The JACKAL Posted January 8, 2009 Report Share Posted January 8, 2009 AMD Phemom II processor hands on Intel has had AMD on the ropes for what seems like eons now. AMD had to overcome a few hiccups in the initial Phenom launch and revisit its pricing to stay competitive with Intel in the Core 2 era, but AMD's back in the game with the new Phenom II processor. It's not exactly a knockout blow, but the Phenom II X4 has the right price and enough performance to do some damage. This year AMD will ship two new quad-core Phenom II X4 processors, the 940 Black Edition and the 920, clocked at 3.0GHz and 2.8GHz, respectively. Black Edition processors come with an unlocked multiplier setting to make overclocking easier for PC enthusiasts. The processors differ only in clock speed, and have identical specifications otherwise. The Phenom II X4 processors will come with 64K of L1 instruction and 64K of L1 data cache per core (512KB total L1 per processor), and 512KB of L2 data cache per core (2MB total L2 per processor). The processors will also have a shared 6MB L3 cache and will feature an onboard DDR2 memory controller with 17.1 GB/s of memory bandwidth. Built on a 45nm manufacturing process, the processors will have a relatively cool maximum thermal-dissipation value of 125 watts. Cool 'n' Quiet 3.0, AMD's power-management solution, keeps the Phenom II X4 chilly during periods of inactivity. AMD states that the CPU will now use 50 percent less energy while idle in comparison to Cool 'n' Quiet 2.0. In a move sure to make existing Phenom owners happy, Phenom II X4 processors will be backward compatible with existing AM2+ motherboards. Motherboard manufacturers will release BIOS updates to ensure compatibility. As a follow-up in early 2009, AMD will release AM3 socket-based Phenom II X4 and X3 processors. Both will also be backward compatible with current AM2+ motherboards and will support both DDR2 and DDR3 memory. AMD also bundles the Fusion and Overdrive utilities with the processors. Fusion helps to improve gaming performance by disabling scores of Windows services and slightly overclocking the entire system. AMD's Overdrive utility helps to automatically overclock the system and lets users apply those settings on an application-specific level. When we tried it out on our Black Edition it bumped it up to a final speed of 3333MHz. The new Phenom II X4 processors will be available immediately in quantity. Expect to find the Phenom II X4 940 Black Edition retailing for $275, and the Phenom II X4 920 at $235. From the pricing angle, the best direct competitor to the Phenom II X4 940 Black Edition is Intel's 2.66GHz Core 2 Quad Q9400, a quad-core processor with 6MB of L2 cache. Intel's Core i7 920 sits at a similar price point, but the total cost of ownership is much higher for the i7 after you factor in the cost of the motherboard and memory. The i7 processor requires DDR3 memory and a motherboard with an LGA 1366 socket. DDR3 memory costs roughly twice as much as DDR2. AM2+-based motherboards start in the $50 range and cap off at $200, whereas LGA socket 1366 boards start at $200 and can run as high as $400. We didn't have Intel's 2.66GHz Core 2 Quad Q9400 processor on hand for our comparison. Instead, we clocked our Core 2 Extreme QX6800 with 8MB of L2 cache down to 2.66GHz and put it up against the Phenom II X4 940 to see how the chips stack up. By: Sarju Shah, GameSpot - Posted on Jan 7, 2009 Intel has had AMD on the ropes for what seems like eons now. AMD had to overcome a few hiccups in the initial Phenom launch and revisit its pricing to stay competitive with Intel in the Core 2 era, but AMD's back in the game with the new Phenom II processor. It's not exactly a knockout blow, but the Phenom II X4 has the right price and enough performance to do some damage. This year AMD will ship two new quad-core Phenom II X4 processors, the 940 Black Edition and the 920, clocked at 3.0GHz and 2.8GHz, respectively. Black Edition processors come with an unlocked multiplier setting to make overclocking easier for PC enthusiasts. The processors differ only in clock speed, and have identical specifications otherwise. The Phenom II X4 processors will come with 64K of L1 instruction and 64K of L1 data cache per core (512KB total L1 per processor), and 512KB of L2 data cache per core (2MB total L2 per processor). The processors will also have a shared 6MB L3 cache and will feature an onboard DDR2 memory controller with 17.1 GB/s of memory bandwidth. Built on a 45nm manufacturing process, the processors will have a relatively cool maximum thermal-dissipation value of 125 watts. Cool 'n' Quiet 3.0, AMD's power-management solution, keeps the Phenom II X4 chilly during periods of inactivity. AMD states that the CPU will now use 50 percent less energy while idle in comparison to Cool 'n' Quiet 2.0. In a move sure to make existing Phenom owners happy, Phenom II X4 processors will be backward compatible with existing AM2+ motherboards. Motherboard manufacturers will release BIOS updates to ensure compatibility. As a follow-up in early 2009, AMD will release AM3 socket-based Phenom II X4 and X3 processors. Both will also be backward compatible with current AM2+ motherboards and will support both DDR2 and DDR3 memory. AMD also bundles the Fusion and Overdrive utilities with the processors. Fusion helps to improve gaming performance by disabling scores of Windows services and slightly overclocking the entire system. AMD's Overdrive utility helps to automatically overclock the system and lets users apply those settings on an application-specific level. When we tried it out on our Black Edition it bumped it up to a final speed of 3333MHz. The new Phenom II X4 processors will be available immediately in quantity. Expect to find the Phenom II X4 940 Black Edition retailing for $275, and the Phenom II X4 920 at $235. From the pricing angle, the best direct competitor to the Phenom II X4 940 Black Edition is Intel's 2.66GHz Core 2 Quad Q9400, a quad-core processor with 6MB of L2 cache. Intel's Core i7 920 sits at a similar price point, but the total cost of ownership is much higher for the i7 after you factor in the cost of the motherboard and memory. The i7 processor requires DDR3 memory and a motherboard with an LGA 1366 socket. DDR3 memory costs roughly twice as much as DDR2. AM2+-based motherboards start in the $50 range and cap off at $200, whereas LGA socket 1366 boards start at $200 and can run as high as $400. We didn't have Intel's 2.66GHz Core 2 Quad Q9400 processor on hand for our comparison. Instead, we clocked our Core 2 Extreme QX6800 with 8MB of L2 cache down to 2.66GHz and put it up against the Phenom II X4 940 to see how the chips stack up. AMD Phenom II X4 940 Performance (Longer bars indicate better performance except in WME9 where shorter bars indicate faster encoding time) 3DMark Vantage, Performance Test, CPU Score AMD Phenom II X4 940 10275 Intel Core 2 QX6800 @ 2.66GHz 9366 AMD Phenom 9600 7449 Valve Particle Test, 1024x768 AMD Phenom II X4 940 85 Intel Core 2 QX6800 @ 2.66GHz 84 AMD Phenom 9600 64 Crysis, Medium Quality, 1024x748 AMD Phenom II X4 940 49 Intel Core 2 QX6800 @ 2.66GHz 47 AMD Phenom 9600 33 Crysis, High Quality, 1600x1200 AMD Phenom II X4 940 32 Intel Core 2 QX6800 @ 2.66GHz 32 AMD Phenom 9600 22 Crysis, 1024x768, Medium Quality (With Simultaneous WME9 Video Encode) AMD Phenom II X4 940 49 Intel Core 2 QX6800 @ 2.66GHz 44 AMD Phenom 9600 31 WME9 Video Encode (With Simultaneous Crysis, 1024x768, Medium Quality) AMD Phenom II X4 940 13.46 Intel Core 2 QX6800 @ 2.66GHz 11:53 AMD Phenom 9600 20.10 AMD's newest processor competes favorably against processors in its class. If we could fill in the spot where Intel's Q9400 sits, we're sure that the Phenom II X4 940 would outperform it. In 3DMark Vantage, the Phenom II X4 940 handily beat our down-clocked QX6800 with 8MB of cache by nearly 1,000 points. The Phenom II X4 940 tied the QX6800 in Crysis and Valve's particle test. On our simultaneous encode and Crysis test, the Phenom II X4 940 outperformed the Intel chip in Crysis by a handful of frames, but it stumbled in the encode time. Overall, the Phenom II X4 looks to be a great purchase if you're upgrading. It keeps up gaming-wise with Intel's Core lineup and holds its own in intense processing situations. Backward compatibility with AM2+ motherboards gives existing users an easy and affordable upgrade path. The promise of future backward compatibility only sweetens the deal. System Setup: AMD Phenom II X4 940 Black Edition, AMD Phenom X4 9600, Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6800 @ 2.66GHz. MSI DKA790GX, eVGA 780i, 750GB, Corsair 2GB DDR2 RAM, Seagate 7200.10 SATA Hard Disk Drive. Windows Vista 32-bit SP1. Radeon HD 4800. Video card driver: beta Catalyst 8.561.3.081217a.73702. SOURCE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The JACKAL Posted January 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2009 Intel pwned yet again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtheK Posted January 8, 2009 Report Share Posted January 8, 2009 Intel pwned yet again it was high time coming from AMD last 3 years they have just been in dumps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john117 Posted January 8, 2009 Report Share Posted January 8, 2009 url="http://www.gamespot.com/features/6202805/index.html?tag=topslot;thumb;4"SOURCE for referring to gamespot for a hardware handson.. those chumps dint even had a Q9400 or Q9300 to compare with phenom 2 .. Intel pwned yet again @saha: did u even read the article you posted Here something worth reading ... AMD Phenom II X4 940 & 920: A True Return to Competition The AMD we used to know and love is back. As I write this sentence, most of AMD is still on vacation. By the time you read this, that will have changed, but it's such a stark contrast to what happened when the original Phenom processor launched. In the months leading up to Phenom, AMD treated it like it would be its hero. "Just wait", we were told. So we did. And Phenom was the biggest disappointment AMD had ever left us with. AMD re-launched Phenom the following year, in 2008, with slightly better reception. The CPU evolved from something unsellable to an honest alternative to Intel's CPUs, just not one we'd recommend. Phenom ran too hot, didn't offer better performance, and offered some strange behavior with Cool'n'Quiet enabled. While AMD was very excited about the first Phenom, we heard relatively little about Phenom II. The first time we heard the name was at AMD's Financial Analyst Day a couple of months ago, and then a month later we had a chip. AMD invited us to overclock the CPU, but I was busy working on another AMD story at the time and couldn't make it. I was done with flying around for AMD CPU launches; if Phenom II was going to be good, the chip would have to prove itself without an exotic locale or delicious Texas BBQ to sweeten the deal. And good it is. AMD is launching two new 45nm Phenom II CPUs today. There's the Phenom II X4 940 at 3.0GHz and the 920 at 2.8GHz. I'll go ahead and say that although it's a little long, I like the name. The II just works. I'm also feeling a bit chipper, so I'll go ahead and give you the conclusion now too. Here's how it breaks down. The Phenom II X4 940 is usually the same speed or faster than Intel's Core 2 Quad Q9400, and priced similarly at $275. There are some areas where the Q9400 will be faster than the Phenom II X4 940, so if you happen to use an application that runs better on Intel hardware then you've got your choice made out for you. But for the most part, if you're buying a quad-core processor at around $275 today, Phenom II will tempt you. Similarly, the Phenom II X4 920 is generally better than or equal to Intel's Core 2 Quad Q9300, and priced less (it's more of a competitor to the slower Q8300, but I didn't have one available for testing). The same stipulations detailed above exist here as well; there are some areas where Intel is going to be faster but for the most part our tests showed the Phenom II to be a better option. Wait, what? An AMD CPU recommendation? After over two years of us recommending Intel's Core 2 lineup almost exclusively, AMD finally released a real alternative, one that's not just similarly priced, but actually higher performing than the price-competitive Intel part. Over the coming pages I'll explain how. Now Intel could've spoiled the party, it still has the performance crown and it could easily drive CPU prices even lower. But out of the kindness of its heart, there are no unexpected price cuts, no new product introductions, nothing to spoil AMD's day (yet). While I'll talk about what Intel may do to restore its leadership at these price points, today is all about Phenom II. If you've been waiting for an AMD to be excited about for the past couple of years, today is your day. Competition is back. Let's get to it. ..... ..... from anandtech.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The JACKAL Posted January 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2009 ^^^ zzzzzzzzzzzz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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