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AMD agreed to fund a $12.1 million settlement in a lawsuit alleging that it misleadingly marketed certain Bulldozer-based FX processors as having “eight cores.” A federal court approved the settlement on February 21, 2020. That approval resolved the case; it was not a trial finding that AMD’s marketing was false.
What the AMD Bulldozer lawsuit alleged
The case, Dickey v. Advanced Micro Devices, Inc., was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on October 26, 2015. Plaintiffs alleged that AMD marketed certain FX processors as having eight cores even though, they argued, the chips could not perform eight calculations simultaneously without restriction. AMD described these points as plaintiffs’ allegations in a 2019 SEC filing: AMD’s 2019 filing.
The dispute centered on how to characterize Bulldozer’s module-based design and count its cores. In its final approval order, the court summarized plaintiffs’ allegation that the processors’ cores were sub-processors that could not operate and multitask simultaneously like “actual cores.” This was the plaintiffs’ position, not an uncontested technical fact or a court finding on the merits. The complaint also raised consumer-protection, false-advertising, fraud, express-warranty, and negligent-misrepresentation claims. See the court’s final approval order.
Which AMD processors and buyers were covered?
The settlement class covered purchasers of these seven AMD FX models:
#1 Best Overall
- The world’s fastest gaming processor, built on AMD ‘Zen5’ technology and Next Gen 3D V-Cache.
- 8 cores and 16 threads, delivering +~16% IPC uplift and great power efficiency
- 96MB L3 cache with better thermal performance vs. previous gen and allowing higher clock speeds, up to 5.2GHz
- Drop-in ready for proven Socket AM5 infrastructure
- Cooler not included
- FX-8120
- FX-8150
- FX-8320
- FX-8350
- FX-8370
- FX-9370
- FX-9590
Under the court’s class definition, a purchaser had to have bought one or more of those processors while residing in California or after visiting AMD.com. AMD’s SEC disclosure expressly excluded Ryzen and EPYC processors from the class. The definition and exclusions appear in the court’s settlement approval order and AMD’s disclosure.
How much was the settlement, and what did consumers receive?
The court-approved settlement established a $12,100,000 non-reversionary fund. The court estimated an average payment of approximately $30.40 per purchased processor, but that was an estimate—not a guaranteed amount for every chip or claimant. The order also described a possible second pro rata distribution of residual funds and a cy pres distribution to the Rose Foundation for qualifying remaining amounts.
Rank #2
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D Gaming and Content Creation Processor
- Max. Boost Clock : Up to 5.7 GHz; Base Clock: 4.3 GHz
- Form Factor: Desktops , Boxed Processor
- Architecture: Zen 5; Former Codename: Granite Ridge AM5
| Figure | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|
| $12,100,000 | Non-reversionary settlement fund approved in 2020 | Court approval order |
| Approximately $30.40 per processor | Court-reported estimated average individual payment; not a guaranteed award | Court approval order |
| 123,437 valid and approved claims covering 274,376 chips | Claim and chip counts cited by the court when discussing the complexity of maintaining the certified class | Court order |
| More than 20% of estimated maximum potential exposure | The court’s comparison when evaluating the settlement amount | Court order |
The available court record cited here does not establish a final audited total ultimately distributed, so the fund amount and estimated average should not be treated as proof of what each claimant ultimately received.
Key dates in the case
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| October 26, 2015 | Complaint filed in the Northern District of California. |
| January 17, 2019 | Court granted class certification. The Ninth Circuit later denied AMD’s petition seeking appellate review of aspects of that order on June 3, 2019. |
| May 9, 2019 | AMD’s filing says the parties reached a tentative settlement at mediation. |
| August 9, 2019 | Parties entered the settlement agreement, according to the final approval order. |
| October 4, 2019 | Court granted preliminary approval, according to AMD’s filing. |
| February 20–21, 2020 | Court held its fairness hearing on February 20 and granted final approval on February 21. |
The final approval order said the settlement amount was reasonable in light of the case’s complexity and the risks plaintiffs faced in litigation. That explains the court’s approval of the compromise; it does not establish liability or an admission by AMD.
Rank #3
- Can deliver fast 100 plus FPS performance in the world's most popular games, discrete graphics card required
- 6 Cores and 12 processing threads, bundled with the AMD Wraith Stealth cooler
- 4.2 GHz Max Boost, unlocked for overclocking, 19 MB cache, DDR4-3200 support
- For the advanced Socket AM4 platform
Can someone file a claim now?
This was a historical settlement approved in 2020. The information available here does not establish a current claim deadline or an open claims process. Do not assume that a new claim can be filed; check official settlement-administrator information if you need to confirm any remaining process.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Pure gaming performance with smooth 100+ FPS in the world's most popular games
- 6 Cores and 12 processing threads, based on AMD "Zen 5" architecture
- 5.4 GHz Max Boost, unlocked for overclocking, 38 MB cache, DDR5-5600 support
- For the state-of-the-art Socket AM5 platform, can support PCIe 5.0 on select motherboards
- Cooler not included
Rank #4
- Processor provides dependable and fast execution of tasks with maximum efficiency.Graphics Frequency : 2200 MHZ.Number of CPU Cores : 8. Maximum Operating Temperature (Tjmax) : 89°C.
- Ryzen 7 product line processor for better usability and increased efficiency
- 5 nm process technology for reliable performance with maximum productivity
- Octa-core (8 Core) processor core allows multitasking with great reliability and fast processing speed
- 8 MB L2 plus 96 MB L3 cache memory provides excellent hit rate in short access time enabling improved system performance
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
