14 DAY TRIAL // We've finished with the technical details about the Vishera, so now we can finally find out if the new 4- to 8-core processors are worth buying.
The answer to that dilemma is trickier than one may think. Yes, Vishera works 15% better than the disappointing Bulldozer released in 2011, yes, it has the same power consumption and yes, it does work better in heavily-threaded applications (programs that use multiple cores at once) than Intel CPUs.
Unfortunately, performance in normal programs and games is inferior to Core i7 chips, and even some Core i5 units outshine Vishera in such cases.
There is also the problem of power consumption: Socket AM3+ systems use 1.5-2 times more energy than Ivy Bridge computers, when on full load.
All in all, the consensus seems to be that people who need an inexpensive workstation will definitely benefit from Vishera (the chips are very cheap after all), but gamers and regular customers don't have much reason to find the new Bulldozer very attractive.
In other words, the FX chips won't upset the market, but should be able to hold the line until Steamroller appears in 2013.