Review Consensus: AMD FX Processor 8150 Underwhelming

[LordJummy]

Oh, it is fun! I'm doing some messing around right now. I have a few sets of RAM I want to play around with as well. Right now, I'm using Elpida Hypers.

Check it: http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/showthread.php?t=153443&page=3

oooh sweet bro. I'm thinking I might grab an 8120 just for testing and overclocking the shit out of it. I will have to rig it in my custom water setup and have some fun....

Your screenies are really tempting me, and I only need a motherboard and the chip. I don't expect it to replace my 970, but I want a new toy that is different than what I've got you know?

 

[alexsubri]

Oh, it is fun! I'm doing some messing around right now. I have a few sets of RAM I want to play around with as well. Right now, I'm using Elpida Hypers.

Check it: http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/showthread.php?t=153443&page=3

Have you done any benchmarks? If so, are they the same or different from the review websites?

 

[Super XP]

Have you done any benchmarks? If so, are they the same or different from the review websites?

You have a ASUS Sabertooth 990 FX. Have you noticed the latest bios update for your mobo? It says it's an AMD CPU Firmware Update. Have you updated this? Is it updating your CPU's firmware or your mobo's bios??

 

[[H]@RD5TUFF]

I don't think firmware will "fix" the problem.

 

[alexsubri]

You have a ASUS Sabertooth 990 FX. Have you noticed the latest bios update for your mobo? It says it's an AMD CPU Firmware Update. Have you updated this? Is it updating your CPU's firmware or your mobo's bios??

The newest one is Version 0705 which was released towards the end of Sept. I haven't uploaded my BIOS yet, I should , I plan on doing it soon. I just got this motherboard less than a week ago. So, I am still tweaking, recovering what I lost from my old HD's (Had to do a reformat, not related to the motherboard)

 

[Super XP]

I don't think firmware will "fix" the problem.

I was just wondering why it said "AMD CPU Firmware Update" for a motherboard bios update. I would think if AMD was to release a firmware update you would find it on the AMD website NO?

Also, I agree a AMD FX CPU firmware update won't repair something that is not broken. I now truly believe Bulldozer is very complex, and it will take time to make it work the way it was meant to. That said, AMD should have worked harder to ensure the OS along with software take fully take advantage of the new CPU design.

 

[LordJummy]

I do have to say I have never seen so many fan boys crawl out of the woodwork (at least not for some time) on some of the other forums. I'm surprised the TPU discussions have been fairly civil.

Should I buy the 8120 now or should I wait until a revision is made? Is there a hardware revision planned for the near future or just software/firmware? I'm trying to decide whether or not to go for it now.

 

[[H]@RD5TUFF]

I was just wondering why it said "AMD CPU Firmware Update" for a motherboard bios update. I would think if AMD was to release a firmware update you would find it on the AMD website NO?

Also, I agree a AMD FX CPU firmware update won't repair something that is not broken. I now truly believe Bulldozer is very complex, and it will take time to make it work the way it was meant to. That said, AMD should have worked harder to ensure the OS along with software take fully take advantage of the new CPU design.

I don't buy the BS about it's the OS's fault, even if it is how dumb is AMD for not designing for a current OS, rather than one that there isn't even an RC for.

 

[TRWOV]

I don't think firmware will "fix" the problem.

I do have to say I have never seen so many fan boys crawl out of the woodwork (at least not for some time) on some of the other forums. I'm surprised the TPU discussions have been fairly civil.

Should I buy the 8120 now or should I wait until a revision is made? Is there a hardware revision planned for the near future or just software/firmware? I'm trying to decide whether or not to go for it now.

With the fact that Piledriver is being released so soon (Q1 2012, isn't it?) I believe that AMD knew about the design problems (branch prediction, pipeline flushing, cache trashing, decode unit not wide enough) but instead counted on frequencies to make up until PD could be released. Anandtech's review also shows that cache latency is worse than Phenom II. Both of these problems can be blamed on Global Foundries. Cache latency can be increased and clockspeeds lowered to give higher yields.

I think that AMD saw the problems that needed reworking but decided that clockspeed would be enough for the time being but then a few months later they find that yields were too poor and had no choice but to launch as is.

 

[Horrux]

With the fact that Piledriver is being released so soon (Q1 2012, isn't it?) I believe that AMD knew about the design problems (branch prediction, pipeline flushing, cache trashing, decode unit not wide enough) but instead counted on frequencies to make up until PD could be released. Anandtech's review also shows that cache latency is worse than Phenom II. Both of these problems can be blamed on Global Foundries. Cache latency can be increased and clockspeeds lowered to give higher yields.

I think that AMD saw the problems that needed reworking but decided that clockspeed would be enough for the time being but then a few months later they find that yields were too poor and had no choice but to launch as is.

That makes sense and provides a glimmer of hope for those of us who would like to remain users of AMD chips but also require competitive performance...

 

[Prima.Vera]

LOL. Even my old Core 2 Quad 9650 beats the crp out of Dozer.
Epic Fail.:shadedshu

 

[LordJummy]

LOL. Even my old Core 2 Quad 9650 beats the crp out of Dozer.
Epic Fail.:shadedshu

mmm not really. now you're just getting into wishful thinking territory.

the 8150 as it turns out actually can perform quite well under the right circumstances. it is far better than your c2q overall.

 

[claylomax]

"Perhaps in the future this will pay big dividends, but at this moment in time the bulldozer is looking more like 8 shovels" http://www.vortez.net/articles_pages/amd_fx_8150_bulldozer_cpu_review,14.html

 

[LordJummy]

I'm starting to see some benefits in BD now. I think I'm going to go ahead and get an 8150. I just can't resist playing with it at this point. Even if it doesn't outperform my i7 970 it will still be a great time to bench and test


Update:

My first impression wasn't too positive, but you know, after I read every review, I think those that reviewed the chips had expectations set way too high. Tom's even posted an editorial about that exact subject, and consequently, blamed AMD's marketing for those false expectations.

That made me look into the sources for all the hype, and really, most of it was websites looking for hits, and not anything that AMD gave out for the public to see.

So I personally don't blame AMD here...I blame all those websites that hyped BD, for falsely raising people's expectations.

AMD's not 100% free and clear of this mess though. I said nearly 6 months ago that this greatly reminded me of the Phenom I and 2900XT hype, and I going to stick to my personal opinion that all the hype was directly a result of Intel fanboys setting AMD up to fail, even though it really seems AMD didn't do much to deal with the issues as they came up.

Totally agree. My first impression was guided by tons of over hyped negative reviews and people yelling the sky is falling. After my own research through all the BS I've come to the conclusion that the 8 core chip is actually really nice for some of my personal uses. It looks like they will be addressing some of the issues very soon, so I'm going to grab one and let them work out the bugs.

The 8150 will be an excellent chip for my secondary machine to replace my i7 950 setup I think. I also want to do what I can to support Intel's competition at this point, and inevitably post my own little reviews once I've fully tested it. I think we need to give these chips more time to really brew and get to their optimum potential. ( I never thought I would be saying that, but I really believe it. ) There is also nothing more fun than playing with a completely new architecture. Definitely looking forward to it

 

[cadaveca]

My first impression wasn't too positive, but you know, after I read every review, I think those that reviewed the chips had expectations set way too high. Tom's even posted an editorial about that exact subject, and consequently, blamed AMD's marketing for those false expectations.

That made me look into the sources for all the hype, and really, most of it was websites looking for hits, and not anything that AMD gave out for the public to see.

So I personally don't blame AMD here...I blame all those websites that hyped BD, for falsely raising people's expectations.

AMD's not 100% free and clear of this mess though. I said nearly 6 months ago that this greatly reminded me of the Phenom I and 2900XT hype, and I going to stick to my personal opinion that all the hype was directly a result of Intel fanboys setting AMD up to fail, even though it really seems AMD didn't do much to deal with the issues as they came up.

 

[nt300]

Pros
+ Innovative architecture design
+ Very overclockable
+ Power efficient using Cool 'n' Quiet
+ Improved Turbo modes

Cons
- Weak single thread performance
- Often outperformed by Phenom II
- Only fast in ideal scenarios

If the Single Threaded Performance got resolved somehow, we wouldn't be having this discussion about Bulldozer. This CPU was designed for massive Multi-Threading and will destroy anything in the market place with the proper multi-threading software testing.

 

[Crap Daddy]

If the Single Threaded Performance got resolved somehow, we wouldn't be having this discussion about Bulldozer. This CPU was designed for massive Multi-Threading and will destroy anything in the market place with the proper multi-threading software testing.

At its price point.

 

[ensabrenoir]

Pros
+ Innovative architecture design
+ Very overclockable
+ Power efficient using Cool 'n' Quiet
+ Improved Turbo modes

Cons
- Weak single thread performance
- Often outperformed by Phenom II
- Only fast in ideal scenarios

If the Single Threaded Performance got resolved somehow, we wouldn't be having this discussion about Bulldozer. This CPU was designed for massive Multi-Threading and will destroy anything in the market place with the proper multi-threading software testing.

Wow.... sorta like bringing a speed boat to the drag strip and shouting from the sidelines. If we were in,water id pawn u all!

 

[erocker]

Wow.... sorta like bringing a speed boat to the drag strip and shouting from the sidelines. If we were in,water id pawn u all!

Better yet, bringing a Bulldozer to the drag strip and shouting "If this drag strip was dirt...."

 

[LordJummy]

Better yet, bringing a Bulldozer to the drag strip and shouting "If this drag strip was dirt...."

Better yet, bringing a hula hoop to a jump rope competition. amirite?

 

[Dent1]

I have asked reviewers that I know that have chips, and not one is able to get Bulldozer working in anything but 9-series boards

and even then, there is a BIOS update specfic to Bulldozer, in such a way that there is even a warning in the CPU box that you should update the BIOS. And that BIOS update applies to 9-series boards...

I do NOT expect any user with AM3 to actually get Bulldozer working properly. An AM3+ socket and 9-series chipset are required.

I guess you are wrong. lol

http://www.techpowerup.com/153573/ASRock-Announces-Wide-Ranged-Support-for-AMD-FX-Processors.html

ASRock have prioritized AM3+ motherboard implementation and is the first to produce the most sophisticated AM3+ CPU-capable motherboards. The entire range of AM3+ mobo includes AMD's 9-Series, 8-Series, 7-Series and Nvidia's GeForce 7025 chipset series. Importantly, ASRock have a complete motherboard products line (from high-end, performance to budget-level) supporting AM3+ Bulldozer processors. Users are able to enjoy the exciting AM3+ performance with the latest BIOS update. ASRock is confident to say that they are the only motherboard maker that can offer so many AM3+ mobo choices based on difference chipsets. And this is what other mobo makers cannot do.


PS. isnt the 7025 chipset like 6 years old. Anyone with a crappy AM2/AM2+ board should be able to drop in a AMD FX without breaking the bank.

 

[cadaveca]

I guess you are wrong. lol

Today, yes. Yesterday, no.

Alot of boards are working, but not all. And I do not mean AsRock boards, I mean all boards in general.

Hopefully by the time these FX chips are back in stock in retail, all boards will work.

 

[Covert_Death]

I don't buy the BS about it's the OS's fault, even if it is how dumb is AMD for not designing for a current OS, rather than one that there isn't even an RC for.

because you design for the futuer... this is a stepping block for future CPU's from AMD

 

[Covert_Death]

can someone please answer this one question....

i have a PII x4 955 clocked at 4.1Ghz (temps from 36c-60c)

if i upgrade to an 8150 and OC it as well (say 4.6-4.8Ghz) will i see noticeable improvement in current games (BF3, BC2, ArmA II, ArmA III) and such?

thanks... i really like the CPU for the potential it has but just want to make sure if i get it that it will ACTUALLY be an UPGRADE

thanks all

 

[Dent1]

Covert_Death, which resolution do you play at?

BFBC2 and BF3 are multithreaded. Reviews show the FX series perform better in the BF3 beta than even the I7 2600k, so I doubt you'd need to overclock it to see the benefit.

As for the ArmA series I'm not sure if its multithreaded, so somebody else will have to comment on that.

If you are actually doing work, then yes its an upgrade. For gaming, it depends on your choice of games - but for singlethreaded applications/games, definitely not.