AMD FX 6100 6-Core Processor, 3.3 6 Socket AM3 – FD6100WMGUSBX

I purchased the FX-6100 as part of my desktop upgrade. I needed speed at an affordable price so this chip was a fit for me. I use my PC for video editing, picture editing, browsing online, and streaming movies. For gaming, the CPU is only mediocre; this CPU will not perform nearly as well as the Intel i5’s like the i5-2500 quad cores. Also, the FX-6100 CPU is power hungry, rated at 95 watts, which will heat up a small office fast. On the other hand, in pricing, the AMD FX wins compared to the Intel’s i5 CPUs.Most PC games use just 2 cores and rarely 4 cores. Games today do not take advantage of the multiple cores in some chips, especially 6 or 8 cores which are underutilized during gaming. AMD APUs like the A8 and the newer A10 will be a better choice for gaming due to its advanced CPU and GPU combination on one chip die (an A8 APU alone will allow the PC to play games that require DirectX 11, currently the latest revision for the gaming market). The AMD APUs are also more energy efficient and better on the budget because purchasing a video card is not required (a Crossfire video card can be added later to complement the AMD APU). My next upgrade will be from an AMD FX CPU to the AMD APU socket FM2 or better.I am still impressed with the FX-6100 because it allowed me to install Windows 8 Pro and the free Windows Media Pack in under 20 minutes. A fast processor and a SSD like the Crucial 128 6GB/s solid state drive is essential for improving speed of installs and PC cold starts. My FX-6100’s CPU Windows Experience Index (WEI) is 7.4., and the Crucial 128GB Sata3 WEI is 7.7 out of 9.9 max.