• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Hardware Secrets

Hardware Secrets

Uncomplicating the complicated

  • Case
  • Cooling
  • Memory
  • Mobile
    • Laptops
    • Smartphones
    • Tablets
  • Motherboard
  • Networking
  • Other
    • Audio
    • Cameras
    • Consumer Electronics
    • Desktops
    • Museum
    • Software
    • Tradeshows & Events
  • Peripherals
    • Headset
    • Keyboard
    • Mouse
    • Printers
  • Power
  • Storage
  • Video

FX-8350 vs. Core i5-3470 CPU Review

Let’s take a look at the highest-end CPU from AMD that is being released today, the FX-8350 (4 GHz), and compare it to its main competitor, the Core i5-3470 (3.2 GHz). We also included the Core i5-2500K (3.3 GHz), the FX-8150 (3.6 GHz), and the Phenom II X6 1100T (3.3 GHz) in the comparison.

Home » FX-8350 vs. Core i5-3470 CPU Review

Introduction

Contents

  • 1. Introduction
  • 2. How We Tested
  • 3. PCMark 7
  • 4. VirtualDub
  • 5. Photoshop CS5
  • 6. After Effects CS4
  • 7. Media Espresso 6.5
  • 8. WinZip
  • 9. iTunes
  • 10. Cinebench 11.5
  • 11. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty
  • 12. Far Cry 2
  • 13. DiRT3
  • 14. Battlefield 3
  • 15. Borderlands 2
  • 16. 3DMark 11 Professional
  • 17. Overclocking
  • 18. Conclusions

Today, AMD is releasing its second-generation of FX CPUs, dubbed “Vishera.” The FX-8350 is currently the highest-end model available, running at 4 GHz and costing USD 195. Let’s see how it fares against its main competitor, the Core i5-3470 (3.2 GHz, USD 200). We also included in our comparison the AMD CPU that used to be the highest-end model, the FX-8150 (3.6 GHz, USD 190 currently, USD 280 at its release), and what was then its main competitor, the Core i5-2500K (3.3 GHz, USD 220). For curiosity sake, we also added to the comparison the Phenom II X6 1100T (3.3 GHz, USD 190 when it was sold), which used to be AMD’s fastest CPU before the release of the FX family.

The new FX-8350 uses the socket AM3+, and is compatible with any socket AM3+ motherboard, although the motherboard may need a BIOS upgrade to correctly recognize the new CPU.

AMD FX-8350 CPUFigure 1: The AMD FX-8350 processor

The second-generation FX processors are based on the new “Piledriver” architecture, which is basically the “Bulldozer” architecture used by the previous generation with a few tweaks.

In the tables below, we compare the main features of the CPUs included in our review. All CPUs support the SSE4 instruction set (both SSE4.1 and SSE4.2) and the AVX instruction set, except for the Phenom II X6 1100T, which doesn’t support these instruction sets. On the Phenom II X6 1100T, the HyperTransport bus (which is used to connect the CPU to the chipset) works at 2 GHz (8 MB/s); the memory controller works at 2 GHz, while on the FX CPUs the HyperTransport bus works at 2.6 GHz (10.4 GB/s) and the memory controller works at 2.2 GHz. All CPUs support a “turbo clock” technology, which increases the CPU internal clock as needed. The Core i5 processors included in our comparison do not support the Hyper-Threading technology.

It is important to understand that with the FX CPUs from AMD, each pair of CPU cores share the same front-end engine (i.e., the fetch unit, the L1 instruction cache, and the instruction decoders). So, each pair of CPU cores is part of the same “module,” and the FX-8350 and the FX-8150 are comprised of four of these modules. With the other CPUs included in our review, every core is a complete CPU, each with its own front-end engine.

CPU Cores HT Internal Clock Turbo Clock Max Turbo Core Technology TDP Socket Price
FX-8350 8 No 4.0 GHz 4.2 GHz 4.2 GHz Vishera 32 nm 125 W AM3+ USD 195
FX-8150 8 No 3.6 GHz 3.9 GHz 4.2 GHz Zambezi 32 nm 125 W AM3+ USD 190
Phenom II X6 1100T 6 No 3.3 GHz 3.7 GHz 3.7 GHz Thuban 45 nm 125 W AM3 NA
Core i5-2500K 4 No 3.3 GHz 3.7 GHz 3.7 GHz Sandy Bridge 32 nm 95 W LGA1155 USD 220
Core i5-3470 4 No 3.2 GHz 3.6 GHz 3.6 GHz Ivy Bridge 22 nm 77 W LGA1155 USD 200

Prices were researched at Newegg.com on the day we published this review, except for the FX-8350, which is the price provided by AMD. The Phenom II X6 1100T is no longer sold. TDP stands for Thermal Design Power and states the maximum amount of heat the CPU can dissipate. The CPU cooler must be capable of dissipating at least this amount of heat.

Below you can see the memory configuration for each CPU.

CPU L1 Cache (I + D) L2 Cache L3 Cache Memory Support Memory Channels
FX-8350 64 kB per module + 16 kB per core 2 MB x 4 8 MB total Up to DDR3-1866 Two
FX-8150 64 kB per module + 16 kB per core 2 MB x 4 8 MB total Up to DDR3-1866 Two
Phenom II X6 1100T 64 kB + 64 kB per core 512 kB per core 6 MB total Up to DDR3-1333 Two
Core i5-2500K 32 kB + 32 kB per core 256 kB per core 6 MB total Up to DDR3-1333 Two
Core i5-3470 32 kB + 32 kB per core 256 kB per core 6 MB total Up to DDR3-1600 Two
Continue: How We Tested

CPU Reviews

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

As a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, this site may earn from qualifying purchases. We may also earn commissions on purchases from other retail websites.

How to Avoid Scams on Facebook Marketplace Once and For All

Social media scams generate more than 770 million US dollars in losses in the US alone, and it’s … [Read More...] about How to Avoid Scams on Facebook Marketplace Once and For All

AMD EPYC from Zen1 to Zen4. How it will change the CPU market?

AMD, together with Intel, is one of the major processor manufacturers known in today's market. … [Read More...] about AMD EPYC from Zen1 to Zen4. How it will change the CPU market?

Valorant Phoenix Tips & Tricks You Have to Know

The Phoenix character in Valorant is one of the most amazing to play. Being aggressive, Phoenix will … [Read More...] about Valorant Phoenix Tips & Tricks You Have to Know

Footer

For Performance

  • About
  • Contact
  • Articles
  • Editorials
  • First Look
  • Reviews
  • Tutorials
  • Privacy

Everything you need to know

  • Everything You Need to Know About the Dual-, Triple-, and Quad-Channel Memory Architectures
  • What You Should Know About the SPDIF Connection (2022 Guide)
  • Everything You Need to Know About the Intel Virtualization Technology
  • Everything You Need to Know About the CPU Power Management

Copyright © 2023 · All rights reserved - Hardwaresecrets.com
About Us · Privacy Policy · Contact