Closer Look: AMD FX-8370 and FX-8370E

The FX-8370, FX-8370E, and FX-8320E CPUs represent a simple refresh of the FX series. As so often happens when CPU yields become more and more stable, the clock speeds are simply increased and a new CPU is released. The FX-8370 is no different than the FX-8350; it just comes with a higher turbo clock. The FX-8370 sticks with the same 4.0GHz base clock as the FX-8350, but turbos up to 4.3GHz, where the max clock for the FX-8350 is 4.2GHz. Of course, since both of the processors are Black Edition CPUs, it’s pretty likely that a fairly stable FX-8350 would be able to provide the exact same performance as an FX-8370.

The real story behind the new FX series releases is the 8000E series processors that are being released. The FX-8370E and FX-8320E represent a significant drop in TDP to the tune of nearly 25%. The E series FX CPUs have a TDP of 95W, compared to the typical 125W of all the other FX CPUs. To achieve this level of energy efficiency, the base clock on the FX-8370E has been dropped all the way to 3.3GHz. The max clock-speed stays the same as the 125W version at 4.3GHz, however. That fact seems to imply a lot of potential performance from the FX-8370E, especially in single-core applications, while offering a significant amount of energy savings. I can certainly understand the appeal, considering I have watched my electricity bill continue to trend higher over the years even while my usage stays the same.

Unfortunately, the FX-8370E, while it may help save money on electricity, it doesn’t save any upfront. The FX-8370E has an MSRP of $199, just like the fully clocked FX-8370. That would be the way to go, however, if you are interested in lowering the amount of power your system uses, especially because the FX-8370E is really the same CPU as the FX-8370. I was able to overclock the one AMD sent me very stably to 4.3GHz on all cores. I suppose you could underclock the FX-8370 just as easily, turning it into your very own FX-8370E.

With the release of the FX-8370 and FX-8370E, the upper range of AMD FX processors is going through something of a price shift. The previous top end of the FX-8000 series, the FX-8350, will drop in price to $178. The flagship FX-9590 actually experiences the biggest drop in price to an MSRP of $226, an $86 drop. I’ve attached a chart below that shows the FX lineup and their new prices. The model numbers ending in WOX representing a CPU that comes in a box set with a liquid cooling solution.

So how do the new processors stack up? Let’s find out.