AMD continues to raise the bar in performance – both in dual core with its recent X2 chip and now once again in the single core design with its FX-57. Gamers everywhere have seen the results AMD has had with its FX line and for good reason are eagerly anticipating the FX-57. Although the FX-53 and FX-55 will still make great gaming CPUs from now until the next year or so, it’s the 57 model in particular that really puts some distance between AMD and Intel’s closest gaming CPU dubbed the “Extreme Edition”.
Clocked at 2.8GHz, the FX-57 continues the “San Diego” core AMD released with the FX-55, but is stepped up a paltry 200MHz faster. What’s interesting is that 200MHz on the Intel side of things doesn’t always mean that great of a performance gain – not so with AMD. Additionally, the revamped memory controller tweak introduced on the FX continues in this new chip and it means it’s not as particular as previous designs were with varying memory configurations.
AMD is also beating the crap out of Intel when it comes to power consumption and heat dissipation. The chip used by me hovers around 41 degrees Celsius under normal operating modes and can jump up over 60 degrees, however, that’s still a far cry from Intel’s 70 degrees plus we see on a regular basis. None of this may matter to you – especially if you bought a pre-built PC where the system builder has more than likely taken the time to properly outfit the system with adequate power and cooling.
Where heat and power mostly come into play is with do-it-yourselfers who need to know what sort of CPU cooler to spec out. I simply used a nice Thermal take Silent Boost on mine – no fancy heat-pipes or anything. Just a large, quiet, fan and lots of copper. If you get anything close to that, you’ll most likely be alright.
Because it uses AMD’s tried and true Socket939, there’s a great chance it’ll work in your existing Socket939 motherboard with a simple BIOS update; however, you’ll need to make sure to check with your particular motherboard manufacturer be positive
Overall, great product
jOe