AMD Bulldozer "Zambezi" FX-8150 is here!

AMD launches FX Series Bulldozer CPUs!  

 

Today was the offical launch day for four parts, two octa-core FX-8150 and FX-8120, one hexa core, FX-6100 and one quad core, FX-4100.

AMD finally lifted the NDA veil off its FX Series desktop CPUs based on the Bulldozer architecture and 32nm manufacturing process. The entire FX Series lineup includes seven parts. The much anticipated AMD FX family of CPUs are finally here!

Suggested retail price (U.S.):

• FX-8150: Eight cores, 3.6 GHz CPU base (3.9 GHz Turbo Core, 4.2 GHz Max Turbo), $245 ($345 w/ water cooler)
• FX-8120: Eight cores, 3.1 GHz CPU base (3.4 GHz Turbo Core, 4.0 GHz Max Turbo), $205
• FX-6100: Six cores, 3.3 GHz CPU base (3.6 GHz Turbo Core, 3.9 GHz Max Turbo), $165
• FX-4100: Four cores, 3.6 GHz CPU base (3.7 GHz Turbo Core, 3.8 GHz Max Turbo), $115

 Suggested retail price (EU):

• FX-8150: Eight cores, 3.6 GHz CPU base (3.9 GHz Turbo Core, 4.2 GHz Max Turbo), €229
• FX-8120: Eight cores, 3.1 GHz CPU base (3.4 GHz Turbo Core, 4.0 GHz Max Turbo), €189
• FX-6100: Six cores, 3.3 GHz CPU base (3.6 GHz Turbo Core, 3.9 GHz Max Turbo), €162
• FX-4100: Four cores, 3.6 GHz CPU base (3.7 GHz Turbo Core, 3.8 GHz Max Turbo), €115

The first four CPU models will be available the next few days. AMD advises you to combine them with AMD 9-series chipset motherboard and AMD Radeon HD 6000 series graphics cards to create the AMD “Scorpius” platform for “an astounding gaming and HD entertainment experience.

CyberPower rolls out AMD Bulldozer-powered gaming systems: www.tcmagazine.com or on official site: www.cyberpowerpc.com - AMD PCs

 

Reviews, overclocks:

(Fudzilla) AMD FX-8150 overclocked to 8030.15 MHz
(HotHardware) AMD FX-8150 8-Core CPU Review: Bulldozer Is Here
(Guru3D) AMD FX 8150 processor review
(HardwareHeaven) AMD FX-8150 Black Edition 8-Core Processor vs Core i7-2600K Review
(Hardware Canucks) AMD Bulldozer FX-8150 Processor Review
(KitGuru) AMD FX 8150 Black Edition 8-Core Review (with Gigabyte 990FXA-UD7
(TweakTown) AMD FX-8150 (AM3+) 3.6GHz Bulldozer CPU Review
(Legit Reviews) AMD FX-8150 Processor Review - Bulldozer Arrives
(Hexus) AMD Bulldozer FX-8150
(VR-Zone) AMD FX-8150 overclocking-review
(VR-Zone) AMD FX-8150 Memory Scaling Investigation - Feeding the Bulldozer
(Bit-tech) AMD FX-8150 Review
(Anandtech)The Bulldozer Review: AMD FX-8150 Tested
(Bjorn3d) AMD FX-8150 CPU: Bulldozer
(Bbitlabs) Bulldozer Has Arrived: AMD FX-8150 Processor Review
(Tomshardware) AMD FX-8150 Review: From Bulldozer To Zambezi To FX
(Hardocp) AMD Bulldozer / FX-8150 Desktop Performance Review
(Hardocp) AMD Bulldozer / FX-8150 Gameplay Performance Review

Some interesting comparisons when it comes to performance! AMDs high-end FX-8150 as a Core-i5 2500K beater, whereas it plays pretty evenly with Intel's Core i7-2600K with some benchmark wins and some benchmark losses. Of course this will depend quite a lot on the benchmarks. AMD FX-8150 doesn't really stand out in most of the tests! It's quite badly beaten in some tests. But in many cases, AMD's FX-8150 is able to close the gap between the Phenom II X6 and Intel's Core i5 2500K. Given the right workload, Bulldozer is actually able to hang with Intel's fastest Sandy Bridge parts.

Judging by reviews it doesn't look like the FX-series will be enough for AMD to oust Intel from the performance position in most benchmarks. Real world performance is much more important and if AMD can show that it has what it takes. Then we could see its new FX CPUs gaining some popularity. Either which way we look at it, we're getting a lot of CPU for our money.

AMD still has to work on its Bulldozer architecture to reach a full potential....

The Good
- Modern design, elegant modular architecture
- Attractive pricing
- AM3+ socket is backwards compatible

The Bad
- Not as fast as Thuban (1100T) in light-load apps
- Under-load power-draw not ideal
- Arguably still behind Intel's SB as an all-round chip

By: Air T.