AMD FX-4300 vs AMD Phenom II X6 1100T

Gaming speed, cores and clocks

The AMD FX-4300 and the AMD Phenom II X6 1100T are within a few percent of each other for gaming. In a game, you will not see the difference.

The AMD FX-4300 has 4 cores and 4 threads, and the AMD Phenom II X6 1100T has 6 cores and 6 threads. The extra cores of the AMD Phenom II X6 1100T help with video editing, streaming while you play and heavy multitasking more than with the game itself. Boost clocks are 3.8 GHz and 3.3 GHz.

Platform, power and price

The AMD FX-4300 uses the AM3+ socket and the AMD Phenom II X6 1100T 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-4300 cost $122 and the AMD Phenom II X6 1100T $265, 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-4300 can feed a card up to the GeForce GTX 980 before it holds the card back by more than 10 percent. The AMD Phenom II X6 1100T reaches the GeForce GTX 980. Both chips are in the same range for graphics card pairing.

Choose the AMD FX-4300 if you want the faster gaming chip. Choose the AMD Phenom II X6 1100T if you would rather spend the difference on a graphics card, which does more for frame rates in most games.