AMD FX-6100 vs AMD Phenom II X4 945

Gaming speed, cores and clocks

The AMD FX-6100 and the AMD Phenom II X4 945 are within a few percent of each other for gaming. In a game, you will not see the difference.

The AMD FX-6100 has 6 cores and 6 threads, and the AMD Phenom II X4 945 has 4 cores and 4 threads. The extra cores of the AMD FX-6100 help with video editing, streaming while you play and heavy multitasking more than with the game itself. Boost clocks are 3.9 GHz and 3 GHz.

Platform, power and price

The AMD FX-6100 uses the AM3+ socket and the AMD Phenom II X4 945 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 95 W for the second. That is close enough that cooling needs will be similar.

At launch the AMD FX-6100 cost $165 and the AMD Phenom II X4 945 $165, which gives 6.1 and 6.1 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-6100 can feed a card up to the Arc A380 before it holds the card back by more than 10 percent. The AMD Phenom II X4 945 reaches the Arc A380. Both chips are in the same range for graphics card pairing.

Choose the AMD FX-6100 if you want the faster gaming chip and the same or more cores. Choose the AMD Phenom II X4 945 if you would rather spend the difference on a graphics card, which does more for frame rates in most games.