AMD Phenom Crash Cheapest Solution - SSE4.1 & SSSE3 Error Fix [ Edited ]

[Phantasm_7]

TLDR: If you have an AM3+ motherboard, your best option is an FX-8350 processor. I can play Apex Legends with no problems on mine. Currently $59 new and shipped on eBay.
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?ff3=4&toolid=11800&pub=5575456869&campid=53384352...

Like many gamers, I was very dismayed to discover I could not play Apex Legends on my Phenom II processor, despite being able to play almost any other modern AAA title.

For those of you not familiar with the Phenom crash issue, we were initially able to launch the game, but it would close to desktop whenever we tried to enter a match.

Now when trying to start the game we just get an error message that says "CPU does not have SSSE3" even though the issues seems more likely to be SSE41.

I won't lie folks, in the end I caved and finally upgraded from my 2011 processor. A friend happened to be selling locally the exact CPU I was looking to buy so I went for it.

I'm still hoping they'll fix this for everyone else, but for anyone who has an AM3+ motherboard, you can in fact upgrade to a supported FX processor and play the game.

For the money, an FX-8350 is the best option as the less powerful processors aren't much cheaper and the 8-Core 4.0GHz 8350 is basically top of the line for the AM3+ socket.

You can pick one up on eBay for right around $60 typically. This is not my sale, but this is the cheapest buy it now link I can find.

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?ff3=4&toolid=11800&pub=5575456869&campid=53384352...

I will say even though I had the top of the line Phenom II, the X6 1100T, I have seen a decent performance bump with the new CPU, especially overclocked.

In some basic testing I saw a 40% or more bump in minimum frame rate in BFV, and I can play Apex Legends at very high FPS with my GTX 970 GPU.

Still not a fantastic upgrade in terms of bang for buck, but it sure beats several hundred dollars for a Ryzen upgrade I can't afford right now.

If $60 is still too pricey for you, which I understand, this FX-4100 is your absolute cheapest option at only $24 and there are plenty available.

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?ff3=4&toolid=11800&pub=5575456869&campid=53384352...

A slight step up from that is the FX-4130 which is only $33, but it's up to you to pick obviously.

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?ff3=4&toolid=11800&pub=5575456869&campid=53384352...

All models between the 4100 series and the 8300 series seem to be $50+ so really just go for the FX-8350 if your mobo supports it. Do double check which processors your mobo supports.

Compare benchmarks with what you have, make sure you have a compatible AM3+ motherboard, and decide if it is worth it to you. This may become a problem with more games.

The Phenom II processors were phenomenal performers, crap no pun intended. The FX series honestly was not a massive upgrade, but at least it is still a reasonable bump.

Just so you know, this is the list of processors which support SSE4.1 which seems to be the main culprit along with SSSE3 of course.

https://support.ubi.com/en-US/faqs/000034615

Apex Legends is tons of fun, and while I'm disappointed there has been so little response on this topic, I'm sure it will come eventually. I just didn't want to wait longer.

Sadly our old power houses are becoming a bottleneck, but I know what it's like to be low on funding. My 1100T had a good 8 year run.

Just wanted to share my solution, even if it is a bit of a defeat. Hope it helps some of you. Solidarity fellow gamers, and GLHF!

Edit 3/19: Updated prices for new battlepass day. This game is very worth playing!

[Phantasm_7]

*WARNING* Just wanted to add to this that many users have reported issues when attempting to play on FX-6300 series processors.

As noted in the post above, I really don't think they are worth the money given they go for almost as much as 8-Core units currently.

Just wanted to let you know if you do intend to upgrade to the FX series to play Apex Legends, steer clear of the 6300 for now.

Thanks everyone!

[BlackSpider10]

I certainly will not change the processor due to the incompetence of EA programmers.

[rewardingwalnut]

Well just ordered the FX-8350 gonna see how that goes. Plus I need a new cpu anyway so why not right?

[rewardingwalnut]

Thanks for the thread man

[Phantasm_7]

@BlackSpider10 I completely understand your stance, though I want to point out a few things.
I had a Phenom II 1100T running at 4.0GHz overclocked and it was very capable. I really wanted Respawn to fix this issue, and I still hope they do for users like you. It is Respawn doing the programming, not EA, and they certainly aren't incompetent.
I have a degree in game programming, and even I am not certain to what extent they use the SSSE3 and SSE4.1 sets. It seems SSE4.1 is typically quite a small fix and not all the necessary for games. SSSE3 however, which as your image shows is not supported by Phenom II, is a different story.
Even with a basic grasp of game programming and glancing over the requirements, it's easy to see why programmers would want these features available. Yes, I'm sure there is a way to program around it, but it may actually be a significant amount of work. Not saying they shouldn't do it, it just may take time.
We don't know the details behind the scenes and my biggest disappointment has been how little Respawn has addressed the issue in general. They may have truly believed that very few people were still gaming on these processors, but obviously it was an oversight. No matter what though, upgrading on the cheap is still a performance bump.
As I said, with my FX-8350 I have seen a significant increase in frame rates. I have it overclocked to 4.4GHz with ease on the exact same setup as my 1100T, and I believe I could push it further. Plus I have 8 cores now and I'm sure I'll see a bump in video editing and rendering speeds as well.
At any rate, I'm not fully trying to defend Respawn, though I think insulting their programmers given how solid this game actually is, isn't called for. Just wanted to discuss the pros of doing the upgrade, agree with staying on EA and Respawn to fix the issue, but also as someone with dev connections encourage patience. Thanks for your reply though and I do hope they fix this soon.

[limitlessworlds]

Thank you for providing this very useful article! I am recommending this now to a friend of mine who is experiencing this same issue with a AMD Phenom II X4 960T Processor

[Phantasm_7]

@rewardingwalnut @limitlessworlds Glad this was helpful to both of you. I'd love to upgrade to Ryzen as I'm sure you would. For now this is the economical solution for a more capable CPU.

[Phantasm_7]

If anyone is wondering, the FX-8350 is capable of running Apex Legends on maxed out settings at around 60 FPS it seems. Other than "Texture Streaming Budget" which is more or less the texture quality setting. That is almost entirely dependent on your GPU to my knowledge and I only run it on the 4GB setting because that is what my GTX 970 can handle.
I tend to turn down or off a lot of settings for visibility and performance reasons and see well over 60 FPS constant and more like 80-110 in many situations. I'd have to do full tests to 100% confirm all this, but that's just from watching my FPS. Since most of use Phenom II users were obviously budget gamers, I doubt most of us are rocking 144Hz monitors anyways!
Obviously your FPS is highly dependent on your GPU, but the CPU can certainly be a bottleneck. I do suspect even a Phenom II 1100T would struggle to allow the game to achieve a constant 60 FPS even with a powerful GPU. It always struggled for me in BFV and I have seen a solid improvement there. Processor links in the first post are all still good. GLHF!

[Sorenalike]

yeah not really a solution .. you pay the money and next year another game comes out and doesn't support this one ... and from what heard those series also crash most of the time