phenom b-series processors. Processors. Flexible CPU selection

AMD removed the X2, X3, and X4 core count suffixes from the logo, instead changing the item number: the 9000 models have four cores, while the upcoming tri-core models will have the number 7000.

It's been a tough year for AMD. Not only the Phenom processor, which everyone has been waiting for so long, came out at significantly lower clock speeds (2.3 GHz instead of 3 GHz), but an unpleasant error was revealed in the current stepping of the Barcelona core. It is possible to bypass it, but only the updated stepping will allow AMD to continue producing quad-core processors for the server segment. And the fact that AMD's quad-core processor doesn't have enough performance to compete with Intel in the high-end segment doesn't help either. As a result of all these problems, AMD had to change its product strategy and position the processor, along with the new Spider platform, to the mass market. However, despite all the problems, the Phenom is not as bad as many believe you will see in this comparison between Phenom and Athlon 64 X2.

In fact, AMD has quite a few significant advantages over Intel when it comes to upgrading current systems to a quad-core processor. If Intel is very quick to release new platforms for each new generation of processors due to changing requirements, then AMD has not changed the Socket AM2 specifications at all. Therefore, it is technically possible to install a quad-core Phenom processor on a Socket AM2 motherboard, replacing an Athlon 64 or Athlon 64 X2, all you need is a BIOS update. However, this is not always true either - some motherboards can't handle Phenom's power consumption (95W or 125W), but most enthusiast motherboards can be upgraded to a quad-core processor. At least in the future, because at the moment we have only been able to install Phenom on two "old" motherboards out of ten .

The upgrade situation does require some attention as AMD and Intel are planning their next major technology upgrade in about six months. AMD will introduce Socket AM3, which will support DDR3 memory, and Intel's next generation processors, codenamed Nehalem, will finally bring the memory controller to the processor. Given all this, even the upcoming Core 2 Duo E8000 or Core 2 Quad Q9000 lines can only be considered as intermediate products on the way to the next generation, even if they overtake the existing Core 2 products by about 10%.

November 17 AMD launched two Phenom models on the market A: Phenom 9500 and 9600, at 2.2 and 2.3 GHz, respectively. They both have a TDP of 95W, which is close to the 105W reported by Intel for the Core 2 Quad Q6600 (2.4GHz) and Q6700 (2.66GHz). All faster models scheduled for release in the first quarter of 2008 will run on a 125W TDP. Toward the end of 2008, a Black Edition may appear, which is friendly to overclockers, but not higher than the top frequency of 2.3 GHz. But AMD has unlocked the multiplier to provide ideal overclocking conditions, and this version should not be more expensive than usual.

You will be able to install a Phenom processor in almost any Socket AM2 motherboard on the market when all problems will be solved. Even cheap motherboards support the standard 95W TDP, but for the 125W versions you need to use an enthusiast platform, which is also true if you plan to significantly overclock the Phenom. The BIOS update situation is far from ideal, so installing Phenom on existing Athlon boards is not as easy as AMD promised. Technically, this is the same socket with a 1000 MHz HyperTransport link, but there are problems.

The Phenom microarchitecture is known under the code name K10, but then it was renamed Stars. The most significant difference, which mainly affected the number of transistors, is the L3 cache, which is an extension to AMD64's two-level cache design. While each compute core has its own L1 cache for data and instructions (64 KB each), as well as 512 KB of L2 cache, L3 provides an additional 2 MB of fast storage for all Phenom cores.

This isn't the first desktop processor to come with L3 cache: the 3.2GHz, 3.4GHz, and 3.46GHz Intel Pentium 4 Extreme Edition models, all of which were built on the 130nm Gallatin core, also included 2 MB L3 cache (together with 512 KB L2 cache). But, unlike the Pentium 4 EE's L3 cache, the Phenom L3 cache works as a buffer for writing data to RAM.

AMD has also made some improvements to the branch prediction process, since the so-called sideband stack optimizer updates the ESP (enhanced stack pointer) without consuming CPU time. And the memory prefetcher is able to load data exclusively into the L1 cache, bypassing the L2 cache (that is, without unloading data from there). Note also the 128-bit SSE computation width, as well as the 32-byte instruction fetch block. AMD's virtualization technology has been around for months, and it's included with every Phenom processor.

Support for 1.8GHz HyperTransport 3.0 protocol is the latest performance enhancement feature that has been added to the Phenom. While HT 2.0 at 1.0 GHz supports 8.0 GB/s in both directions, HT 3.0 delivers up to 20.8 GB/s. This will be especially important in the future, when four or more cores need to be able to access other cores, for example, to get data from memory or to work with a PCI Express device such as a video card.

We were quite intrigued by AMD's claim that the Phenom is 25% faster per clock than the current Athlon 64 X2 processors. Given that there are no architectural revolutions like the one that Intel made when they switched from NerBurst to Core, a 25% increase in performance per clock is very significant. It is sometimes even hard to believe in it, which is why it was interesting for us to take a closer look at the new processor. We compared the Athlon 64 X2 and the Phenom 9900 at a base clock speed of 2.6 GHz using just one core.

Phenom processors
Name	Clock frequency	L2 cache	L3 cache	TDP
AMD Phenom 9700	2.4 GHz	4x 512 kb	2 MB	125 W
AMD Phenom 9600	2.3 GHz	4x 512 kb	2 MB	95 W
AMD Phenom 9500	2.2 GHz	4x 512 kb	2 MB	95 W

All Phenoms look similar: here is our engineered sample with an unlocked multiplier.

Introduction

Overclocking has long been the number one tool for enthusiasts to increase system performance without spending extra money. And since motherboard manufacturers (and even processor manufacturers themselves) have begun to take this market seriously, there have been features and products that allow any user, whether a novice or a hardcore professional, to overclock processors quite comfortably.

But how far can you go? Efficiency has become as important a topic as performance lately, and it's no secret that power consumption rises rapidly at high overclocked frequencies, when you have to increase the voltage to improve stability.

Phenom vs Core 2

Difficult times for AMD began when Intel released a line of processors Core 2 in 2006. The Core 2 Duo processors were far superior to the Athlon 64 X2, and quad-core Phenom, introduced at the end of 2007, could not beat the quad-core Core 2 Quad processors in terms of performance, despite the theoretically superior architecture on a monolithic chip. We have specially carried out core analysis to the core of all popular AMD models and found that the architecture of Phenom Stars was indeed an important step forward, albeit not so revolutionary. AMD added in early 2008 Tri-core Phenom X3 processors, which helped the company remain competitive in the mass market, and all this was accompanied by falling prices. The range of processors was quite good, and AMD was really able to provide a nice performance / price ratio, even if Intel took the lead in performance and efficiency.

Return of AMD Phenom II

Phenom II processors top of AMD's portfolio, they have finally placed AMD in a stronger competitive position, thanks in no small part to the state-of-the-art 45nm DSL SOI process. Idle power consumption has been reduced, and clock speeds can be increased to a level where Phenom II processors will perform almost on par with Intel Core 2 Quad processors. Unfortunately, Intel has already switched to next generation Core i7 architecture, which has consolidated its leadership in productivity and efficiency. However, Phenom II processors tend to provide similar performance at comparable prices, and Socket AM2+ or AM3 (DDR2 or DDR3) platforms are usually more affordable than Intel's 4x chipset lines.

What is the ideal frequency for the Phenom?

We've taken the current flagship Phenom II X4 940 and run it at various clock speeds, both below and above stock, to determine the clock speed at which this architecture provides the best balance between performance and power consumption.

AMD Phenom II X4 940 Black Edition (BE)

While there are many AMD Phenom II processor options on the market, we used the Phenom II X4 940 for several reasons. We didn't want to take the first generation of Phenom processors as they are still based on AMD's 65nm process, which can't compete with the more advanced 45nm Phenom II process in terms of performance and efficiency.

The Phenom II X4 940 Black Edition at 3GHz is AMD's fastest CPU model with an unlocked multiplier that allows you to increase or decrease it. This allowed us, in particular, to emulate the Phenom II X4 920 at 2.8 GHz. In the near future, we plan to conduct similar types of tests with the Intel Core i7 920 system. For the Intel platform, we chose the entry-level i7 920 processor to avoid the significantly more expensive high-speed Intel models. In the case of AMD, even the Phenom II X4 940 processor is not so expensive, so there were no such concerns.

Phenom II Models

The Phenom II X4 is a modern high-end desktop processor that is largely the result of AMD's move from 65nm to 45nm. L2 cache has increased from 2 MB for Phenom processors to 4 MB (Socket AM3 models) or even 6 MB (Socket AM2+ models).

The die area of all Phenom II models is 285 mm², although the actual cache configuration may vary to increase chip yield. A simple example: a quad-core processor with a failed core can be modified and sold as a 3-core processor. The following table lists all of the quad-core Phenom II X4 processors currently available.

Model Phenom II X4	Platform	Clock frequency	Number of cores	L2 cache	L3 cache	TDP
940	SocketAM2+ (DDR2)	3.0 GHz	4		6 MB total	125 W
920	SocketAM2+ (DDR2)	2.8GHz	4	512 KB per core (2 MB total)	6 MB total	125 W
910	Socket AM3 (DDR3)	2.6GHz	4	512 KB per core (2 MB total)	6 MB total	95 W
810	Socket AM3 (DDR3)	2.6GHz	4	512 KB per core (2 MB total)	4 MB total	95 W
805	Socket AM3 (DDR3)	2.5 GHz	4	512 KB per core (2 MB total)	4 MB total	95 W

The following table shows the currently available tri-core Phenom II X3 processors.

Model Phenom II X3	Platform	Clock frequency	Number of cores	L2 cache	L3 cache	TDP
720	Socket AM3 (DDR3)	2.8GHz	3		6 MB total	95 W
710	Socket AM3 (DDR3)	2.6GHz	3	512 KB per core (1.5 MB total)	6 MB total	95 W

Click on the picture to enlarge.

Flexible CPU selection

AMD processors still use the HyperTransport channel to communicate with the chipset, and they also have an on-chip dual-channel memory controller. AMD has decided to release 45nm Phenom II processors with support for both DDR2 and DDR3 memory, with both types technically based on the same technology.

Socket AM2+ is AMD's latest socket for DDR2 capable processors. Therefore, all AM2+ motherboards will support processors that were designed for the 940-pin socket, as long as the motherboard has support in that model's BIOS.

New processors with an integrated DDR3 memory controller require Socket AM3, which is a modified version of the old 940-pin socket to support DDR3 memory. The nice thing here is that you can buy a Phenom II processor for Socket AM3 and install it in a Socket AM2+ system with DDR2 memory. At the same time, you will not be able to get Phenom II to work under Socket AM2+ in Socket AM3, since the latter physically uses only 938 out of 940 pins.

Overclocking and power consumption

All Phenom II processors have fully modern power consumption specifications. Available chipsets include models from AMD and nVidia (AMD 780G, 790GX, 790FX and nVidia nForce 750i, 780, i790i SLI) that require less power than full-featured Intel chipsets - usually because the memory controller is part of the processor, which improves system power consumption when idle. However, peak power consumption is not very different from Intel platforms.

We were able to overclock several Phenom II X4 processors for Socket AM2+ to almost 4 GHz, but all the processors that we visited, when running at 3.8 GHz or slightly higher, turned off the Cool "n" Quiet function. This feature lowers the processor frequency and voltage when it is idle, which allows the CPU to run cooler and consume less power. This caused performance testing problems because the results at 3.8 GHz could not be directly compared to the lower frequencies where Cool "n" Quiet technology worked fine. According to AMD, this behavior is quite justified due to manual selection of higher multipliers.

Platform: Jetway HA07 Ultra based on AMD 790GX chipset

Click on the picture to enlarge.

Many motherboard manufacturers have released different products based on AMD 790GX chipset, but this time we decided to take not the most famous brand. By the way, in the near future we will present a review of motherboards for Socket AM3 based on the 790FX chipset.

The Jetway HA07 Ultra "Hummer" is an enthusiast motherboard that targets ATI CrossFire graphics configurations. The chipset allows the motherboard to work with two x16 PCI Express slots with eight lanes each. In addition, the 790GX has six additional PCI Express lanes that can be used for expansion cards. Because AMD used the PCI Express 2.0 standard, each lane provides twice the bandwidth of PCI Express 1.1 (250 MB/s per lane in each direction in 1.1, 500 MB/s in 2.0).

Click on the picture to enlarge.

Although the 790GX chipset is aimed at enthusiasts, it contains integrated graphics. The HA07 Ultra provides standard VGA and DVI ports, as well as optional Side-Port memory chip, which increases 3D performance by allowing the graphics core to combine shared memory (from the RAM PC) and a separate Side-Port. After installing a separate video card, the integrated graphics core based on the Radeon HD 3300 can be turned off or used in SurroundView mode.

The HA07 Ultra motherboard proved to be the most power efficient of the two other motherboards we had on hand at the time we started testing. Of course, a small number of additional components, as well as a six-phase voltage regulator, have a positive effect on power consumption, since other systems required 10-15 watts more at idle and under peak load. The Jetway board still provides an UltraATA/133 controller for legacy drives, as well as a floppy drive connector that plugs into AMD's SB750 southbridge. Both connectors are located next to four DDR2 memory slots and a power supply connector. That is, ordinary cable loops will be enough to connect the drives in the upper compartments of the tower case.

AMD 790GX chipset diagram. Click on the picture to enlarge.

Jetway also used a heat pipe cooling system for the voltage regulators and the 790GX chipset. And while it's not as bulky or huge as some other motherboards, it gets the job done given the relative efficiency of the platform itself.

The current policy of AMD in terms of processor production is very clear. All efforts are aimed at creating Deneb chips for Phenom II X4 9*0 processors. However, the production of such high-tech crystals is far from simple, even by today's standards. The defective rate is so high that its disposal would irrevocably lead to a significant increase in the cost of full-fledged working chips. That is why, having successfully systematized the rejected chips, AMD provided naturally discounted models, united in the Phenom II X4 8*0 line (Deneb core); Phenom II X3 7*0 (Heka core) and even Phenom II X2 5*0 (Callisto core). You can get acquainted with the characteristics of some representatives of all the lines, the Phenom II family, by looking at the table below.

Name	Phenom II X4 945	Phenom II X4 910	Phenom II X4 810	Phenom II X4 805	Phenom II X3 720	Phenom II X3 710	Phenom II X2 550
Process technology, nm
Core
connector
Frequency, MHz
Factor
HTT/Bclk
L1 cache, KB
L2 cache, KB
L3 cache, KB
Supply voltage, V
TDP, W
Limit temperature, °C
Instruction set		RISC, IA32, x86-64, NXbit, MMX, 3DNow!, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSE4a	RISC, IA32, x86-64, NXbit, MMX, 3DNow!, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSE4a	RISC, IA32, x86-64, NXbit, MMX, 3DNow!, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSE4a	RISC, IA32, x86-64, NXbit, MMX, 3DNow!, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSE4a	RISC, IA32, x86-64, NXbit, MMX, 3DNow!, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSE4a	RISC, IA32, x86-64, NXbit, MMX, 3DNow!, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSE4a
Approximate price on 14.07.09, $

The Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition processor tested today is the fastest in its line, but it is this model range that has undergone the most significant amputations against the background of all Phenom II representatives. The series has lost as many as two cores, with the same amount of cache memory in the third level. But, first things first - about its packaging.

Appearance of the package

Recall that the Phenom II X2 550 is "crowned with the title" Black Edition. Accordingly, the packaging, according to AMD's tradition, is exclusively black without any "flashy" logos.

The blue square on the front of the package shows the main advantages of the model. This is a rather high clock frequency of 3.1 GHz, a total cache memory of 7.0 MB, and also an orientation for installation in a Socket AM3 processor socket.

Equipment

The package bundle of the "boxed" model Phenom II X2 550 BE did not bring any surprises, but did not cause any disappointment either.

The delivery includes:

Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition processor;
CPU cooler FOXCONN(N)1A018E000;
Installation instructions and warranty for three years;
Sticker on the system unit.

The "light" model of the FOXCONN(N)1A018E000 cooler is already familiar to us firsthand. This model is supplied with all "stripped down" Phenom II models. However, its effectiveness in cooling the Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition processor under consideration today will be tested in practice and described below.

There is a sticker included. Recall that it was absent in the first tested models of the Phenom II family. Focusing on letters from readers, we received information that all models of the Phenom II family of new batches are equipped with a sticker.

AMD processor Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition

Having examined the heat-distributing cover of the Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition processor, its place of production became known, this is Malaysia (Malaysia). The marking is represented by the alphanumeric combination HDZ550WFK2DGI, which can be decoded as follows:

HD - AMD K10.5 architecture processor for workstations;
Z is a processor with a free multiplier;
550 - model number indicating the family (first digit) and the position of the model within the family (the remaining numbers - the more, the higher the operating clock frequency);
WF - processor thermal package up to 80 W at a supply voltage in the range of 0.875 - 1.425 V;
K - the processor is packaged in a 938 pin OµPGA package (Socket AM3);
2 - the total number of active cores and, accordingly, the amount of L2 cache memory 2x512 KB;
DGI - Callisto core (45 nm) stepping C2.

It should be noted some "inconsistency" with the labeling. The letter combination DGI marked the previously considered Phenom II X3 710 and Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition processors, which have the Heka core, which assumes the presence of three active computing cores. But the Phenom II X4 810 processor, also considered earlier, is marked as FGI, and has four active computing cores, but a "trimmed" third-level cache. Well, the most surprising thing is that the full-fledged Phenom II X4 920 and Phenom II X4 940 processors are also marked DGI, although they did not fall under the "scalpel". Nevertheless, the Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition processor we are considering today is dual-core.

The reverse side of the processor exposes a 938-pin package. This is Socket AM3. Recall that it is backwards compatible with the AM2 + socket, and the memory controller built into the processor can work with DDR2 and DDR3 memory types.

Specification:

	AMD Phenom II X2 550 BE
Marking
Processor socket
Clock frequency, MHz
Factor	15.5 (starter)
HT bus frequency, MHz
L1 cache size, KB
L2 cache size, KB
L3 cache size, KB

Number of Cores
Instruction Support	MMX, 3DNow!, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSE4A, x86-64
Supply voltage, V
Thermal package, W
Critical temperature, °C
Process technology, nm
Technology support	Cool'n'Quiet 3.0 Enhanced Virus Protection Virtualization Technology Core C1 and C1E states Package S0, S1, S3, S4 and S5 states

Proprietary technologies:

Enhanced Virus Protection Technology (NX bit / Enhanced Virus Protection). With support for operating systems starting with Windows XP SP2, it is designed to prevent the spread of some viruses that use buffer overflow errors (for example, MSBlaster and Slammer), i.e. allows you to prohibit the execution of program code located in the memory areas provided for data.

128-bit SSE block and SSE4a instruction set. Includes 6 new instructions to fully and efficiently support related applications.

AMD Virtualization (AMD-V)- an improved technology that allows you to simultaneously run two independent operating systems on one PC.

AMD Cool 'n' Quiet 3.0 Technology provides an effective reduction in power consumption, thereby allowing you to create quieter computing systems. The technology requires support/activation in the BIOS and a software driver.

AMD CoolCore- hardware technology, allows you to disable currently unused processor blocks to reduce power consumption and heat dissipation, no driver or activation in the BIOS is required.

Dual Dynamic Power Management Technology- Provides independent power to all processor cores and memory controller for optimal performance and power consumption.

Traditionally, a screenshot of the CPU-Z program is a confirmation of the characteristics.

However, even the latest version of CPU-Z brought a surprise. Pay attention to the Code Name cell. Core codename Deneb, when the true name should be Callisto. Most likely, this embarrassment is due to the fact that the line of Phenom II X2 processors is quite "fresh" and the authors of the CPU-Z program at the time of the creation of version 1.51 simply did not know that this processor model would exist.

The Cahce section of the CPU-Z program showed the cache allocation. 128 KB L1 cache per core. 512 KB L2 cache also per core and a total of 6 MB L3 cache.

DDR3 memory worked at the "native" for the controller built into the processor, a frequency of 1333 MHz with the appropriate set of timings.

When testing, the Bench for testing Processors No. 1 was used

Motherboards (AMD)	ASUS M3A32-MVP DELUXE (AMD 790FX, sAM2+, DDR2, ATX)GIGABYTE GA-MA790XT-UD4P (AMD 790X, sAM3, DDR3, ATX)
Motherboards (AMD)	ASUS F1A75-V PRO (AMD A75, sFM1, DDR3, ATX)ASUS SABERTOOTH 990FX (AMD 990FX, sAM3+, DDR3, ATX)
Motherboards (Intel)	GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P (Intel P45, LGA 775, DDR2, ATX)GIGABYTE GA-EX58-DS4 (Intel X58, LGA 1366, DDR3, ATX)
Motherboards (Intel)	ASUS Maximus III Formula (Intel P55, LGA 1156, DDR3, ATX)MSI H57M-ED65 (Intel H57, LGA 1156, DDR3, mATX)
Motherboards (Intel)	ASUS P8Z68-V PRO (Intel Z68, sLGA1155, DDR3, ATX)ASUS P9X79 PRO (Intel X79, sLGA2011, DDR3, ATX)
Coolers	Noctua NH-U12P + LGA1366 KitScythe Kama Angle rev.B (LGA 1156/1366)ZALMAN CNPS12X (LGA 2011)
RAM	2x DDR2-1200 1024MB Kingston HyperX KHX9600D2K2/2G2/3x DDR3-2000 1024MB Kingston HyperX KHX16000D3T1K3/3GX
Video cards	EVGA e-GeForce 8600 GTS 256MB GDDR3 PCI-EASUS EN9800GX2/G/2DI/1G GeForce 9800 GX2 1GB GDDR3 PCI-E 2.0
HDD	Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3500418AS, 500 GB, SATA-300, NCQ
Power Supply	Seasonic SS-650JT, 650 W, Active PFC, 80 PLUS, 120 mm fan

Select what you want to compare AMD Phenom II X2 550 to

Knowing the approximate drop in performance when testing three-core models compared to quad-core models of the same Phenom II family, it was not difficult to guess about the performance of dual-core models of the same family. The Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition's clock speed increased by 100 MHz compared to the Athlon II X2 250 and the presence of 6 MB of L3 cache gave a slight performance boost. Otherwise, the standard dependence of the number of computing cores on performance, adjusted for clock frequency. But this slight increase in speed allows you to try to compete with equal-frequency dual-core Intel processors, especially considering the cost of these processors.

Efficiency of the "boxed" cooler

The cooling system FOXCONN(N)1A018E000, which is supplied with all models of Phenom II X4 8** and Phenom II X3 7** processors, did not demonstrate any particular efficiency. This was especially evident when testing the Phenom II X4 810 processor, although it coped with its duties when the processor was running at the "regular" voltage and frequencies.

Recall that this cooler consists of a solid aluminum heatsink, the dimensions of which are 30x68x77 (HxWxD) mm. The central thermal column in a square-shaped section, heat-removing ribs extend diagonally from it, four of which are thickened, because. in combination, they serve as a fan mount.

The radiator is fastened with a "traditional" clip, which fits into the corresponding "grooves" in the radiator.

The fan is marked as FOXCONN PV701512F2BF 1G. Its size is 70 mm, and its height is only 15 mm, which means that it is low-profile. The fan drive is equipped with a PWM (Sh.I.M.) converter, which makes it possible, when connected to the corresponding 4-pin connector, to automatically adjust the speed of rotation of the impeller. The maximum rotation speed of the blades during testing reached ~3000 rpm, while the noise level can be described as moderate and does not stand out from the rest of the system fans. For a more realistic idea of the effectiveness of the "boxed" cooler in cooling the dual-core processor Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition, it was provided with the most serious opponent Scythe Kama Angle . Moreover, the speed of rotation of the blades of the latter was maximum, i.e. 1200 rpm In parallel with monitoring the temperature of the processor, the power consumption of the system as a whole was measured to assess the energy efficiency of the Phenom II X2 550 BE processor. Energy-saving technologies C1E and Cool`n`Quiet have been disabled due to possible distortion of the results.

First, the measurements were made at "regular" frequencies and voltages. The clock frequency is 3100 MHz, and the processor supply voltage is 1.34 V, i.e. the one set by the GIGABYTE GA-MA790XT-UD4P motherboard in AUTO mode.

As you can see, the "boxed" cooler was able to "keep" the temperature under load at 58°C, which is 8°C less than the Phenom II X4 810 and 18°C more than the performance cooler Scythe Kama Angle. The idle energy efficiency of the Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition is almost the same as that of the dual-core Athlon II X2 250, which AMD claims to be more economical. But under load, the consumption of processors diverges significantly. This is due to the large L3 cache in Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition.

DDR3 Efficiency

The Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition processor is capable of working with both DDR2 and DDR3 memory. Although DDR3 memory is almost on par with DDR2 memory at the moment, new AM3 motherboards will be able to be used. That is why we bring to your attention comparative tests of the Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition processor using DDR3-1333 and DDR2-800 memory.

Test package		Result		Productivity drop, %
Test package		We use DDR3	We use DDR2	Productivity drop, %



	rendering, CB-CPU
	shading, CB-GFX



Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. Demo, High, 1280x1024, AA2x
	DirectX 9, High fps
	DirectX10, Very high fps

The overall, average performance drop was only 2,68% . Whether this is a lot or a little, only the buyer himself can decide for himself, focusing on the difference in price. In any case, if you have a motherboard with Socket AM3 and DDR3 memory at an affordable price, you should not give up an extra three to five frames per second.

Overclocking

Since the model of the Phenom II X2 550 processor we are considering today is the Black Edition, which implies a free, not locked, multiplier, it was decided to try to overclock it without voltage rise, because not all motherboards have the ability to change the processor supply voltage in a sufficient range.

Stable operation was achieved at a processor clock speed of 3817 MHz. What's on 23% above the rated clock frequency. It is worth noting that the multiplier has changed from x15.5 to x19.0, while the reference frequency of the bus has remained unchanged.

The temperature of the processor during overclocking without raising the voltage using the "boxed" cooler increased by only 2°C at idle, and by 3°C under load, but still remains acceptable. But the power consumption increased by 12 watts and amounted to 237 watts, which, even without the results of overclocking with raising the voltage, makes you think not only about a productive cooler like the Scythe Kama Angle, but also about a powerful power supply, as well as a good motherboard that will be able to " feed" the processor during overclocking.

When the voltage was raised to 1.44 V, it was possible to achieve stable operation of the system at a processor clock speed of 3939 MHz. In this case, the value of the multiplier was x19.5. Relative to the "regular" clock frequency, the increase was 27%. In fact, this is a very solid overclocking, since no "brother" model of the Phenom II family was able to achieve stable operation at such a clock speed. For example, the Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition model was only able to overclock to 3608 MHz at a rather dangerous voltage of 1.536 V. The Phenom II X4 810 model, which is not a representative of the elite Black Edition division, was overclocked in the classic way, i.e. by raising the reference frequency, and reached a clock frequency of only 3445 MHz at 1.44 V. The only exception can be considered the Phenom II X4 940 Black Edition processor, which reached a clock frequency of 3811 MHz at a voltage of 1.44 V. However, do not forget that this is a representative of a full-fledged line, able to work only with DDR2 memory, which naturally affected the results of its overclocking.

The "boxed" cooler is not in vain missing from the above table. Its effectiveness turned out to be extremely insufficient- the system "hangs" under load. But Scythe Kama Angle once again demonstrated its "ice heart". The difference between the highest recorded temperature in nominal mode and during acceleration with voltage boost was only 6°C and as much as 32°C below the critical temperature declared by AMD. Power consumption during overclocking with voltage increase increased by another 23 watts. The assumptions were confirmed, for the operation of the Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition processor in an overclocked state with a voltage increase, a high-performance cooler, a good power supply and a motherboard with a high-quality processor power supply system will be required. We suggest evaluating the performance increase of the overclocked Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition in the following table.

Test package		Result
Test package		Rated frequency	overclocked processor
	rendering, CB-CPU
	shading, CB-GFX
Fritz Chess Benchmark v.4.2, knodes/s


Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. Demo, High, 1280x1024, AA2x
	DirectX 9, High fps
	DirectX10, Very high fps

When overclocking the processor 27% the average increase in productivity was 16.4%. Such non-linearity is due to the fact that the "regular" frequency of the processor is 3100 MHz, which is quite a lot even by today's standards, while not all tasks depend only on the clock frequency of the cores.

Activation of locked cores

At the moment, it's not a secret for anyone that for all modifications of the "stripped down" processors of the AMD Phenom II family, you can try to unlock and restore previously disabled blocks. Naturally, to assert that all without exception models are able to "unblock" is an absolute delusion. Nevertheless, the culprit of today's review made me sweat... The approach applied to the Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition processor turned out to be ineffective; setting the option Advanced Clock Calibration (ACC) into meaning AUTO no changes were noticed. Using the method of "scientific poke" and studying the information posted on the Internet, the following values \u200b\u200bof BIOS items were set in the Advanced Clock Calibration section.

EC Firmware Selection
Advanced Clock Calibration
Value (all cores) [-2%]

Fingers crossed, the system was up and running, and a few minutes later a nice screenshot of the Task Manager window and the CPU-Z program was taken.

The dual-core Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition has become the defunct quad-core Phenom II X4 B50 BE! Now we have a full-fledged Deneb processor in our hands with a “starting” clock frequency of 3100 MHz. Recall that the Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition processor with the Advanced Clock Calibration option set to AUTO, like the current Phenom II X2 550 BE, became a quad-core processor and received a non-existent “officially name” Phenom II X4 20. A system with an already quad-core Phenom II X2 The 550 Black Edition proved to be surprisingly absolutely stable. No nuances in the work during testing were noticed.

Test package		Result		Productivity increase, %
Test package		Phenom II X2 550 2 cores	Phenom II X2 550 4 cores	Productivity increase, %









	Rendering, CB-CPU
	shading, CB-GFX
Fritz Chess Benchmark v.4.2, knodes/s


Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. Demo, High, 1280x1024, AA2x
	DirectX 9, High fps
	DirectX10, Very high fps

That's where the performance has increased significantly! This suggests that increasing the clock frequency above ~3.0 MHz does not give such a performance boost as an increase in the number of active cores. Thus, the activation of two previously blocked cores at a constant clock speed gave an average increase in performance. 46% . Almost linear at times with the numerical number of cores. That is why there were special hopes for a successful overclocking of the newly minted quad-core processor.

The fact that the Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition runs stable at 3838 MHz with two cores unlocked speaks for itself. This is the highest result that we managed to achieve when overclocking any processor of the Phenom II family in our test lab. At the same time, the voltage supplied to the processor was 1.4 V, which does not even go beyond the limits set by the manufacturer. Fabulous! Paying ~$110 you can get a processor that, according to its characteristics, lies between the most expensive and advanced models of the Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition and Phenom II X4 945 families today.

Naturally, one fact of fantastic characteristics is not enough. That is why the decision was made to oppose the unlocked and overclocked Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition to some of the most powerful processors from the competing company Intel. So, the rivals will be Core 2 Quad 9550 and Core i7 940 , reviewed earlier on our website, as well as the "brotherly" Phenom II X4 940. To achieve more adequate results, only processor tests will be compared.

Futeremark PCMark`05 showed an absolutely linear dependence of performance not so much on the number of cores as on the clock frequency of the processor.

CrystalMark already showed more real performance results for multi-core processors. Although a threefold difference between a Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition running at stock frequencies with two cores and a Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition overclocked to 3838 MHz with two cores unlocked seems unrealistic. Nevertheless, the quad-core processor Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition, running at a clock frequency of 3838 MHz, confidently holds the upper hand over far from weak competitors, which are two to three times more expensive.

Futeremark PCMark`06, in turn, gave the most interesting results, showing that in general, gaming performance primarily depends on the video subsystem, and only then does the processor performance become important.

Well, coming to the conclusions of this article, I would like to show the results of "dancing with a tambourine" over the outstanding Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition processor in all its glory.

Test package		Result		Productivity increase, %
Test package		Phenom II X2 550 2 cores	Phenom II X2 550 4 cores @3838 MHz	Productivity increase, %









	rendering, CB-CPU
	shading, CB-GFX
Fritz Chess Benchmark v.4.2, knodes/s


Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. Demo, High, 1280x1024, AA2x
	DirectX 9, High fps
	DirectX10, Very high fps

The overall average performance increase with the activation of two cores and overclocking to 3838 MHz was 67.45% (!). In the memory of the editorial first case such an increase in direct performance, and not a percentage of characteristics. Moreover, noticeable “to the naked eye” acceleration is observed not only in specific synthetic tests, but in real applications and games. And most surprisingly, this increase in performance is obtained without the use of "sophisticated" technologies, such as cooling with liquid nitrogen, freon multi-level units, or even the ubiquitous water cooling system. Paradox or incredible luck? Most likely, the second, since it was not possible to find more suitable logical reasons.

Conclusion

As for the use of the AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition processor in the nominal mode, this prospect is a little doubtful. The fact is that the Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition generally loses to the more technologically advanced Athlon II X2 250 processor, both in terms of power consumption, heating, and even cost. After all, although in terms of performance at nominal frequencies there is a slight superiority of the Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition, but all the same power consumption, heating and price completely level it. Here I would like to advise you to either save a little and get almost the same performance at a lower cost, or, conversely, add a little and buy at least a three-core processor. The only thing that can slightly improve the situation is if you look at this processor as a Black Edition model with mandatory subsequent overclocking. But if you choose AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition as an object of real overclocking with an attempt to unlock two more cores, then its purchase will be more than justified!

As already mentioned, 67% "free" the increase in absolute productivity does not require any explanation. A more profitable processor for an overclocker simply does not exist today. However, it should be taken into account that:

to use the Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition processor in overclocked to 3838 MHz with dual cores activated, you should at least get a good power supply, a suitable motherboard with a quality processor power system and 8-pin power connection, as well as an alternative high-performance cooler.

to have "good" luck, since world practice shows that not every processor of the Phenom II family "cut down by cores" is subjected to unlocking of the latter. However, if there is an opportunity to “choose”, not using it will be not only stupidity, but real laziness!

Introduction With the introduction of the 45nm process technology, AMD is starting to get back to its former good fortune. The new processor cores, which formed the basis of the Phenom II and Athlon II processor families, allowed AMD to significantly increase the amount of cache memory and significantly increase clock speeds. These improvements were enough to ensure that the updated AMD offerings could triumphantly return to the mid-market segment. At the moment, the situation is such that, in terms of price and performance, AMD processors with 45nm cores are able to quite successfully withstand most Intel products belonging to the Core 2 generation. Of course, so far AMD has not been able to shake Intel's leadership in the upper market sector, but despite this, the Phenom II and Athlon II processors are an undoubted success: this is at least evidenced by the growing interest of buyers.

However, even in the short term, AMD's position does not look so rosy. After all, Intel has long been preparing a grand update to its offerings in the "over $200" price range. The upcoming Intel Lynnfield processors and the new LGA1156 platform, which will be on sale during September, have every chance of becoming very interesting novelties and attracting the attention of buyers. And although most of the Phenom II processors have a slightly lower price, which protects them from direct competition with the new LGA1156 products, AMD's actions are clearly concerned about the situation. Contrary to the original plans, the company is resorting to an active increase in the clock frequencies of older processor models, which takes place even despite the excessively increasing heat dissipation. So, following the Phenom II X4 955, which has a frequency of 3.2 GHz, AMD decided to launch an even faster model on the market - Phenom II X4 965, which is designed to operate at a frequency of 3.4 GHz, but at the same time has a 140-watt typical heat dissipation is 15 W higher than the typical heat dissipation of other processors in the family. Whether it was worth taking such steps, and whether the Phenom II X4 965 will be able to compete in performance with at least the younger Lynnfield model, we will find out a little later. In the same review, we will look at how the new product looks against the background of processors already on sale in stores.

It is important to note that by releasing the Phenom II X4 965, the manufacturer does not raise the price bar: the new processor will have the same official price as its predecessor - $245. Moreover, in close cooperation with suppliers of other components, AMD managed to agree that some bundles of the new processor, motherboard, and possibly memory and video cards will be offered in stores with very favorable discounts, reaching an impressive $ 40 (unfortunately, this offer will focus primarily on the North American market). Thus, AMD does not at all pretend to conquer higher market layers: the company aims only at competing with the Core 2 Quad and, if you're lucky, with the promising Core i5.

New processor: Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition

This time the story about the new processor will be very brief. Phenom II X4 965 is based on exactly the same Deneb semiconductor core as in other Socket AM3 Phenom II X4 processors. In other words, the Phenom II X4 965 is the result of a simple (not to say stupid) increase in the clock frequency to 3.4 GHz. Actually, this is quite a logical step. As we saw from the overclocking tests, the 45nm cores of modern quad-core AMD processors are quite capable of operating at frequencies of 3.6-3.8 GHz when using air cooling. Therefore, it is not surprising that in order to strengthen its own market positions, AMD resorted to another increase in the nominal frequency by another 200 MHz step.

There is only one “but”: this time the increase in the clock frequency was not in vain: it caused the Phenom II X4 965's heat dissipation to go beyond the 125 W TDP originally set for Socket AM3. The new model has a typical heat dissipation of 140W. However, most Socket AM3 motherboards are able to transfer such a load to the processor's own power converter without any excesses.

After the above comments, the specifications of the new processor look quite natural:

Like all previous older processors in the Phenom II X4 family, the new product again belongs to the Black Editon class. This means that the processor has an unfixed multiplier, which makes it easier to experiment with overclocking.

From the looks of it, the Phenom II X4 965 is the latest "upward" extension of the Phenom II X4 line. The increased typical heat dissipation and the proximity of the overclocking limits make us think that AMD may take a very long time to start the next increase in the clock frequency. The only thing that the company can do to improve the performance of its own solutions without making changes to the microarchitecture or without releasing new Debeb core steppings is to increase the frequency of the northbridge built into the processor and implement support for faster memory, especially since unofficially Phenom II X4 processors can work with DDR3-1600 SDRAM today. However, one should hardly count on such innovations: their impact on the final performance is extremely insignificant.

How We Tested

Together with the Phenom II X4 965, we tested the previous Phenom II X4 955 processor in the lineup. AMD's proposals were opposed by two Intel processors: the Core 2 Quad Q9550, which is the closest alternative in price, and the Core i7-920 processor, which costs a little more than the older processors. AMD models, but got into the number of participants in the test due to its belonging to the Nehalem architecture, which will be represented by promising Lynnfield processors.

As a result, during the testing process, we used three test platforms:

1. Socket AM3 platform:

Processors:

AMD Phenom II X4 965 (Deneb, 3.4 GHz, 4 x 512 KB L2, 6 MB L3);
AMD Phenom II X4 955 (Deneb, 3.2 GHz, 4 x 512 KB L2, 6 MB L3);

Motherboard: Gigabyte MA790FXT-UD5P (Socket AM3, AMD 790FX + SB750, DDR3 SDRAM).

2. LGA775 platform:

Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 (Yorkfield, 2.83GHz, 1333MHz FSB, 6+6MB L2);
Motherboard: ASUS P5Q3 (LGA775, Intel P45 Express, DDR3 SDRAM).
Memory: 2 x 2 GB, DDR3-1333 SDRAM, 7-7-7-18 (Mushkin 996601).

3. LGA1366 platform:

Processor: Intel Core i7-920 (Nehalem, 2.66GHz, 4.8GHz QPI, 4 x 256KB L2, 8MB L3);
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD5 (LGA1366, Intel X58 Express);
Memory: 3 x 2 GB DDR3-1333 SDRAM, 7-7-7-18 (Mushkin 998679).

In addition to the listed components, all tested platforms also included:

ATI Radeon HD 4890 graphics card.
Western Digital WD1500AHFD hard drive.
Operating system Microsoft Windows Vista x64 SP2.
Drivers:

Intel Chipset Software Installation Utility 9.1.0.1007;
ATI Catalyst 9.7 Display Driver.

Energy Testing

We decided to start practical tests of the new AMD processor with the most interesting aspect - power consumption and heat dissipation. Higher clock speeds bring a predictable increase in performance, but how electrical and thermal performance behaves in this case is an ambiguous question, especially in light of the fact that for the Phenom II X4 965 AMD has raised the bar for the estimated typical power consumption by 15 W compared to its predecessors. .

The figures below represent the total power consumption of the test platforms assembly (without monitor) "from the outlet". During the measurements, the load on the processors was created by the 64-bit version of the LinX 0.5.8 utility. In addition, to correctly assess idle power consumption, we activated all available energy-saving technologies: C1E, Cool "n" Quiet 3.0 and Enhanced Intel SpeedStep.

In the idle state, when no CPU load is imposed on the test platforms, the situation does not look so bad. The power consumption of the Phenom II X4 965 is about the same as that of the predecessor model, the Phenom II X4 955, while the AMD Dragon platform generally outperforms the LGA1366 platform, which consumes significantly more at rest, primarily due to the higher power consumption of the motherboard and three-channel memory . But the best result is shown by the old Intel platform using the LGA775 Core 2 Quad processor.

Approximately the same ratio of results is maintained when the load on the processor is increased to 100%. The system based on the Core i7-920 processor demonstrates the highest power consumption. The AMD platform, although it began to consume significantly more when replacing the Phenom II X4 955 processor with the Phenom II X4 965, does not fall short of the LGA1366 result of the system. However, if you are seriously interested in such a characteristic as computer power consumption, you can safely put an end to AMD's mid-range offerings - even ordinary, not energy-efficient Core 2 Quad processors offer a much better performance-per-watt ratio. In addition, among the products of Intel there are economical quad-core s-series processors, which have additionally reduced heat dissipation and power consumption.

To get a more complete and versatile picture, we also conducted a separate study of the power consumption of Phenom II X4 965 under load, in isolation from other computer components. More precisely, the measurement was made on the consumption of a 12-volt power line connected directly to the processor voltage converter on the motherboard, that is, the technique did not take into account the efficiency of the voltage converter circuit.

This is where it becomes clear that the relatively acceptable consumption of the AMD Dragon platform is largely due to the cost-effectiveness of the logic set. When measuring the consumption of the actual processor for the Phenom II X4 965, we get a terrifying figure, just a little short of 150 watts. And this is not only almost twice as much as the Core 2 Quad with the same performance consumes, but also exceeds the real consumption of the Core i7 processor, which has not 4, but 8 virtual cores. In other words, the power consumption of the Phenom II X4 965 is very frustrating, despite the fact that this processor is manufactured using 45nm technology, in terms of its electrical appetites, it can compete with the older representatives of the old Phenom family, which were manufactured using the 65nm process technology.

Overclocking

Another point that we cannot ignore is overclocking. AMD claims that the release of the new processor coincided with some progress towards improving the manufacturing process, which allows us to expect better overclocking results from the new product. We decided to test this statement in practice.

Overclocking experiments were conducted on the same test system as the performance study. It is only necessary to add that the Scythe Mugen cooler with the Noctua NF-P12 fan installed on it was chosen to cool the processor.

In view of the fact that the processor we are studying belongs to the Black Edition series, we decided to carry out overclocking in a simple way - by increasing the multiplier. At the same time, I would like to remind you that, as we have repeatedly seen earlier, an alternative method based on increasing the frequency of the clock generator brings no worse results.

To be honest, the test results were somewhat disappointing. With an increase in the processor core supply voltage above the nominal value by 0.175 V - up to 1.568 V, the Phenom II X4 965 was able to please with stable operation only at a frequency of 3.8 GHz.

On the other hand, there is simply nowhere to expect any fundamental improvements in overclocking. After all, even specially selected overclocking processors Phenom II X4 TWKR 42 Black Edition are only overclocked with air cooling up to 4.0 GHz. Thus, if it is right to talk about some improvement in the overclocking potential of Phenom II X4 965, then this improvement is extremely insignificant.

Unfortunately, we must note that the overclocking appeal of the older Phenom II X4 is gradually fading away. To date, AMD has used almost the entire frequency potential of the 45nm Deneb cores. With the use of air cooling, the new Phenom II X4 965 can only be overclocked by 10-15%, which, by the way, is another sign that faster quad-core processors based on the Deneb core cannot appear soon.

However, at the same time, we can tell overclockers a little good news. In the new Phenom II X4 965, the thermal sensors installed directly in the processor cores have finally been correctly calibrated. This means that during normal use and when overclocking the new Phenom II X4, it became possible to rely not only on the temperature reported by the subsocket motherboard sensor, but also on the readings of the processor itself, which are both more accurate and have much less inertia.

The screenshot below, for example, shows the temperature of the Phenom II X4 965 processor running at 3.8 GHz while running the LinX utility, which we use to check the stability of the system.

Recall that earlier processor sensors reported a completely implausible temperature about 20 degrees lower than the real one, which put an end to any confidence in their testimony. Unfortunately, it took AMD more than half a year to fix this problem, but now, we hope, correctly calibrated thermal sensors will be found not only in the older models of the Phenom II X4 family processors, but also in other models with 45nm cores.

AMD Overdrive 3.0

Recently, AMD has begun to pay increased attention to software support for its Dragon platform. Focusing on enthusiasts, the company's developers took up the active improvement of the Overdrive proprietary utility. As we have already indicated in previous reviews, this utility is focused on monitoring and managing all the main parameters of the processor and memory. In fact, with Overdrive, the user gets easy access from the operating system to all BIOS Setup settings that are used for tuning and overclocking.

Many owners of systems based on AMD processors have appreciated the convenience of the Overdrive utility. After all, it can simplify and speed up the process of overclocking. Thanks to it, all the main parameters of the processor and memory can be changed directly from the operating system, and their activation does not require additional reboots. As a result, it is logical to use Overdrive to pre-select the optimal settings for the processor and memory, and then, after practical testing, transfer them to the BIOS Setup of the motherboard.

The new version of AMD Overdrive 3.0.2, which is currently available for download, has received support for a couple of interesting additional features. The first one is BEMP technology (Black Edition Memory Profiles). In fact, this technology can be considered as an alternative to XMP - optimized DDR3 module settings profiles used in Intel platforms. AMD's approach, although pursuing the same goals - optimizing the memory subsystem for specific modules, is somewhat different. AMD developers offered to save profiles not in the SPD of memory modules, but on their website. As a result, the Overdrive utility, after determining the brand of DDR3 SDRAM used in the system, can load and activate the settings proposed by AMD engineers for timings, memory frequencies and the northbridge built into the processor, as well as their voltages.

Unfortunately, so far the list of memory modules supported by BEMP technology is very limited and it is expanding very slowly. Moreover, although AMD promised us support for the Mushkin 996601 memory used in our tests, in reality we were not able to load profiles using the Overdrive utility.

The second feature we would like to highlight is Smart Profiles. This technology allows you to customize the overclocking (or even slowing down) of the processor for individual applications. Overdrive can detect which applications are currently active and modify system settings specifically for those applications accordingly. The utility has a number of predefined profiles, mainly for common games (new profiles are automatically downloaded from the AMD website), but, in addition, manual control of parameters is also possible.

The value of this technology also lies in the fact that profile settings offer independent change of multipliers for different processor cores. Therefore, if a game uses, for example, only two cores, the frequency of the remaining two cores can be reduced, due to which energy savings or, for example, better overclocking of active cores will be achieved.

Thus, thanks to AMD Overdrive, owners of AMD processors get their hands on a kind of analogue of Intel Turbo Mode technology, with which, with a certain persistence, you can increase the efficiency of the system. However, the advantage of Intel Turbo Mode lies in its autonomy, because the operation of the turbo mode in Core i7 processors is controlled by special logic. AMD, on the other hand, proposes to transfer the concern for interactive processor frequency control to the user, which significantly limits the capabilities of Smart Profiles. In addition, the functioning of Smart Profiles technology is entirely based on the AMD Overdrive utility. Therefore, without its download and activation, the operation of this technology is impossible.

Performance

Overall Performance

The 6% increase in the clock frequency of the top processor in the Phenom II X4 model range resulted in a corresponding increase in performance, averaging 5%. As a result, if the first processors in the Phenom II X4 lineup, which appeared on sale at the beginning of this year, could successfully compete only with the Core 2 Quad Q8000 series, then the new representatives of the AMD flagship family look quite worthy against the background of the Core 2 Quad Q9550 and even, according to the results of SYSmark 2007, they are somewhat ahead of him. However, unfortunately, a simple increase in the Phenom II X4 clock speed was not enough for these processors to become worthy competitors at least for the younger Core i7 in LGA1366 version.

Gaming Performance

Unfortunately, the Phenom II X4 965 performs worse in gaming applications than in common work environments. The Core 2 Quad Q9550, which has an impressive amount of fast L2 cache, is about 5-6% faster than the new product offered by AMD. And this is despite the fact that the carrier frequency of the Core microarchitecture is 20% lower! In other words, gaming tests clearly illustrate the fact that the Stars (K10) microarchitecture operated by AMD is, if not hopelessly outdated, then approaching it. After all, having an even lower clock speed, the Core i7-920 outperforms the Phenom II X4 965 in modern games even more than the Core 2 Quad Q9550. It turns out that it will not be easy for existing AMD models to compete with promising Lynnfield processors.

Video encoding performance

Video encoding is a task that AMD processors do very well. The advantage of the Phenom II X4 965 over the Core 2 Quad Q9550 is about 15% on average - a very impressive result. However, even such a confident superiority can be shaken by the Core i7 processor, which has support for Hyper-Threading technology. Because of this, the Phenom II X4 965 can count on full-fledged competition only with those from Lynnfied that will belong to the Core i5-700 series, but not with the Core i7-800 supporting this technology.

Performance in video editors

It is quite expected that when editing video, things are about the same as when doing simple coding (especially this concerns the unconditional advantage of processors with support for Hyper-Threading technology). Although, of course, some consolation for fans of AMD products can be the fact that Phenom II X4 processors perform well in Premiere Pro, even outperforming the competing member of the Core 2 Quad family. However, we should not forget that we are talking about a comparison of the novelty offered by AMD and the previous generation Intel processor, which has been on the market for almost two years.

Performance in graphics editors

In terms of speed in graphics editors, the new Phenom II X4 965 approaches the Core 2 Quad Q9550, but, nevertheless, still lags behind it by an average of 4%. A comparison with the more advanced Core i7 is out of the question - just look at the diagram.

Render performance

Final rendering in 3D modeling packages is a highly parallelizable task, so the Core i7's superiority in the first two tests doesn't surprise us. The new Phenom II X4, thanks to its increased clock frequency, is able to compete for the championship with the Core 2 Quad Q9550, but nothing more. But in the AutoCAD engineering design system, the result of Phenom II X4 965 is more than positive: it not only outperforms Core 2 Quad of equal cost by 30%, but even outperforms the more expensive and more advanced Core i7 processor.

Performance in Scientific Computing

And again, we have to state that the Phenom II X4 965 is slightly behind not only the Core i7-920, but also the Core 2 Quad Q9550. It turns out that despite the fact that the speed of the Phenom II X4 processors during this year increased by 400 MHz and reached its limit (for the near future), AMD did not manage to offer a full-fledged competitor in all respects even for the Intel Core 2 Quad family. As we can see, the older Phenom II X4 can hardly compete with the average model of Intel's processor of the last generation.

conclusions

The announcement of the Phenom II X4 965 processor can hardly be considered an unexpected event. Having at its disposal a new 45 nm Deneb core, which has a much more impressive frequency potential than the previous Agena core, AMD, in an attempt to catch up with the Core 2 Quad and Core i7 that had gone far ahead, rushed to squeeze higher and higher clock frequencies out of quad-core models. And today the frequency of Phenom II X4 processors has reached 3.4 GHz, which is higher than the frequency of any processors offered by Intel.

But, unfortunately, such a high clock speed reveals all the shortcomings of the K10 microarchitecture, which AMD has been using in its processors for the past two years. As we saw in the tests, the new Phenom II X4 965, running at 3.4 GHz, shows about the same results as the Core 2 Quad Q9550 with a nominal frequency of 2.83 GHz, and lags behind the Core i7-920, whose frequency and even less - 2.66 GHz. Thus, AMD processors quite seriously lose to competing products in terms of IPC (the number of instructions executed per clock). And it is this fact, and not insufficiently high clock speeds, that prevents AMD's offerings from penetrating into the upper price segments.

In addition, given that the Phenom II X4 965 has a typical heat dissipation that has risen to 140 W, its release is very similar to the "announcement of last resort". Obviously, there is no place to wait for further acceleration of the Phenom II X4 family, at least until the release of new revisions of the Deneb core, about which there is no information in the near future. Thus, Phenom II X4 965 will apparently remain the fastest model of AMD's quad-core processors for quite some time. For which Intel may well not only have time to develop the Lynnfield family, but also put into production processors manufactured using the 32-nm process technology. In other words, if today we considered the Phenom II X4 965 as a mid-range processor, then almost certainly in the near future the entire Phenom II X4 family will have to be content with only inexpensive quad-core processors, which, for example, were the first generation Phenom X4.

And even today the position of Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition is more than disputable. It would seem that Phenom II X4 965, the official price of which is set at $245, plus additional discounts are promised (primarily to North American consumers) when buying processor and board sets, could be a fairly good offer for fans of AMD products. However, the minuses of this processor are still very serious: high power consumption and obviously worse overclocking performance than competing products can alienate many potential buyers from Phenom II X4 965. Therefore, this model is interesting, most likely, only for those users who already have Socket AM2+ or Socket AM3 platforms and want to increase their computing power by installing a more efficient processor. How Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition could attract new adherents to AMD, we, frankly, find it difficult to answer.

Name	AMD Phenom II X6	AMD Phenom II X4	Core i5
Model	1055T	925	750
Core	Thuban	Deneb	Lynnfield
stepping	E0	C3	B1
Process technology, nm	45nm SOI	45nm SOI	45 high-k
connector	AM3	AM3	LGA1156
Rated frequency, MHz	2800	2800	2666
Maximum frequency, MHz	3300*	2800	3200**
Factor	14-16,5*	14	20-24**
HyperTransport/QPI, GT/s	4000	4000	4800
L1 cache, KB	6x128	4x128	4x(32+32)
L2 cache, KB	6x512	4x512	4x256
L3 cache, KB	6144	6144	8192
Supply voltage, V	1,125-1,40	0,90-1,40	0,65-1,40
TDP. Tue	125	95	95
Limit temperature, °C	62	71	72,5
Instruction set		ISC, IA32, x86-64, NXbit, MMX, 3DNow!, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSE4a	RISC, IA32, XD bit, MMX, EM64T, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSE4.2

CPU	Processor frequency, MHz	Memory frequency, MHz	Basic Delays (CL-tRCD- tRP- tRAS-CR)	Uncore frequency for Intel, NB for AMD, MHz	QPI frequency for Intel, NT for AMD, MHz	Vcore, V
Phenom II X6 1055T	2800	1600	9-9-9-28-1T	2000	2000	1,425
Phenom II X6 1055T	3710	1412	8-8-8-24-1T	2385	2385	1,46
Phenom II X4 925	2800	1333	8-8-8-24-1T	2000	2000	1,425
Intel Core i5-750	2666	1333	8-8-8-24-1T	2130	2400	1,125
Intel Core i5-750	3800	1520	8-8-8-24-2T	3040	3040	1,325

Introduction

Phenom vs Core 2

Return of AMD Phenom II

What is the ideal frequency for the Phenom?

AMD Phenom II X4 940 Black Edition (BE)

Phenom II Models

Flexible CPU selection

Overclocking and power consumption

Platform: Jetway HA07 Ultra based on AMD 790GX chipset

New processor: Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition

How We Tested

Energy Testing

Overclocking

AMD Overdrive 3.0

Performance

conclusions

Other materials on this topic

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