AMD FX 6300 CPU: Our Honest And In-Depth Review

Getting a new CPU is one of the first things you’ll look at when putting together a custom build. Until the end of time, the debate between Intel and AMD will always exist. If you decide to go with the latter, the AMD FX 6300 is one such option.

Unlocked AMD CPU’s aren’t the most popular on the market, but this particular chip is perfectly capable of pushing your overclocking skills to the limit. The 6300 is an affordable option for anyone who is interested in testing their processing capabilities without breaking their budget.

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What You Need to Know about the AMD FX 6300

Name	Manufacturer	Power Consumption	Cores
FX 6300	AMD	95 W	6

Clock Speed	Overclock Speed	Cache L3
3.5 GHz	4.82 GHz	L3 – 8 MB Shared

It wasn’t that long ago that the FX 6200 hit the market, and the 6300 acts as a slight upgrade. The 6300 debuted along with the 8350. For anyone who wasn’t spending countless hours grinding in WoW or building their score in CoD, the use of six cores was perfectly fine.

Using this much processing power on a budget gives a huge advantage over similar models from Intel that inevitably cost more. Simply put, the AMD FX 6300 is the best introduction to overclocking that you can find.  

To this day, it’s still one of the cheapest processors you can purchase, and its power will shock you at such a budget price. With six cores, this is a processor that starts at 3.5 GHz. With the right cooling system in place, you can take this as high as 4.82 GHz on an overclock.

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Unlike many Intel CPU’s, the AMD chipset does not come with any integrated graphics cards. You’ll need to have a separate GPU lined up for purchase if you’re putting together a brand-new tower. The memory is DDR3-1866 with Dual Channel support, along with ECC.

Working with 64-bit architecture, you’re looking at 1.33 MB/core when you consider 8 MB of shared L3 cache memory. Not bad for a “budget” processor.

Quality	Check Price	Rating
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How Does the AMD FX 6300 Perform?

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With a completely unlocked 6300 processor, there is no limit to how high you can take its overclocking speed. You can stack on as many multipliers as you like. All of this at such an affordable price tag should be criminal, but it’s yours for the taking at any retailer of your choice.

This was more impressive when the 6300 was first released several years ago. Of course, Intel has jumped ahead of AMD in terms of performance and overclocking capability, but the price will always be what lures people back to AMD.

If you’re going to compare it to a similar Intel model, you can start by looking at the raw capability of the 6300 in action. If you wanted multi-thread action, the 6300 is up there with some of the third-generation i5 processors from Intel.

Now, you’re more likely to see a fair comparison from i3 processors when talking about the 6300. Fortunately, you can take the money you save from buying this processor and put it toward other parts of your build. Nobody will ever say no to a memory upgrade.

Using PassMark, there’s no getting around the fact that a single core performance from the 6300 is not god. The single-core performance of this CPU measures in at 1446, far below anything comparable from the Intel brand.

Thankfully, it redeems itself when looking at multicore performance, coming in at 5,464.You’ll have to ask yourself exactly what you’ll be doing with the AMD FX 6300 if you plan to purchase it. The clock speeds slack a bit when you compare it to, say, an i3 6100, but that’s only in terms of base speed.

Remember first that the base cooler isn’t enough to handle anything over 4 GHz. Make sure you have an additional cooler installed before you melt your entire rig. On top of this, your power consumption will increase.

Don’t run any unnecessary risks when overclocking and be sure you’ve done your homework before beginning. Using Cinebench, the 6300 again fell behind an Intel model before cranking up the clock settings. Jacking up the speed to 4.6 GHz, the FX 6300 scored higher than a stock-performing i3 6100.

How Does the 6300 Compare to Previous AMD Efforts?

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AMD originally launched their line of FX CPU’s with Bulldozer-based technology, hoping to directly compete with Intel when it came to higher processors. Bulldozer’s debut was, to say the least, disappointing.

It couldn’t keep up with Sandy Bridge, which was already nearing a year on the market, and there were times it couldn’t even match a Phenom II from the shelf.Once Bulldozer was given a solid “meh” from the market, AMD wanted new architecture so they could fulfill their promise of taking on Intel.

They managed a quick fix with SMT issues, and they slightly boosted the performance of the Bulldozer chipset. That said, very little had changed with any of AMD’s offerings. They continued to underwhelm, and Intel seemed ready to completely overtake the market for processors.

Rather than shoving everything about Bulldozer to the side, the Piledriver technology included in the 6300 builds on the foundation that AMD already established. 

This approach ensures that not everything AMD researched and developed will go to waste as they move forward.

Not everyone is happy with this decision, especially those who thought Bulldozer was a catastrophic failure.One of the biggest points of contention for the FX series has been the module design of the chip.

Using floating-point units, the Bulldozer warranted a complete redesign to allow resource sharing with instructions given to both cores. This way, two 128-bit FMAC’s could be shared in each module. The result was two 128-bit instructions per core, or one 256-bit for a dual-core setup.

The FX 6300 gives a brilliant improvement in power consumption over previous efforts from AMD. Thanks to the advances they have put into development, you can now increase the clock frequency by 31% over older models. This is right in line with what AMD promised as a 20%-30% increase in digital media workloads.

How Else Was the AMD FX 6300 Tested?

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Pairing the 6300 with the correct GPU is the only true way to test what it could handle. Frame rates are what matters to many gamers and using the AMD model with the proper graphics setup is the best way to figure out whether the purchase is worth it.

The problem is that the same issues from previous Bulldo0zer sets made appearances with the new Piledriver-based 6300. When only one core was utilized, performance lagged like an aging piece of technology. There aren’t enough enhancements to truly make you notice that this is anything significantly new.

Although the internal construction remains largely the same, AMD made some modifications. There is a faster approach to processing written into the code for this new CPU. Branch prediction and scheduling are fast-tracked, which should make engineers happy. Once there is a bigger update planned for an update to Steamroller, expect more drastic changes.

Steamroller should be able to fit into each Bulldozer section and improve the necessary CPU function. This should allow each core to work better on its own without the teamwork of multiple cores. Unfortunately, AMD isn’t quite there yet, so consumers will have to wait and see if it was all really worth it.

Somehow, the six-core speed is slower than the previous model. The base speed for the 6300 is 3.5 GHz, compared to the 6200’s 3.8 GHz without any changes. Although the measurable speed is slower, the performance itself does not suffer as a result. The only time you’ll find a slower frame rate is with x264 video encoding.

In a gaming test, the 6300 won out over its predecessor, averaging 10 more frames per second when using the appropriate graphics settings.

How Far Can the AMD FX 6300 Get Overclocked?

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One thing that will always keep you coming back to the 6300 is its overclocking potential. You can’t say enough about how fast you can make this thing go with the right know-how, especially at such an affordable price.

At one point, the AMD FX 6300 managed to hit 5.1 GHz, but it ultimately had to stop when using x264-encoded video. There’s only so much you can put this chip through before it finally has to tap out. This could be due to its stock temperature, which measure at 28 Celsius when under stress.

Along with the rising temperature, you’ll quickly see performance drops when the work increases.If you plan to overclock, get a quality motherboard along with your aftermarket cooler.

It’s worth the investment when you consider how much cash you won’t be spending on the AMD 6300. Skimping on the CPU is fine if you’re going to protect it with a nice mobo housing and plenty of coolant.

Where is the Best Place to Buy the AMD FX 6300?

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Most online retailers stock the 6300. You can look at Amazon to start, and depending on who the specific seller is, you may qualify for free shipping, whether it’s through Amazon or a third party.

If you are still shopping online, consider New Egg for new and used versions of the CPU.

Local computer stores might still have the 6300 in stock, but you should call first due to the age of this model.

You’re more likely to find used versions in a brick-and-mortar location than something new in the box.

What Is the Overall Verdict on the AMD FX 6300?

The fact that the original Bulldozer-based series did not do much to improve on AMD’s plans was worrying for a lot of people invested in the future of their chipsets. Nothing could be seen in power consumption, efficiency, or clock speed to suggest that AMD had turned any corners. The future was bright for Intel to dominate anything in the world of CPU chip sets.

With everything that has been seen out of the 6300, there isn’t anything to suggest that this will change. Granted, the overclocking ability out of this model is impressive. Using such a budget-priced CPU to get the most out of your rig will never fail to impress.

There’s nothing stopping you from pouring more money into a higher-performing CPU that doesn’t need overclocking. Stock processors from Intel and even other AMD offerings will put your speed close to can get out of the 6300 base speed, and in some cases, increase your power.

If the price is the only thing you are factoring into the purchase of a 6300, there’s no reason to avoid it. The limitations in the processor’s specs will only manifest when you really put them to the test. Nothing will get in the way of a reasonable gaming setup for you, especially if you aren’t planning on playing a ton of new releases.

Of course, there’s also the compatibility issues with AMD itself. More often than not, you will find games designed to be played on an Intel CPU setup. Check into the list of games you plan to play to find out if skimping on a CPU is worth it. The last thing you want is to put together a list of parts for your PC, only to find out that it’s worthless as a gaming device.

The AMD FX 6300 is definitely at the top of the list in terms of budget chip sets that can reasonably accommodate what you need. First-timers in overclocking won’t want to pass up the chance to test out a potential new hobby with this CPU.

If you don’t have the correct coolers in place, however, avoid doing anything that could bring down your PC, as well as the rest of your building.

Bottom line: go with the AMD FX 6300 if you need a quick way to bring out the best in the rest of your setup.

Featured Image: Image via Pexels

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