AMD 45646788 FD8350FRHKBOX FX-8350 FX-Series 8-Core Black Edition Processor

It's hard to believe that a chip released in 2012 still has relevance today--but that's exactly what has happened to the AMD FX 8350. An age-old dilemma among budget-minded computer builders has always been to figure out which processor will give the end user the maximum amount of bang for the minimum amount of buck, as well as which chipsets offer the best hope of upgrading. AMD has always been an attractive pin-up girl for such people, and continues to maintain that appeal well into today.Those with money to burn and want performance at any cost will likely go with Intel. There's nothing wrong with that approach if you are in a financial position to do so. Intel's current X99 chipset, DDR4 memory, and eight-core processors (16 virtual cores with hyperthreading enabled) are, at the time of this writing, the creme de la creme for consumer computing, and as of now no AMD offering can match it. For people after such performance, it's only a few clicks away.However, since those people aren't likely to be reading this review, I'm going to address the rest of us. Those of us who can't turn our bank accounts into scorched earth for the sake of a few more frames per second on a game, or a half an hour shaved off of a four-hour video encode. Those who would expect to see real-world performance rather than an impressive benchmark score.For the AMD FX 8350 is a budget processor. Make no mistake about it. For single-threaded speeds, it compares far closer to Intel's mid-range i5 series. For multicore performance, however, this chip once again makes its mark on Intel's radar at almost half the price of a competing i7. If you're into video encoding but not into throwing logs of money on your fire, this is your chip. The FX 8350 is a hard working beast with software that uses multiple cores. If the majority of your needs focus on such software, you will never regret the day you ordered it. I don't expect any hateful comments attached to this review for saying so.Especially if you already own a motherboard that will support it. AMD is famous for supporting the same socket for lengthy stretches of time, and the AM3+ socket this chip inhabits is on a great many boards. If you own one, check the manufacturer's web site to see if your motherboard will support this beauty. You might find a smile on your face when you realize your next computer upgrade is a single component and BIOS update away. In my case, I wound up ordering the incredible Asrock 990FX Extreme9--but it's a foundation I know will last for years, and I still had money to spare for a few new goodies.NOW. I'm going to be a good reviewer and tell you the downside to this purchase. Unless you're a pilot and used to this type of noise, I'd get a better cooling solution than the fan/heatsink combo that comes with this processor. Or at the very least, make sure your case has outstanding ventilation. This is a powerful beast of a chip when doing multicore work, and it throws off a fair amount of heat. If you're doing a ground-up build with a new case, absolutely look at cases with plenty of fan mounts and a vented top (Corsair's Graphite Series 230T will give you a good idea of what kind of case I'm talking about). Also--and of course--be diligent about blowing the dust out of your case on a regular basis: Dust loves heat, and will hang onto it as long as it can. Your processor and motherboard, however, aren't too fond of it.

I decided to buy this CPU because my Phenom II x4 965 BE has aging architecure and it was starting to show in more modern games. Yes, it can still keep up FPS-wise, but stuttering is there, and that's annoying to a gamer. So, I got this. I had my 965 clocked to 3.8 pretty much its whole life. And the 8350 is clocked stock to 4.0. Night and day difference. Don't let the 200mhz clock difference fool you, if you have your 965 clocked to that (most everyone does), it's seriously night and day.Although the FPS is of course higher with the 8350, the stuttering is not there anymore. And it doesn't bog down. Heavy AI based game put strain on your CPU, and I love to play Men of War: Assault Squad. This CPU improved that drastically. Yes, the 965 can keep 60 FPS in games a lot, but with the 8350, there's hardly any of no dips in the fps at all. Diablo 3 is a prime example with max settings, this thing blazes through it.Now, with temperatures. I have this thing setup with a Cooler Master Hyper 212+ with 2 Cooler Master 120mm 2000rpm fans hooked up to the PSU to keep them at high speeds all the time. My idle is at 15-16c and video game load it's 30c. Compared to the 965 which ran at 34c idle and 45c under gaming load. Always keep in mind that AMBIENT TEMPERATURE is important to what your CPU temperature is going to be! I like to keep my room around 77F to get these temperatures. With the AC off and this CPU heating my room to 80 within an hour, temperatures rise to 25c idle and 34c under load. Although the FX CPUs run cooler, they get A LOT hotter than the Phenoms. They just spread the heat better to the Heatsink than the Phenoms did. Oh, and throw away the stock cooler. Save yourself the worry and get an aftermarket HSF setup with a push-pull if you can with your case or a water cooling setup. Extend the life of the CPU. Sorry for the long review, but anyways:Pros:-High stock clock and easily overclockable-Disperses heat very well through aftermarket Heatsink(never tried stock, too many reviews against it)-8 cores for super multitasking, yaaaaay!-Can easily play new games at 60fps at max settings when paired with a good GPU.-Very affordable for its performance it gives.-Got it for $179-Finally got something to replace my aging Phenom II x4 965 BE :D.Cons:-Still can't keep up with any of Intels high end CPUs-Will heat up a room in a jiffy with a case that moves a lot of air-Garbage stock HSF for gaming.-ZERO protecion for the pins on the CPU in the retail box. It actually worried me quite a bit. The CPU is just snapped into plastic holders. My other CPUs usually came with a type of foam for the pins to contact into just in case.My build:Cooler Master HAF X(Blue Edition) w/max fans.Seasonic SS-760XP2 760W, 80 PLUS PLATINUMASRock Fatal1ty 990FX KillerAMD FX-8350(at stock clock) w/ Cooler Master Hyper 212+ w/push-pullGigabyte Radeon HD 7970 OCADATA Gaming Series 8GB(motherboard specified clock)ASUS DRW-24F1ST CD DRIVEASUS VX238H Monitor @1080pLogitech G230 Stereo Gaming HeadsetLogitech G15 KeyboardLogitech M510 MouseMicrosoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bitSteelseries StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty Gaming Mousepad