TechRadar Verdict
Cut down versions of a top chip usually make a lot of sense. This time, not so much.
Pros
- +
Cutting edge AMD architecture on the cheap
- +
You might be able to unlock the extra modules
Cons
- -
Weak per-core performance
- -
Not a great gaming chip
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We've been waiting for AMD's brand new architecture for ages, and then Bulldozer turned out to be fairly underwhelming. Can the cheaper, quad-core AMD FX 4100 Black Edition rectify any of its wrongs?
Multi-threading and parallelism are all the rage. Put simply, more cores equals more fun, right?
Not, as it happens, when it comes to games, as seen in the AMD FX 8150. Despite the hype, the fact is PC games still don't scale all that well across multiple processor cores.
On the one hand, that's a disappointing state of affairs given the massively multi-core hoopla the likes of Intel have been pedalling for the last five years or so.
On the other, it also presents an opportunity for fanatical gamers to save a few quid.
After all, if it's just games that gets you going, we'd argue there's only so many cores you actually need.
Consider, therefore, the AMD FX 4100.
We can't be absolutely sure about this without official confirmation, but we reckon it's based on the very same two-billion transistor processor die as the range-topping FX 8150.
The difference is that two of the 8150's four Bulldozer modules have been nuked from orbit.
