AMD FX-4100 vs AMD Phenom II X4 965

Gaming speed, cores and clocks

The AMD FX-4100 and the AMD Phenom II X4 965 are within a few percent of each other for gaming. In a game, you will not see the difference.

The AMD FX-4100 has 4 cores and 4 threads, and the AMD Phenom II X4 965 has 4 cores and 4 threads. Core counts are the same, so cache size and clock speed decide the difference. Boost clocks are 3.8 GHz and 3.4 GHz.

Platform, power and price

The AMD FX-4100 uses the AM3+ socket and the AMD Phenom II X4 965 uses AM3, so they need different motherboards, and often different memory. When you compare prices, count the board as well as the chip.

Rated power is 95 W for the first and 125 W for the second. That is close enough that cooling needs will be similar.

At launch the AMD FX-4100 cost $112 and the AMD Phenom II X4 965 $245, which gives 9.8 and 4.5 points of gaming performance per $100. Today's prices will differ.

Which graphics cards each one can feed, and which to buy

At 1080p the AMD FX-4100 can feed a card up to the GeForce GTX 1650 Super before it holds the card back by more than 10 percent. The AMD Phenom II X4 965 reaches the GeForce GTX 1650 Super. Both chips are in the same range for graphics card pairing.

Choose the AMD FX-4100 if you want the faster gaming chip and the same or more cores. Choose the AMD Phenom II X4 965 if you would rather spend the difference on a graphics card, which does more for frame rates in most games.