Conclusion

With its recent Bulldozer CPUs, AMD has the worlds first eight core processor for consumers and enthusiasts. As always in the past years AMD's high end processors don't come with an expensive price tag like Intel does with their flagship Extreme Edition processors that come with a price around 1'200 CHF (est. EUR 1'000.-). The FX-8150 comes at CHF 254.- (est. EUR 212.-) which puts it between Intel's 2600K and 2500K processor. Furhtermore all new AMD FX CPUs do have an unlocked multiplyer.

Because of the reason that Bulldozer is a completely new architecture it doesn't performe like Phenom II processors with two more cores added. As we said it's an entirely new architecture that works with shared computing units between core within modules. Those Bulldozer chips come with no less than 8MB of L3 cache as well as an overworked Turbo-Mode which is now able to increase the clock speeds up to 300 MHz for all coresmodulesor and up to 600 MHz with the Max Turbo Core for half fo the coresmodules of the CPU when using less multithreaded applications.

If we look at Bulldozer performance the FX-8150 is a little bit faster than the AMD Phenom II x6 1090T BE in overall. Nevertheless performance is not what we expected. In fact this CPU leaves us with mixed feelings. Depending on how well a software has been optimized to support multithreading, this CPU is even able to outperform an Intel Core i7-990X or Core i7-2600K. But on the other hand when it comes to efficiency per core the new AMD CPUs are even slower than their own, older Phenom II x6 1090T CPUs and sometimes there on the same level as an AMD A8 3850 processor, which is an entry-level product.

As expected Bulldozer isn't the most economic CPU, this is in partly due to the fact that AMD did not chose a manual design to design the chip but an ''automatic'' design done by a computer. As far as we know there is like 800 millions transistors that we don't know what they are for. So, under load we measure 214 Watts which is 60 Watts more than Intel's Core i7-2600K, but better than a Core i7-990X hexacore CPU. In idle though, 76 Watt is a very good value for such a high-end CPU, same as Intel's I7 2600K.

If you are currently using an AMD rig such as AM3/AM3+ with a Phenom II x4 or lower performing CPU, then AMD's FX eigh core processor might be a neat upgrade. Should you be using a Phenom II x6 at the moment, there is no need to uprade your CPU to a Bulldozer FX. In both cases: before you upgrade, be sure to check the compatibility of AMD's FX CPU with your motherboard and if needed update your motherboard to the latest BIOS.