biggie, you got a good deal, if you are gaming save the addition cost of the Intel system for a video card upgrade.

Re: AMD FX 6100? - Think I made a mistake

Posted: Wed Nov 23, 2011 11:43 am
by JdL
I think you should reserve your judgement until you overclock it. :) :)

Re: AMD FX 6100? - Think I made a mistake

Posted: Wed Nov 23, 2011 1:06 pm
by ludi
You would have been looking at maybe $375 for that same combo using an i5 2500k and a Z68 motherboard, so slightly under $300 was definitely worth it. You would get more performance by spending that $75 on an SSD upgrade for your boot drive, than you would in going to the Intel setup.