Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing
  3. News

AMD updates FX processors with Piledriver cores

Matthew S. Smith
By
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The flagship of AMD’s desktop processor line is the FX series – yet, strangely, these processors have had to wait for an update to the “Piledriver” architecture revision that rolled out for laptops earlier this year. Updating to Piledriver will, according to AMD’s estimates, provide an overall performance boost of about 15 percent.

AMD’s reveal comes in the form of four new processors. The most powerful is the FX-8350, an eight-core part with a base frequency of 4.0GHz and a price tag of about $200. This is followed up by the least powerful but still impressive FX-8320, an eight core-part with a lower base frequency of 3.5GHz. It will be sold for $170.

Recommended Videos

Budget-conscious buyers may want to consider the $132 FX-6300, a six-core part with a base of 3.5GHz. Another option is the $122 FX-4300, a quad-core with a base of 3.8GHz. 

Image used with permission by copyright holder

All of these new processors fit into AM3+ socket chipsets such as the 970, 990X, and 990FX. These chipsets can support up to 14 USB 2.0 ports, 6 USB 3.0 ports, and DDR3 memory running at 1866MHz.

Get your weekly teardown of the tech behind PC gaming
Check your inbox!
Privacy Policy

The new processors are also unlocked, which means that they are very easy to overclock by manipulating the CPU clock values in BIOS. AMD was sure to point out this fact during its press conference and even provided a slide showing the benefits of overclocking to 5GHz with the use of an AMD-branded water-cooling solution.

These products come just days after AMD’s announcement that it will be cutting 15 percent of its workforce after a weak third quarter. Releasing four new processors is unlikely to change the company’s fortunes, but it shows AMD isn’t ready to give up just yet. It’s almost guaranteed that more SKUs based on this revision will be added over time to satisfy more consumers.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Matthew S. Smith
Matthew S. Smith
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Matthew S. Smith is the former Lead Editor, Reviews at Digital Trends. He previously guided the Products Team, which dives…
I compared all of AMD’s V-cache CPUs to see which you should buy
A hand holding AMD's Ryzen 9 7950X3D processor.

AMD's Zen 4 3D V-Cache CPUs are true marvels of modern CPU performance. They offer exceptional gaming performance on par with the absolute best that Intel has to offer, and yet do it at a fraction of the power draw and heat output. They lose out on productivity performance, but that's what the non-X3D AMD CPUs are for. And if you want all-rounders, but don't mind high thermal design power (TDP) ratings, then Intel's offerings are always an option.

But out of the latest generation of X3D CPUs, which is the best? The 7950X3D is the most expensive with more cores, while the 7800X3D is the gaming darling. And what about the option between those two, the 7900X3D? Let's find out.
Pricing and availability

Read more
The best processors in 2024: AMD and Intel CPUs duke it out
AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D installed in a motherboard.

AMD and Intel have fought for supremacy for decades, duking it out in a bid to make the best processors you can buy. The competition is fierce, and that's a great thing for PC enthusiasts. In 2024, the list of the best CPUs is larger than ever and packed with options from Team Red and Team Blue.

Intel's bang-for-the-buck king of this generation is the 14600K, but its last-gen flagship the 13900K is still well worth considering. If you're a gamer though, the 7800X3D should be the top of your list. Here's a rundown of those chips and a whole lot more.

Read more
This might be why AMD’s FSR 3 isn’t picking up momentum
Combat in the game Nightingale.

AMD's platform-agnostic FSR 3 is a great feature, but months after releasing, it's only available in a small list of titles. Now, we might finally have a clue as to why.

Developers of the upcoming open world survival game Nightingale posted a development update stating that it was removing FSR 3 due to crashes. "After reviewing crash data from the Server Stress Test, a significant number of them seemed to point to FSR3 integrations, whether or not users had the setting turned on," a prelaunch update post reads.

Read more