AMD FX-4300

The AMD FX-4300 is a desktop processor from AMD’s FX (Vishera) generation, built on the Piledriver architecture. It provides 4 cores and 4 threads, with a 3.80 GHz base clock and a 4.00 GHz boost clock. The socket is AMD Socket AM3+, the memory interface is dual-channel DDR3 with 29.9 GB/s of listed bandwidth, and the PCIe interface is Gen 2. The processor was released on 2012-10-22 with a launch MSRP $122 and is now end-of-life. The record does not assign a separate series name, and the benchmark array is empty; the only aggregate performance fields are a 50th percentile rank versus all CPUs and an average benchmark score of 0. This makes the FX-4300 a specification-rich entry with no measured performance data.

Benchmark Performance

The benchmarks field contains no entries, so there are no raw scores to analyze. Because no scores are present, no percentage deltas against other processors can be calculated from this record. The nearestRivals field is also empty, meaning the database does not provide a named competitor anchor for this processor. The only comparative number supplied is the percentileVsAllCpus value of 50, which places the FX-4300 at the midpoint of the all-CPU distribution. A 50th percentile rank is a central position: it indicates that, in aggregate standing, this part is neither near the top nor near the bottom of the database’s CPU rankings.

The average benchmark score is 0, but that value is not useful as a performance measurement. The benchmark array is empty, so the 0 more plausibly represents missing data than a measured throughput of zero. The distinction matters: a literal score of 0 would mean the processor completed no work, while an empty benchmark table simply means no score was recorded. With no benchmark entries and no nearest rivals, exact performance percentages cannot be derived. The data supports a positional statement, median in the distribution, but it does not support quantitative performance claims against specific products.

Power and Thermals

The TDP field is 95, which defines the thermal design point for this processor. A 95 TDP-class part sits in the mainstream desktop cooling envelope. It is not a low-power chip, but it also does not belong to the extreme thermal class that requires specialized liquid or exotic cooling. The process node is 32 nm, with GlobalFoundries listed as the foundry. The die contains 1,200 million transistors on a 315 mm² die, so the thermal load is spread over a relatively large silicon area. The only frequency-related thermal reference in the record is the 4.00 GHz boost clock, which is the upper clock boundary.

The data does not include measured power draw, thermals, or cooler specifications. The available physical parameters are the 95 TDP, the 32 nm process, the 1,200-million-transistor count, and the 315 mm² die size. These figures together imply that a conventional air cooler designed for the 95 TDP class should be sufficient. Nothing in the record suggests that the FX-4300 needs liquid cooling or an oversized thermal solution. The thermal story is therefore one of a mainstream 95 TDP part built on a 32 nm process with a large die area.

Platform and Compatibility

The processor socket is AMD Socket AM3+. Memory support is DDR3 over a dual-channel interface, with the memory bandwidth listed at 29.9 GB/s. ECC memory support is not present, so the memory path is not geared toward error-correcting server-style configurations. The PCIe interface is Gen 2, and no other PCIe generation is listed. The integrated-graphics field reads “On certain motherboards (Chipset feature)”, which indicates that any integrated graphics capability depends on the motherboard chipset rather than on a graphics block inside the FX-4300 itself.

The multiplier is unlocked, so clock multiplier adjustment is available as a tuning option. The market segment is Desktop, and the production status is end-of-life. The release date is 2012-10-22. The full part number listed in the record is FD4300WMW4MHKFD4300WMHKBOX. For upgrade planning, the data is limited: the record lists this processor but does not enumerate other socket-compatible CPUs. Because the part is end-of-life and no other AM3+ processors are named in the entry, an upgrade path within the same socket is not established by this data. The platform picture is therefore AM3+, DDR3 memory, Gen 2 PCIe, chipset-dependent integrated graphics, an unlocked multiplier, and a desktop-class end-of-life status.

How It Compares

The nearestRivals array in this record is empty. There are no named rivals, no rival benchmark scores, and no deltaPct-type percentage differences to report. Without those entries, the FX-4300 cannot be positioned against specific competing processors using the database’s own comparison framework. The only comparative hint is the 50th percentile against all CPUs. That rank places the processor at the exact middle of the aggregate distribution, but it is a coarse position because it blends many CPUs rather than isolating a direct competitor.

In the absence of nearest-rival entries, every statement about competitive standing must be bounded by the empty comparison list. The 50th percentile is the sole comparative signal, and it is a rank, not a measured performance score. It says that this part sits in the middle of the database’s CPU population. It does not say how far ahead or behind the FX-4300 is relative to any specific product. Because the nearest-rival field contains no records, no per-rival comparison paragraphs can be authored from the data.

Single-Thread vs Multi-Thread Behavior

The FX-4300 has 4 cores and 4 threads, so the thread count equals the core count. There is no extra logical thread beyond the number of physical cores. This means the maximum number of concurrently executing software threads is four, and multi-threaded throughput is tied directly to the four Piledriver cores. The base clock is 3.80 GHz, and the boost clock is 4.00 GHz. A lightly threaded workload has access to the 4.00 GHz boost ceiling, while a workload that engages all four cores must share the processor’s resources.

The cache hierarchy consists of a 192 KB L1 cache, a 4 MB L2 cache, and a 4 MB L3 cache that is explicitly labeled as shared in the record. The L1 and L2 fields do not carry the shared qualifier, while the L3 field does. The memory bandwidth is 29.9 GB/s over dual-channel DDR3, and that figure is presented as a single aggregate value for the processor. For multi-threaded workloads, this memory path is a shared resource across all four cores.

No measured single-thread or multi-thread benchmark scores are supplied, so the real-workload split cannot be quantified. Structurally, the processor is a four-thread part with a 3.80 GHz base clock, a 4.00 GHz boost clock, a shared L3 cache, and dual-channel DDR3. Workloads that need only a few active threads will tend to rely on the boost clock, while workloads that scale across many threads are limited by the four physical cores and the shared memory and cache resources. This is the only behavioral split the data can support without benchmark entries.