12-Year-Old AMD FX-9590 CPU Runs Battlefield 6 at 30-40 FPS Despite Severe CPU Limitations

In a surprising turn of events, the decade-old AMD FX-9590 CPU has successfully run Battlefield 6 without significant issues, despite not meeting the game’s minimum system requirements.

YouTuber Demonstrates Battlefield 6 Performance on a 12-Year-Old AMD FX-9590 CPU

Launched in 2012, the AMD FX-9590 was an advanced 8-core CPU that initially showcased the Piledriver core architecture. Notably, it was the first processor to achieve a boost frequency of 5 GHz, a remarkable achievement for its time. Fast forward to today, and while CPUs now routinely exceed 5.5-6.0 GHz, the rate of advancements in clock speeds has stalled to just a 1 GHz increase in the past decade. Most manufacturers are now prioritizing architectural enhancements and larger caches to bolster gaming performance.

Pentium 4 (2002) – 3.0 GHz
FX 4170 (2012) – 4.2 GHz
FX 9590 (2012) – 5 GHz
i9-14900K (2023) – 6 GHz
i9-14900KS (2024) – 6.2 GHz

The impressive feat of running Battlefield 6 on the FX-9590 was showcased by YouTuber Fluffy Buffered. This accomplishment highlights that the CPU still possesses enough capability to handle modern gaming, despite being several generations older than the recommended AMD Ryzen 5 2600 or Intel Core i5-8400 CPUs specified by game developers DICE.

A key factor contributing to this performance is the FX-9590’s compatibility with the 990FX platform, which supports Secure Boot technology—a requirement for playing Battlefield 6. In contrast, the older AMD Sandy Bridge platform lacks this capability, rendering it incompatible with the game.

Battlefield gameplay with AMD FX-8350 CPU and Radeon RX 5700 GPU stats displayed on AOC AGON monitor. — Image Source: Fluffy Buffered

For his tests, Fluffy Buffered utilized an ASUS FX990 motherboard, an AMD Radeon RX 5700 GPU with 8 GB of memory, and 16 GB of DDR3-1866 RAM, conducting gameplay assessments at 1080p resolution. The results revealed a frame rate of approximately 30-35 FPS in the larger Conquest mode (64 players) and around 35-40 FPS in Rush mode (24 players).

Performance stats shown on AOC monitor during Battlefield 4 gameplay using AMD FX-9590 processor. — Image Source: Fluffy Buffered

While playable, the experience does come with some quirks, such as intermittent simulation issues. The GPU performance metrics indicate a range of 120-140 FPS; however, the CPU is reaching full utilization, revealing scenarios where performance is limited by the CPU. In fact, the GPU is performing well below capacity, leading to instances where the fans cease spinning during gameplay.

This testing by Fluffy Buffered provides valuable insight, demonstrating that even older processors like the FX-9590 can handle contemporary titles like Battlefield 6 competently. For a seamless gaming experience, though, sticking to the minimum specifications recommended by the developers is advisable. Thorough evaluations with modern hardware have shown impressive results in playing Battlefield 6. For more details on performance tests, check our comprehensive review.