AMD FX-4350 vs Core i3-2100

Gaming speed, cores and clocks

The AMD FX-4350 and the Core i3-2100 are within a few percent of each other for gaming. In a game, you will not see the difference.

The AMD FX-4350 has 4 cores and 4 threads, and the Core i3-2100 has 2 cores and 4 threads. The extra cores of the AMD FX-4350 help with video editing, streaming while you play and heavy multitasking more than with the game itself. Boost clocks are 4.3 GHz and 3.1 GHz.

Platform, power and price

The AMD FX-4350 uses the AM3+ socket and the Core i3-2100 uses LGA1155, so they need different motherboards, and often different memory. When you compare prices, count the board as well as the chip.

Rated power is 125 W for the first and 65 W for the second. That difference changes the cooler you need, and it shows up in heat and noise.

At launch the AMD FX-4350 cost $122 and the Core i3-2100 $117, which gives 9.8 and 10.3 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-4350 can feed a card up to the GeForce GTX 980 before it holds the card back by more than 10 percent. The Core i3-2100 reaches the GeForce GTX 980. Both chips are in the same range for graphics card pairing.

Choose the AMD FX-4350 if you want the faster gaming chip and the same or more cores. Choose the Core i3-2100 if you would rather spend the difference on a graphics card, which does more for frame rates in most games.