Today we are covering the official launch of the new AMD Phenom II X4 processors. The flagship model in this new series is the Phenom II X4 940 which works at 3.0GHz, while the 920 is just slightly slower at 2.80GHz. Both processors should be available from retailers anytime soon and are meant to be compatible with all current AM2+ motherboards provided they are supported with an updated BIOS.
Based on the AMD 45nm Deneb core, the new Phenom II CPUs have been eagerly anticipated in hope that they could rival the dominant Core 2 Quad and most recently the devastating Core i7 series that Intel used to up the ante and most likely put its closest competitor in further trouble.
As we've pointed out in our few last articles related to the Core i7 platform, the basic components of building such a system will set you back no less than $700. What AMD will need to exploit here then is the value that they can provide using the Phenom II, much like they are doing in the graphics world with the very successful Radeon HD 4000 series.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
AMD Phenom II CPU Review
AMD have officially announced the launch of the Phenom II, which is their most powerful CPU yet. The new processor from AMD will be sandwiched between Intel’s Intel’s Core 2 Quad and Core i7 processors. There is to be two Phenom II chips available, the X4 920 and the X4 940 Black Edition with speeds of 2.8 and 3.0 GHz, respectively.
The AMD Phenom II with its HyperTransport interface and integrated memory controller gives the CPU a technical edge over the Intel Core 2 Quad chips which do not have those features. Intel do use a similar system called QuickPath Interconnect, but is only used on their latest Core i7 platform.
With this feature, the Phenom II processor manages to achieve higher bandwidth than Intel’s Core 2 Quad processors; it does this by eliminating bottlenecks which are created by the frontside bus and an external controller. This new processor proves that AMD is waging the war with Intel and their faster Core i7 chips, as the new Phenom II is a dream for Upgraders’ and Overclockers.
The AMD Phenom II with its HyperTransport interface and integrated memory controller gives the CPU a technical edge over the Intel Core 2 Quad chips which do not have those features. Intel do use a similar system called QuickPath Interconnect, but is only used on their latest Core i7 platform.
With this feature, the Phenom II processor manages to achieve higher bandwidth than Intel’s Core 2 Quad processors; it does this by eliminating bottlenecks which are created by the frontside bus and an external controller. This new processor proves that AMD is waging the war with Intel and their faster Core i7 chips, as the new Phenom II is a dream for Upgraders’ and Overclockers.
AMD Launches Phenom II CPU, Its Fastest Yet
The story sounds familiar: Intel hits a new milestone in nanometer architecture, and AMD waits a while to follow up. It happened with 65nm processors, and it's happening again now. Two days shy of a year since Intel launched Penryn, its first 45nm chip, AMD is finally ready to counter with a few 45nm CPUs of its own--Phenom II has finally arrived. But based on our hands-on testing of two Phenom II machines--the Dell XPS 625 and the Maingear Dash--the chip isn't quite as dominating as AMD would have you believe.
AMD Phenom II Explained
AMD is positioning Phenom II in between Intel's Core 2 Quad and Core i7 offerings. Phenom II chips are available in two versions, the X4 920 and the X4 940 Black Edition, which compete tit-for-tat against Intel's highest Core 2 Quad CPU frequencies at 2.8 and 3.0 GHz, respectively.
AMD bumped the shared L3 cache of the Phenom II processors up from 2MB to 6MB, giving each CPU a total cache of 8MB. L3 cache serves as a shared memory space for the cores to draw from. Increasing the amount improves the CPU's ability to pull data from this faster memory space instead of having to issue slower requests to the system's main memory. The move puts Phenom II processors right in the middle of Intel's Core 2 Quad lineup for cache size, but the result is still short of the 12MB caches found on higher-end Core i7 chips.
Though limited overclocking of the 920-edition processors is available through AMD's OverDrive software, the company is tipping its hat toward the extreme-performance crowd with its Black Edition processors. These CPUs run multiplier-unlocked, which liquid-nitrogen-armed enthusiasts have been able to exploit to frequencies above 6 GHz, surpassing the world record for Intel Core i7 processors, which stands at 5.5 GHz.
Performance
The Phenom II's integrated memory controller and HyperTransport interface give it a technical edge over competing Core 2 Quad chips, which lack those features. Intel moved to an integrated memory controller and began incorporating its own version of HyperTransport--dubbed QuickPath Interconnect--only with its Core i7 platform. The integrated memory controller and HyperTransport interface allow Phenom II processors to achieve a higher memory bandwidth than Core 2 Quad processors can, by eliminating the bottlenecks created by a frontside bus and an external controller. The arrangement, in theory, improves system performance.
But not in practice, apparently. In comprehensive PC World lab testing of two $1499 Phenom II-based desktops, Dell's XPS 625 and Maingear's Dash, these brand-new chips failed to blow Intel's Core 2 Quad and Core i7 offerings out of the water.
The Phenom II systems crushed most of our top-ranked sub-$1500 value PCs, but that's to be expected, as they have twice the cores and are generally almost twice the price of predominantly Core 2 Duo-based value desktops. We then went on to compare these Phenom II systems against the best that the $1500-plus machines on our Top 10 Power PCs chart had to offer, including both Core i7 and Core 2 Quad PCs with varying amounts of system memory and hard-drive RAID configurations. Neither Phenom II desktop was able to beat any of our nine best Intel-based power PCs on our WorldBench 6 tests. Even Maingear's Dash, a Phenom II desktop running an X4 940 Black Edition CPU overclocked to 3.4 GHz, wasn't up to the task. Adding insult to injury, the Phenom II systems couldn't even best the CPU benchmark scores of the Xi Mtower PCIe Centurion, a power PC sporting a 3.16-GHz Core 2 Duo E8500 processor.
Upgraders' and Overclockers' Dream?
That said, AMD is waging its war against the speedier Core i7 chips on price, not performance--especially for potential upgraders. Moving from a Core 2 Quad CPU to a Core i7 chip requires a obtaining a new motherboard and new memory, in addition to the processor. Moving from a Socket AM2+ processor to a Phenom II requires buying only the new processor. And if you decide to upgrade to an AM3-socket Phenom II CPU, expected to be released in early 2009, you'll be able to keep your DDR2 memory--possibly even your motherboard. But from what we've seen so far, the price benefit isn't as drastic if you're in the market for a new computer: The two Phenom II systems we tested each rang up at $1499; three of our higher-performing power PCs (including both Core i7 and Core 2 Quad models) cost from $1600 to $1800.
AMD is launching its next-generation platform alongside the Phenom II processors. The successor to the company's Phenom quad-core-based Spider platform, the new Dragon platform consists of AMD's Phenom II processors, 4800-series Radeon HD graphics cards, and 790-series motherboard chip sets. The platform focuses on energy savings, thanks to a combination of AMD's Cool'n'Quiet 3.0 software and 45nm architecture. Together, they allow Phenom II processors to reduce their heavy-load power consumption by a reported 30 to 40 percent versus Phenom processors, with a savings of up to 50 percent at idle.
Considering that AMD had a full year to ponder Intel's Core 2 Quad and Core i7 chips, it isn't exploding out of the gate. Core i7 remains the high-end processor to beat for average consumers. Judging from our testing, a Phenom II will require a solid system backed by strong overclocking to surpass the prowess of even a midrange or high-end Core 2 Quad processor. If you're looking to upgrade and you care more about simplicity than you do about high stock clock speeds, AMD's single-CPU upgrade is a powerful statement. As for performance, perhaps AMD's products will seem more appealing once extreme-system manufacturers start pushing their Phenom II chip sets past the 4-GHz range. We'll hold our breath to see how everything pans out.
AMD Phenom II Explained
AMD is positioning Phenom II in between Intel's Core 2 Quad and Core i7 offerings. Phenom II chips are available in two versions, the X4 920 and the X4 940 Black Edition, which compete tit-for-tat against Intel's highest Core 2 Quad CPU frequencies at 2.8 and 3.0 GHz, respectively.
AMD bumped the shared L3 cache of the Phenom II processors up from 2MB to 6MB, giving each CPU a total cache of 8MB. L3 cache serves as a shared memory space for the cores to draw from. Increasing the amount improves the CPU's ability to pull data from this faster memory space instead of having to issue slower requests to the system's main memory. The move puts Phenom II processors right in the middle of Intel's Core 2 Quad lineup for cache size, but the result is still short of the 12MB caches found on higher-end Core i7 chips.
Though limited overclocking of the 920-edition processors is available through AMD's OverDrive software, the company is tipping its hat toward the extreme-performance crowd with its Black Edition processors. These CPUs run multiplier-unlocked, which liquid-nitrogen-armed enthusiasts have been able to exploit to frequencies above 6 GHz, surpassing the world record for Intel Core i7 processors, which stands at 5.5 GHz.
Performance
The Phenom II's integrated memory controller and HyperTransport interface give it a technical edge over competing Core 2 Quad chips, which lack those features. Intel moved to an integrated memory controller and began incorporating its own version of HyperTransport--dubbed QuickPath Interconnect--only with its Core i7 platform. The integrated memory controller and HyperTransport interface allow Phenom II processors to achieve a higher memory bandwidth than Core 2 Quad processors can, by eliminating the bottlenecks created by a frontside bus and an external controller. The arrangement, in theory, improves system performance.
But not in practice, apparently. In comprehensive PC World lab testing of two $1499 Phenom II-based desktops, Dell's XPS 625 and Maingear's Dash, these brand-new chips failed to blow Intel's Core 2 Quad and Core i7 offerings out of the water.
The Phenom II systems crushed most of our top-ranked sub-$1500 value PCs, but that's to be expected, as they have twice the cores and are generally almost twice the price of predominantly Core 2 Duo-based value desktops. We then went on to compare these Phenom II systems against the best that the $1500-plus machines on our Top 10 Power PCs chart had to offer, including both Core i7 and Core 2 Quad PCs with varying amounts of system memory and hard-drive RAID configurations. Neither Phenom II desktop was able to beat any of our nine best Intel-based power PCs on our WorldBench 6 tests. Even Maingear's Dash, a Phenom II desktop running an X4 940 Black Edition CPU overclocked to 3.4 GHz, wasn't up to the task. Adding insult to injury, the Phenom II systems couldn't even best the CPU benchmark scores of the Xi Mtower PCIe Centurion, a power PC sporting a 3.16-GHz Core 2 Duo E8500 processor.
Upgraders' and Overclockers' Dream?
That said, AMD is waging its war against the speedier Core i7 chips on price, not performance--especially for potential upgraders. Moving from a Core 2 Quad CPU to a Core i7 chip requires a obtaining a new motherboard and new memory, in addition to the processor. Moving from a Socket AM2+ processor to a Phenom II requires buying only the new processor. And if you decide to upgrade to an AM3-socket Phenom II CPU, expected to be released in early 2009, you'll be able to keep your DDR2 memory--possibly even your motherboard. But from what we've seen so far, the price benefit isn't as drastic if you're in the market for a new computer: The two Phenom II systems we tested each rang up at $1499; three of our higher-performing power PCs (including both Core i7 and Core 2 Quad models) cost from $1600 to $1800.
AMD is launching its next-generation platform alongside the Phenom II processors. The successor to the company's Phenom quad-core-based Spider platform, the new Dragon platform consists of AMD's Phenom II processors, 4800-series Radeon HD graphics cards, and 790-series motherboard chip sets. The platform focuses on energy savings, thanks to a combination of AMD's Cool'n'Quiet 3.0 software and 45nm architecture. Together, they allow Phenom II processors to reduce their heavy-load power consumption by a reported 30 to 40 percent versus Phenom processors, with a savings of up to 50 percent at idle.
Considering that AMD had a full year to ponder Intel's Core 2 Quad and Core i7 chips, it isn't exploding out of the gate. Core i7 remains the high-end processor to beat for average consumers. Judging from our testing, a Phenom II will require a solid system backed by strong overclocking to surpass the prowess of even a midrange or high-end Core 2 Quad processor. If you're looking to upgrade and you care more about simplicity than you do about high stock clock speeds, AMD's single-CPU upgrade is a powerful statement. As for performance, perhaps AMD's products will seem more appealing once extreme-system manufacturers start pushing their Phenom II chip sets past the 4-GHz range. We'll hold our breath to see how everything pans out.
AMD Launches Phenom II X4 940 and 920
After much anticipation and a series of leaked details running on the Internet, the Sunnyvale, California-based chip maker has finally seen it fit to officially introduce its next generation of desktop computer processors. Designed on a 45nm process technology, the new desktop-tailored CPUs have been dubbed Phenom II, coming as an evolved product, when compared to the company's first Phenom processors. With the launch, AMD announced two new processor models, namely the Phenom II X4 920 and what is now the company's flagship model, the Phenom II X4 940. Both processors boast a quad-core architecture and, despite their design similarities with Intel's Core i7, these new CPUs will be priced lower than $300.
The technical specifications on these new processors are pretty much what has been rumored for a good time now. Boasting a 45nm process technology, the Phenom II comes as the first AMD consumer processor based on a manufacturing technology that Intel's CPUs have benefited from for a while now. The Phenom II processors have a higher 6MB L3 cache, compared to the first generation, which only provided a 2MB cache size. The L2 and L1 cache size is similar to that of the 65nm Phenoms, namely 512KB per core and 64K+64K per core, respectively. There are 758M transistors on the new Phenoms while the maximum TDP is rated at 125W.
Additional features include support for a series of instructions, such as MMX 3DNow!, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSE 4a. As far as specific technical details go, the Phenom II X4 920, the lowest performance and cheapest (at the moment) Phenom II processor, will provide its users with a clock speed of 2.8GHz. The higher-clocked X4 940, also dubbed the Black Edition, is expected to come with a core speed of 3.0GHz. What is more impressive about the new Phenoms is that, according to AMD, they will be capable of providing an overclocking capability that will allow them to exploit frequencies in the 6GHz area, using extreme cooling solutions.
This next-generation of Phenom processors will be priced at $235 and $275 for the X4 920 and X4 940, respectively. The expected price point is even more impressive when compared to that of Intel's latest, high-performance CPU, the Core i7, codenamed Nehalem. Also, due to their support for both AM3 and AM2+ sockets, the new 45nm-based quad core CPUs from AMD will make up for an excellent upgrading choice, for all AMD users that up until now could only go with the first generation of Phenom processors.
A series of reviews have already made their way on the Internet, providing crucial info on the performance capabilities of the new Phenoms, which have, unfortunately, failed to rise to those of Intel's Core i7. Nevertheless, the Phenom II is regarded as a considerable leap forward, offering users what the first Phenom processors could have provided. The Phenom II would be a much better competitor for some of Intel's Core 2 Quad processors, which still take advantage of the company's old CPU architecture.
The technical specifications on these new processors are pretty much what has been rumored for a good time now. Boasting a 45nm process technology, the Phenom II comes as the first AMD consumer processor based on a manufacturing technology that Intel's CPUs have benefited from for a while now. The Phenom II processors have a higher 6MB L3 cache, compared to the first generation, which only provided a 2MB cache size. The L2 and L1 cache size is similar to that of the 65nm Phenoms, namely 512KB per core and 64K+64K per core, respectively. There are 758M transistors on the new Phenoms while the maximum TDP is rated at 125W.
Additional features include support for a series of instructions, such as MMX 3DNow!, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSE 4a. As far as specific technical details go, the Phenom II X4 920, the lowest performance and cheapest (at the moment) Phenom II processor, will provide its users with a clock speed of 2.8GHz. The higher-clocked X4 940, also dubbed the Black Edition, is expected to come with a core speed of 3.0GHz. What is more impressive about the new Phenoms is that, according to AMD, they will be capable of providing an overclocking capability that will allow them to exploit frequencies in the 6GHz area, using extreme cooling solutions.
This next-generation of Phenom processors will be priced at $235 and $275 for the X4 920 and X4 940, respectively. The expected price point is even more impressive when compared to that of Intel's latest, high-performance CPU, the Core i7, codenamed Nehalem. Also, due to their support for both AM3 and AM2+ sockets, the new 45nm-based quad core CPUs from AMD will make up for an excellent upgrading choice, for all AMD users that up until now could only go with the first generation of Phenom processors.
A series of reviews have already made their way on the Internet, providing crucial info on the performance capabilities of the new Phenoms, which have, unfortunately, failed to rise to those of Intel's Core i7. Nevertheless, the Phenom II is regarded as a considerable leap forward, offering users what the first Phenom processors could have provided. The Phenom II would be a much better competitor for some of Intel's Core 2 Quad processors, which still take advantage of the company's old CPU architecture.
Mesh first with AMD Phenom II PC
High-end AMD platform to challenge Intel
AMD has launched its new Dragon high-performance PC platform alongside a new range of Phenom II processors, and PCs based on the technology are now available in the UK.
Mesh Computers is one of the first UK manufacturers to offer the technology, releasing a new range of Mesh Matrix II systems starting with an AMD Phenom II X4 920-based desktop costing £749.
The Matrix II includes an HIS 4850 IceQ graphics accelerator on an AMD-chipset mainboard from Asus. The system is supplied with a 22in Iiyama widescreen monitor that supports full HD resolutions up to 1920x1080.
The Windows Vista 64-bit Mesh Matrix II X4 940 uses the more powerful of the AMD processors, with all four 64-bit cores running at 3GHz, as well as a 1GB HIS 4870 IceQ4+ graphics card. The hard drive doubles to 1TB and the system comes complete with a Blu-Ray drive.
More details will be available on the Mesh website later today.
The Phenom II is based on AMD's new 45-nanometre manufacturing process, and some analysts believe the chip will allow AMD to overtake Intel in terms of raw performance for the first time in years. Phenom II chips have up to 8MB of cache and clock speeds start at 3GHz. Using a 45nm process shrinks the width between circuits, therefore the power demands are lower.
AMD is launching the chip range at the Consumer Electronics Show, which kicked off with Steve Ballmer's keynote in Las Vegas last night, but begins in earnest today. AMD chief executive Dirk Meyer is scheduled to give one of the keynote speeches.
AMD has launched its new Dragon high-performance PC platform alongside a new range of Phenom II processors, and PCs based on the technology are now available in the UK.
Mesh Computers is one of the first UK manufacturers to offer the technology, releasing a new range of Mesh Matrix II systems starting with an AMD Phenom II X4 920-based desktop costing £749.
The Matrix II includes an HIS 4850 IceQ graphics accelerator on an AMD-chipset mainboard from Asus. The system is supplied with a 22in Iiyama widescreen monitor that supports full HD resolutions up to 1920x1080.
The Windows Vista 64-bit Mesh Matrix II X4 940 uses the more powerful of the AMD processors, with all four 64-bit cores running at 3GHz, as well as a 1GB HIS 4870 IceQ4+ graphics card. The hard drive doubles to 1TB and the system comes complete with a Blu-Ray drive.
More details will be available on the Mesh website later today.
The Phenom II is based on AMD's new 45-nanometre manufacturing process, and some analysts believe the chip will allow AMD to overtake Intel in terms of raw performance for the first time in years. Phenom II chips have up to 8MB of cache and clock speeds start at 3GHz. Using a 45nm process shrinks the width between circuits, therefore the power demands are lower.
AMD is launching the chip range at the Consumer Electronics Show, which kicked off with Steve Ballmer's keynote in Las Vegas last night, but begins in earnest today. AMD chief executive Dirk Meyer is scheduled to give one of the keynote speeches.
Hardware Roundup: AMD Phenom II X4 Edition
AMD has officially announced its first round of 45nm desktop processors. The Phenom II X4 920 runs at 2.8GHz and the Phenom II X4 940 is clocked at 3.0GHz. This promises to be just the first in the lineup of Deneb core processors AMD is slated to release in 2009. The Phenom II X4 will be part of the Dragon enthusiast platform consisting of a 790GX chipset motherboard and an AMD/ATI HD 4800-series videocard. While the chipset and videocard components of the platform are familiar to users by now, the CPU component is new so read on to found out what the Phenom II X4 processors can do.
AMD Unleashes Dragon, Touts Performance for Under US$900
With the launch of the new and highly-anticipated next generation of desktop processors from AMD, the company has also introduced a new desktop platform, codenamed the Dragon. Rumored since as early back as the first Phenom II leaked details surfaced, the new platform has been designed to provide its users with an alternative choice for a high-performance desktop that is also price competitive. In fact, one of the most significant aspects of the new platform is that, according to the Sunnyvale, California-based chip maker, it will provide a “soaring performance for less than US$900.”
“With Dragon platform technology, AMD is changing the desktop industry landscape by offering affordable performance and maximum headroom for gaming, video editing, and other media-intensive tasks,” said Leslie Sobon, vice president of product marketing, AMD. “Through our Fusion platform approach, AMD is able to deliver CPUs, GPUs and chipsets that work better together to meet the industry’s evolving needs today and well into the future.”
At the heart of the Dragon platform, AMD has provided the new 45nm Phenom II processors, which the company has just officially launched. These new desktop CPUs boast core frequencies of up to 3GHz, but also provide a significant overclocking capability. In addition to the next-generation Phenom processors, ATI's Radeon HD 4800 series graphics card, along with the AMD 7-series chipsets, provide for the performance features and capabilities that can be delivered by the company's new “Dragon.”
In addition to its performance capabilities, the new platform has been designed to allow system builders to enable PCs to save power, while not comprising on performance. One of the main features provided in this respect is the AMD Cool'n'Quiet 3.0 technology enabled by the company's newest and highest-performance processors to date, the Phenom II X4 920 and 940.
Users who want to take advantage of the new platform should be on the lookout for new computer systems from major PC makers, such as HP, Dell or Alienware. Also, AMD has posted a video to showcase the features enabled by its latest products and technologies.
“With Dragon platform technology, AMD is changing the desktop industry landscape by offering affordable performance and maximum headroom for gaming, video editing, and other media-intensive tasks,” said Leslie Sobon, vice president of product marketing, AMD. “Through our Fusion platform approach, AMD is able to deliver CPUs, GPUs and chipsets that work better together to meet the industry’s evolving needs today and well into the future.”
At the heart of the Dragon platform, AMD has provided the new 45nm Phenom II processors, which the company has just officially launched. These new desktop CPUs boast core frequencies of up to 3GHz, but also provide a significant overclocking capability. In addition to the next-generation Phenom processors, ATI's Radeon HD 4800 series graphics card, along with the AMD 7-series chipsets, provide for the performance features and capabilities that can be delivered by the company's new “Dragon.”
In addition to its performance capabilities, the new platform has been designed to allow system builders to enable PCs to save power, while not comprising on performance. One of the main features provided in this respect is the AMD Cool'n'Quiet 3.0 technology enabled by the company's newest and highest-performance processors to date, the Phenom II X4 920 and 940.
Users who want to take advantage of the new platform should be on the lookout for new computer systems from major PC makers, such as HP, Dell or Alienware. Also, AMD has posted a video to showcase the features enabled by its latest products and technologies.
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