Plenty of you probably already saw this, but here it is:

Review #1
[ Register or Signin to view external links. ]
[ Register or Signin to view external links. ]

Summary:

To say we're disappointed is to understate things. It's not that the Bulldozer FX8150 is poor when compared to the LGA1155 processors, it's not good when compared to AMDs own Phenom II X6.

Much has been made of the Bulldozer modules that each contain two cores. Judging from the performance the reason they've called them modules isn't because each one is like a dual-core processor. It's because each one is about the equivalent to a single Intel core. What on earth are they doing? The numbers imply something monumental. It marmalises the Intel on clock speed, cache and number of cores, yet the results show that even the i5-2500K beats it in nearly every test, and the i7-2600K annihilates it to such a degree it's embarrassing. How AMD have the cheek to compare it to an i7-980X in pricing terms is frankly beyond us. If a i5-2500K can make this look merely average, the i7-980X would make it look like something from the stone-age.

.......

We cannot overstate how saddened we are by the current state of affairs at AMD. It wasn't that long ago that their CPU arm was producing good-performing great value chips, and their GPUs were high-performance, cool and quiet offerings. Similarly to the hot HD6 series of GPUs the FX8150 is a toasty processor. Whilst we could overclock it to 5GHz you'd need a dedicated dual-rad to keep it usable, and even in our 4.7GHz test state it was making our NH-D14 seriously hot to the touch.

A cheaper 2500k pretty much performs the same on a better motherboard platform (IMO), and it embarrasses itself with the 2600k. The overclocking is what disappointed me the most, it has horrible temperature with great cooling, and can't even get that far, Sandy Bridge destroys it in that aspect.

Review #2:
Outtake:

So what do you do if you're buying today? If you have an existing high-end Phenom II system, particularly an X4 970 or above or an X6 of any sort, I honestly don't see much of a reason to upgrade. You're likely better off waiting for the next (and final) iteration of the AM3+ lineup if you want to stick with your current platform. If you're considering buying new, I feel like the 2500K is a better overall part. You get more predictable performance across the board regardless of application type or workload mix, and you do get features like Quick Sync.

[ Register or Signin to view external links. ]