Best FM2+ CPU for Gaming 2022

Most processors that are supported by the FM2+ socket lie in the A6, A8, and A10 Series. And in this guide, we’ll be only focusing on the CPUs that are highly compatible with FM2+ socket motherboards.

Now the FM2+ CPUs that we’ll review here are good for game titles that are a few years old, not the current ones. You cannot expect an old-generation CPU to be as great as the current-generation AMD CPUs.

The architecture of older AMD CPUs is different from the ones that we have in the market today. So, there would be a big difference in gaming performance at the end of the day.

Later on in this guide, we will discuss the factors to look for when buying an FM2+CPU along with some general frequently asked questions.

Quick Comparison

So without wasting any further time, let’s dig in and review all of these chips one by one.

List of the Best FM2+ Socket CPUs for PC Gaming

Here are the top recommendations to consider:

1- Athlon X4 870K Black Edition – Overall Best FM2+ CPU

Socket Type: FM2+ | Cores/Threads: 4/4 | Clock Speed: 3.9 GHz | Boost Clock Speed: 4.1 GHz | TDP: 95W

Reasons to Consider:

The Athlon X4 870K Black Edition is a quad-core CPU with an amazing base clock speed of 3.9 GHz per core. Just under the $50 price tag, you get a CPU that easily handles famous game titles like GTA V, Far Cry 4, and Doom at playable frame rates.

Check on Amazon

The AMD Athlon X4 870 Black Edition was one of the most powerful GPUs of its time. Right out of the box, this CPU comes with a 3.9 GHz base clock speed to perform better in games that depend on the single-core performance of a CPU.

Where the sweet for PC gaming these days is having a six-core CPU, this quad-core chip delivers much better performance than the most six-core processors in the market. And the reason for that is the higher clock speed of 3.9 GHz on each core.

However, for the latest PC games that are designed to utilize more cores for better performance, this CPU would not be a good choice to consider.

Furthermore, the Athlon X4 870 Black Edition can be easily overclocked up to 4.1 GHz without replacing the stock CPU cooler.

Technically, there isn’t enough headroom for overclocking this CPU, but keeping in view the higher base clock speed of 3.9 GHz, we don’t think there would be any need to give it more throttle.

Lastly, this CPU supports DDR3 memory up to 2133 MHz, which limits its capability of pairing it with a high-speed DDR4 ram for better performance.

Also, don’t go with AMD’s claim about this CPU being super silent at full load. It’s a CPU with a TDP of 95W, this means it would produce more heat under full load, so it’s better to use an aftermarket CPU cooler if you don’t want annoying noise coming out of your stock CPU cooler.

But overall, it’s a good CPU for gaming if you are low on budget and have an older FM2+ socket motherboard with you.

Quick Tip

You can play most games with Athlon X4 870 at 1080p 60 fps if you pair it with a GPU like GTX 1060 or RX 580.

2- AMD Quad-Core A8-Series APU A8-6600K – Fastest FM2+ CPU

Socket Type: FM2+ | Cores/Threads: 4/4 | Clock Speed: 3.9 GHz | Boost Clock Speed: 4.2 GHz | TDP: 99W

Reasons to Consider:

The A8-6600K gives the most bang for your buck if you want to build a low budget. This APU comes with an integrated GPU, the HD 8570D to save you a few more bucks on buying a dedicated graphics card. Also, there’s a little more room for overclocking in this CPU as compared to AMD Athlon X4 870K.

Check on Amazon

It’s better to go with APUs like the A8-6600K when you have are using an older AMD motherboard. The A8-6600K is one of the first few APUs that was considered a good match for mid-range gaming PCs of its time. Even to this day, this is one of the highly bought APUs due to its integration with a decent graphics chip like the HD 8570D.

A few years back, we had this APU on an MSI A88Xm motherboard and we managed to overclock it up to 4.5 GHz using a custom CPU cooler. Although, this APU itself comes with a base clock speed of 3.9 GHz, which already is more than enough to maintain decent fps in most mid-range game titles.

Just like the AMD Athlon X4 870K Black Edition, the A8-6600K is equipped with 4 cores and 4 threads. So there isn’t much of a performance boost that you could expect in gaming unless you pair it with a decent graphics card. Yes, the integrated HD 8570D won’t give you enough boost in some games unless you go for a dedicated GPU.

We managed to play Far Cry 3 on A8-6600K APU on Ultra-Settings and there wasn’t an issue at all throughout the gameplay. Also, we tested GTA V on this APU at low-medium settings with an average frame rate of 45 to 55 fps.

But to be honest, it looks as if the HD 8570D is limiting the performance of this APU in most games at higher settings. And if you want to play most games in their full glory, then we highly recommend pairing this CPU with a decent dedicated GPU.

This CPU is the right fit for PCs where there is limited space for upgrading or installing an external graphics card, such as an HTPC or ultra-small form factor PC.

All in all, the A8-6600K CPU shows up as a valuable investment for FM2+ motherboards. You can easily overclock this CPU and you can play entry-level games on it without investing in an aftermarket graphics card.

3- AMD A10-Series APU A10-7850K – Best Bang for Buck FM2+ Gaming CPU

Socket Type: FM2+ | Cores/Threads: 4/4 | Clock Speed: 3.7 GHz | Boost Clock Speed: 4.0 GHz | TDP: 95W

Reasons to Consider:

The AMD A10-7850K has a lot to offer on a single platform. It’s an APU with a higher clock speed on all of the four cores and an integrated Radeon R7 graphics card. Also, the integrated graphics card is DirectX 12 compatible and has a core clock frequency of 866 MHz. Moreover, this APU supports the AMD Free Sync technology to overcome any screen tearing and lag issues during gameplay.

Check on Amazon

The A10-7850K is a quad-core CPU with a base clock speed of 3.7 GHz on each of its cores. Comparing this CPU with the previous CPUs on our list, it is obvious that there’s a bit less base clock than you would expect right out of the box. But this also means that there would be less heat produced by A10-7850K in comparison to the A8-6600K and Athlon X4 870K.

But at the same time. it shows the same support for DDR3 ram, and that also with a maximum ram frequency up to 2133 MHz. And this is due to the fact that older FM2+ socket motherboards were compatible with DDR3 ram type.

However, keeping into account the other aspects of this CPU, the higher clock speed and quad-core count, we can say that it’s a right fit for gaming and multi-tasking at the same time.

If you are playing games that are not designed to consume higher core counts of a CPU, then A10-7850K will surely deliver impressive performance in such games. However, for more advanced games like Tomb Raider, Red Dead Redemption 2, Metro: Exodus, etc, you have to consider more advanced chipsets like the AM3 or AM4.

We managed to play a few games on this APU without using any dedicated graphics card in our system. The first game that we tested was Civilization V, throughout the gameplay there wasn’t a single lag. We also managed to play League of Legends without any stuttering issue and at a stable frame rate of 90 fps.

The most noticeable feature to discuss A10-7850K is the integrated Radeon R7 graphics card. Not only there’s support for DirectX 12 on this GPU, but also it comes with AMD Free Sync to overcome lag or screen tearing issues when playing games on higher-refresh rate monitors.

Overall, the A10-7850K is the most compatible processor to install on FM2+ socket motherboards. You can overclock it to get the most out of it in gaming and other CPU-demanding application.

It’s not only good for gaming but it also works great with Photoshop, video editing, or any other related task. The integrated GPU on this APU is not better than a dedicated graphics card, however, it’s way better than the integrated intel graphics card.

4- AMD A6-7400K Dual-Core – Affordable FM2+ Processor for Gamers

Socket Type: FM2+ | Cores/Threads: 2/2 | Clock Speed: 3.5 GHz | Boost Clock Speed: 3.9 GHz | TDP: 65W

Reasons to Consider:

Well, there isn’t one but several reasons to recommend this CPU. Above all, is the low TDP of 65W, and this makes it a great deal for low-budget PC builders. Although this is a dual-core CPU, it comes with a higher clock speed of 3.5 GHz for decent performance in entry-level games.

Check on Amazon

Well, the AMD A6-7400K Dual-Core is definitely not recommended for hardcore gamers as this CPU only has 2 cores and 2 threads. However, it still shows up as a good deal for office workers who want to play entry-level online games in their free time.

Now, A6-7400K certainly isn’t a high-end gaming CPU, but it still stands as the most wallet-friendly FM2+ CPU to pair with a reliable motherboard like MSI A88xm to play some ten-year-old game titles.

This dual-core FM2+ CPU is a fair bargain if you want to play Just Cause 2, Arma 2, Skyrim, or Minecraft at low-medium settings. the A6-7400K delivers significant performance in games that do not need more than 2 cores to run.

Unfortunately, some latest AAA game titles wouldn’t be a good deal for this low-budget dual-core CPU to handle. Also, this CPU might not be the right choice if you rely on heavy multitasking. If you need an FM2+ CPU with better performance in multitasking, then we recommend you to consider either AMD Athlon X4 870K or A8-6600K.

The A6-7400K is equipped with an integrated R5 Radeon graphics chip to take care of lighter tasks. Again, if you are buying this CPU for heavy gaming, then don’t depend on the integrated graphics card that comes with it. The Radeon R5 can handle older game titles at the lowest settings, however, if for advanced game titles, it’s a no match at all.

All in all, this CPU gives you the exact price to performance ratio. With a TDP of just 65W, it’s the most silent FM2+ processor that you can get. It’s good for light gaming only even if you pair it with a dedicated graphics card.

5- AMD A6-6400K Richland – The Cheapest on the List

Socket Type: FM2+ | Cores/Threads: 2/2 | Clock Speed: 3.9 GHz | Boost Clock Speed: 4.1 GHz | TDP: 65W

Reasons to Consider:

A dual-core CPU with a clock speed of 3.9 GHz on both cores and a low TDP rating. It would be ideal for someone looking to build a cheaper gaming PC. Also, it’s meant for someone looking to browse the internet and deal with MS Office-related applications at a single time.

Check on Amazon

Another dual-core CPU comes with a 3.9 GHz clock speed and a very tight headroom to overclock it up to 4.1 GHz. Compared to the A6-7400K, the A6-6400K packs more clock speed, however, the rest of the specs aren’t much different.

Frankly speaking, this isn’t a CPU that is meant for heavy gaming or editing workloads due to its limited number of cores. However, with A6-6400K you can play entry-level games if you pair it with a GPU like the GT 1030.

Also, it comes with a little room for overclocking up to 4.1 GHz, but seriously this won’t give you many edges in improving the performance of games that need at least a quad-core CPU.

Yes, if it’s just about playing games like Max Payne 2, Age of Mythology, Far Cry 2, then it’s the most inexpensive FM2+ processor to have on your PC.

Finally, the 65W TDP rating makes this processor super silent when exposed to a full workload. The choice is yours, if you are not into heavy PC gaming, and all you need is a processor that can tackle browsing and 10 years old game titles, then this might be your final bet.

Things to Consider When Buying FM2+ Socket Processors

Here are the most important factors to consider:

Socket Support

FM2+ socket is an upgrade over the standard FM socket. Also, the pin configuration on the FM2+ socket is different from the previous sockets. There are two additional pin sockets in FM2+ as compared to the older FM2 socket. However, some older CPUs in the FM socket like the ones on Richland & Trinity are compatible with the FM2+ socket motherboard.

Core Count

Most games in the market demand at least four cores for better performance. Therefore, if you play heavy games and do a lot of multi-tasking, then it’s better to choose a quad-core FM2+ CPU. Whereas for lightweight gaming performance and 3D tasks, a dual-core CPU can do the job as well.

Integrated Graphics Card

Most CPUs that support FM2+ sockets come with integrated graphics cards from AMD. A CPU and GPU combine together to form APU. An APU eliminates your need of installing a third-party graphics card. If you want to tackle lighter 3D tasks, then an APU would do the most work for you.

However, if you want to play heavy 3D games, then integrated GPU alone won’t be a good deal.

TDP

TDP refers to the total power that a CPU draws under the full workload. If you do not want to overclock your CPU, then it’s better to opt for a low TDP FM2+ CPU like the A6-6400K which is a dual-core CPU with a TDP of 65W.

However, if you need more performance out of your CPU, then it’s better to go with a high TDP CPU that can be easily overclocked using an aftermarket CPU cooler.

FAQs

Is FM2+ still good?

Well, if we compare the FM2+ socket with the most advanced AM4 socket, then obviously the older FM2+ socket is a no match to the most advanced AMD chipset. In the current year, the FM2+ socket CPUs aren’t a good match for modern applications.

Are FM2 and FM2+ the same?

No, both are different sockets.

Is FM2 compatible with AM3+?

No FM2 socket processors are not compatible with AM3+ socket motherboards. The FM2 socket comes with 904 pins whereas the AM3+ socket comes with 938 pins.

Can an FM2+ CPU play GTA V?

Yes, quad-core FM2+ CPUs can easily handle GTA V and deliver up to 30fps at 720p settings. However, make sure you connect a reliable graphics card and do not depend on the inbuilt graphics card that comes with the CPU.

Can FM2+ CPU fit on a standard FM2 socket?

No, the FM2+ CPU comes with two additional pins and is incompatible with older FM2 socket motherboards.

It might be interesting

Sarin Resigns from Vodafone

BERLIN: Arun Sarin, the U.S head of the company of Vodafone, said on Tuesday that he would resign after some times tumultuous 5 year term in which emerging souk restored wealth Western financial systems as the driver of escalation for the company and the mobile phone industry.

Normal operating temperature of processors from different manufacturers

Normal working temperature for any processor (regardless of manufacturer) is up to 45 ºC at idle and up to 70 ºC under active load. However, these values are highly averaged because the production year and technologies used are not taken into account.

Acer unveils Aspire 8930G laptop

There are many other big notebook makers, but none is as productive as Acer. Now there is another launch as the company is bringing its Aspired 8930G laptop in the notebook battlefield.

Types of Cloud Computing

Cloud computing is not hard to understand. As this kind of computing is starting to become more popular these days so is the ever growing need for new technology. Cloud computing allows you to simply increase the capabilities and capacity within a business without having to invest more money in things like software or infrastructure