AMD FX-8350 (AM3+) Piledriver Processor Review

Recently we saw AMD release their new lineup of FM2 APU processor units, codenamed Trinity. While their APU division were working hard on this, AMD’s desktop division were also planning a bit of a refresh on the current line of Bulldozer processors.

When Bulldozer released, we were able to take an in-depth look at the flagship FX-8150 processor which was set to compete against Intel and their (current at the time) Sandy Bridge i5 2500k. While it fell a bit short, it did offer something that Intel have never been able to do; be priced competitively within reach of the majority of consumers within the market.

Today we find the FX-8350 landing with us, which is to take over from the 8150 as the new flagship model in AMDs product catalogue, and is set to take on the Ivy Bridge based i5 3570k in terms of performance and of course, that vital weapon that AMD generally have up their sleeve; price.

With regards to processors and APUs and so forth, we find that taking a look at how it looks doesn’t really excite us or our readers, unless of course AMD have changed the design, but sadly this isn’t the case, so more so we want to focus on the performance aspect and how this particular processor sits in the current market place, between their own APU based products and Intel’s main stack of skus ranging from the Ivy Bridge based i5 3570k to the powerhouse Sandy Bridge-E i7 3960X, but the question is, will this new refreshed range of desktop processors be able to offer what everyone was hoping in terms of performance or will AMD continue to focus on pricing and offering the general public exactly what they need in these hard times of economic crisis? We’d like to think that they are able to hit it from both sides, but we’ll find out how true that is further on in the review.

Before we do jump straight into the performance aspects, we want to shed a little light on what AMD have done with the new range, and exactly what products come under this lineup, and of course their specifications.