Difference Between AMD FX processor and Phenom Processor?

[Knusper]

Hi all,

I got an AMD FX 4100 3.6GHz CPU for Christmas, which I what I asked for, but I later found out (after installing it herp-derp) that for my motherboard I needed the Phenom series. Since I probably won't be able to get a refund, I was seeing how much of the money I would get out of selling my FX CPU to cover buying the Phenom alternative (in terms of number of cores and speed), the Phenom II x4 975.

However, I found that the latter was significantly more than the one I'm stuck with. Is there a reason why 2 processors from different lines but with only small differences can be any different in terms of price (as in, about £80)?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Hazy992]

Are you using the AM3+ socket? If you are do you know anyone who has a Phenom II already? Cause if you do you could always borrow theirs, update your BIOS and the FX should work.

Unless anyone knows how to do it on a new build with the FX?

Anyway, if you really need to get a Phenom II get a 965BE. They're a lot easier to get hold of and they're about £5-10 cheaper than the 4100s. I've heard the 965 is better than the 4100 but the 4100 is cooler and uses less power. Could be wrong on that one though.

EDIT: Apparently some AM3 boards support FX processors with a BIOS update. I think I may have gotten confused and that's what I meant.

 

[Knusper]

Are you using the AM3+ socket? If you are do you know anyone who has a Phenom II already? Cause if you do you could always borrow theirs, update your BIOS and the FX should work.

Unless anyone knows how to do it on a new build with the FX?

Anyway, if you really need to get a Phenom II get a 965BE. They're a lot easier to get hold of and they're about £5-10 cheaper than the 4100s. I've heard the 965 is better than the 4100 but the 4100 is cooler and uses less power. Could be wrong on that one though.

That's what I don't get - the 965 is only 3.4GHz, and I know that isn't the only factor, but almost everything else seems the same, so why is it roughly the same price?

Thanks for the first tip, though, I'll keep an eye out.

 

[Hazy992]

That's what I don't get - the 965 is only 3.4GHz, and I know that isn't the only factor, but almost everything else seems the same, so why is it roughly the same price?

Thanks for the first tip, though, I'll keep an eye out.

Clock speeds aren't everything, the number of cores[footnote]Even then that doesn't tell you everything. A quad core i5 will wipe the floor with a six core FX 6300[/footnote] and the architecture of the processor itself also need to be taken into account. I'm guessing the actual architecture of the Phenom II is better than the 4100.

I guess the only time you could assume that higher clock speeds means better performance is if the two processors are in the same product line, so you could assume that a 955 is slightly slower than a 965 because the clock speed is slightly lower.