Two times two: AMD Phenom II X2 and Athlon II X2 processors. Processors General information about the line of chips

In this article, we will talk about choosing the optimal video card for AMD AM3 and FM1 processors:

Phenom X6 1035T, 1045T, 1055T, 1065T, 1075T, 1090T, 1100T
Phenom X4 910, 920, 925, 940, 945, 955, 960T, 965, 970, 975, 980
Athlon II X4 620, 630, 635, 640, 645, 655
Athlon II X4 631, 641, 638, 651, 651K

Due to the unstable economic situation, many PC users are unwilling or unable to change the platform, "sitting" on the old one for as long as possible. Therefore, in many people the question arises of choosing the optimal bundle of an old multi-core CPU and a more or less modern video card. We will try to find the most comparable solutions from those available on the market.

Video card for AMD Phenom X6 1035T, 1045T, 1055T, 1065T, 1075T, 1090T, 1100T

These processors are close in performance to solutions from the AMD FX-4000 and FX-6000 lines. Consequently, older quad- and six-core models will be able to work in tandem with video cards of the levelAMD Radeon R7 370 / RX 460 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Ti. We recommend using the younger ones together with level solutionsAMD Radeon R7 360 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750.

Video card for AMD Athlon II X4 620, 630, 635, 640, 645, 655, 631, 641, 638, 651, 651K

We recommend using the more productive of the listed solutions in tandem with video adapters of the level AMD Radeon R7 360 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750. As for models with a low frequency, they are best suited for somewhat outdated AMD Radeon R7 250 / R7 250X and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 / GT 740.

AMD is known as a supplier of high-performance, technological, and at the same time affordable processors for various types of PCs. The line of AMD Phenom II chips produced by this brand has become very popular in Russia and in the world. In turn, the modification of the X4 processors, related to the corresponding line, has become more widespread. These chips are characterized as high-speed, versatile and also optimally suited for overclocking. What are their main characteristics? What do modern IT-specialists say about the effectiveness of Phenom II chips in the X4 modification?

General information about the line of chips

The AMD Phenom II family of processors is based on the high-tech K10 microarchitecture. In the corresponding line of the chip there are solutions equipped with a number of cores from 2 to 6. The X4 microcircuits belonging to the family under consideration also belong to the Dragon platform developed by AMD. Those chips that have 6 cores belong to the Leo platform.

AMD releases AMD Phenom II chips in several proprietary modifications: Thuban, Zosma, Deneb, Heka, and Callisto. All of them are united by the technological process - 45 nm. But the differences between them can be very significant.

Thus, processors in the Thuban modification are equipped with 6 cores and 904 million transistors, have an area of 346 square meters. mm. The size of the third-level cache on chips of this type is 64 GB, the same amount is reserved for instructions. The cache of the second level is 512 KB, the third one is 6 MB. The processors are compatible with DDR2 and DDR3 RAM modules. The power consumption of the chips is between 95 and 125 watts. Processors belonging to this proprietary line can operate at frequencies from 2.6 to 3.3 GHz, with the Turbo Core option enabled - up to 3.7 GHz.

AMD Phenom II chips in the Zosma modification have 4 cores. The cache memory indicators in them are the same as in the Thuban processors. The situation is similar with support for RAM modules. In terms of power consumption, there are chips within the Zosma line that run at 65W, but there are also those that consume 140W of power. The processors in this modification operate at a frequency of 3 GHz, in Turbo Core mode they can be accelerated up to 3.4 GHz.

Chips of the Deneb line also have 4 cores. They are equipped with 758 million transistors and have an area of 258 square meters. mm. The cache memory indicators are the same as in the chip modifications discussed above. The same can be said about the level of support for memory modules and core technologies. Processors related to the Deneb modification can operate at frequencies from 2.4 to 3.7 GHz.

Chips within the Heka chip line actually correspond in basic characteristics to Deneb chips, but they only have 3 cores. From a technological point of view, they are Deneb processors with 1 core disabled. It can also be noted that the frequencies supported by Heka chips are in the range from 2.5 to 3 GHz. In addition, among the processors of this line there are no those that have a consumption higher than 95 watts.

Another modification of AMD Phenom II chips is Callisto. In turn, the chips that belong to it are also virtually identical to the Deneb processors, but they work on 2 cores. That is, they are Deneb chips with 2 cores disabled. The processors of this line operate at frequencies from 3 to 3.4 GHz, consume power of 80 watts.

Among the most common types of Phenom II processors in Russia are those belonging to the Deneb line.

AMD Phenom II chips belonging to this technological range are available in the following popular modifications: X4 940, X4 945, X4 955, X4 965. There is also a flagship model of the X4 line - the X4 980 processor. Let's take a closer look at the features of these chips.

X4 940

The first processor that we will study is AMD Phenom II X4 940. The characteristics of this chip are as follows.

The processor in the X4 940 modification operates at a frequency of 3 GHz using a multiplier of 15 units. The chip is equipped with 4 cores. The manufacturing process within which the microcircuit is made is 45 nm. The amount of cache memory in the AMD Phenom II processor is 128 KB, level 2 is 2 MB, and level 3 is 6 MB. The set of instructions supported by the chip: MMX, SSE in versions 2, 3 and 4, 3DNow! The processor is compatible with technologies such as AMD64/EM65T as well as NX Bit. The maximum operating temperature of the AMD Phenom II chip is 62 degrees. The socket type supported by the chip is AM2+.

It can be noted that the characteristics of the AMD Phenom II X4 945 processor are almost the same. The only difference is that the X4 945 chip can run on

Characteristics and capabilities of the chip in version X4 955

Let's now study the specifics of the AMD Phenom II X4 955 chip. The characteristics of this chip are as follows.

The processor in the modification under consideration operates at a frequency of 3.2 MHz with a multiplier of 16. It has a built-in memory controller - its bandwidth is 21 Gb / s. The volume does not differ from that of the models we have reviewed above - in particular, AMD Phenom II X4 945. The characteristics of the chip in terms of support for basic multimedia and computing technologies are the same as for junior processors. The maximum operating temperature of the microcircuit is also 62 degrees. Among the most significant advantages of the AMD Phenom II processor in the X4 955 modification is compatibility with DDR3 RAM modules.

What are the practical capabilities of the chip? You can pay attention to the results of some tests of this processor. Note that these were achieved by using the chip in combination with such components as:

Motherboard type supporting sockets AM3;

4 GB of RAM in DDR3 modification.

As tests conducted by IT experts show, the AMD Phenom II processor in combination with DDR3 memory modules is noticeably ahead of similar chips installed in PCs equipped with DDR2 RAM. Therefore, a significant factor in using the capabilities of a microcircuit in practice is its addition to other high-performance and technological hardware components.

Overclocking X4 955

Let's consider one more aspect of using the AMD Phenom II X4 955 processor - overclocking. Experienced IT experts recommend using the multifunctional Overdrive utility in version 3.0 for its implementation.

Of course, you can also overclock through the BIOS, but using the marked program allows you to solve the tasks without restarting the PC. Among the most notable features of the utility is BEMP. Using it allows you to greatly simplify the configuration of the processor in overclocking mode. This function involves establishing a connection between the Overdrive program and an online database that contains lists of optimal values for clock speeds and other options needed to speed up the chip. The Smart Profiles option found in Overdrive is also very useful. With its help, the user can fine-tune the overclocking process of the chip.

The Overdrive software also allows you to adapt the Phenom II X4 to the various applications running on your computer. So, for example, if any program operates in a single-threaded mode, then the user can use the appropriate software to reduce the frequencies of 3 of the 4 cores of the chip so that the 4th has increased limits for increasing the speed while maintaining the optimal operating temperature.

Comparison of X4 955 with competitors

How competitive is the Phenom II X4 version in question? The review we are conducting in terms of comparing the capabilities of the chip with analogues may not be detailed enough, but, again, we can examine the results of comparative tests of the chip conducted by IT specialists. The closest competitor to the processor in question is the Intel Core 2 Quad Q 9550.

Chip performance tests show that the Intel solution is faster than the AMD chip, but not by much. The difference revealed by experts, most likely, will not be of practical significance when launching games and applications. In turn, such solutions as the Intel Core i7 in the 920 version are noticeably ahead of both the AMD solution and the Q9550 processor. At the same time, all 3 chips have a generally comparable market value. It can be noted that in the multimedia tests the AMD Phenom II processor in the modification under consideration is much more competitive than in the arithmetic ones. Thus, when testing, it is important to measure the performance of the compared solutions in different modes - in order to have a more objective idea of the capabilities of the microcircuits.

Characteristics and capabilities of the chip in version X4 965

Let's now examine the capabilities of the AMD Phenom II X4 965 chip. The characteristics of this chip are as follows.

The standard processor frequency is 3.4 GHz. The voltage indicator on the chip is 1.4 V. Other processor parameters are generally identical to the younger models of the X4 line. It can be noted that the chip can be used on 2 types of sockets - AM3 and AM2+. The memory controller that is installed in the processor is compatible, in turn, with 2 RAM standards - DDR2 and DD3.

Overclocking X4 965 chip

Let's study how successful AMD Phenom II X4 965 overclocking can be. It can be noted that the processors of this line are well adapted to adjusting the voltage level. So, for example, if some of the advanced solutions from Intel can work unstably at a rate of 1.65 V and higher, then AMD chips operate in such modes in full stably.

As AMD Phenom II X4 tests show, overclocking the chip in this modification allows reaching a frequency of 3.8 GHz. By the way, approximately the same result can be achieved when accelerating the processor in the X4 955 modification. According to IT specialists, it is theoretically possible to accelerate the X4 965 chip to a frequency of 4 GHz, at which the computer remains stable. But if this indicator is exceeded, the processor may work in some modes unstably. According to experts who tested the version of AMD Phenom II under consideration, overclocking this chip allows not only to fix the advantages of the microcircuit in tests, but also to achieve a significant acceleration of the PC in practice.

It can be noted that it is possible to overclock the processor in the X4 965 modification not only through experiments with the main coefficients. Experienced IT professionals also use a technique in which chip acceleration is achieved by increasing the frequency of the north bridge. This can be brought to an indicator corresponding to 2.6 GHz. At the same time, it is important that the motherboard on which the processor is installed supports the required operating modes of the microcircuit.

An extremely important aspect of overclocking any chip, including AMD Phenom II, is the characteristics of the cooling system. The one that does a good job when the processor is running in normal mode may not be able to ensure the stable operation of the microcircuit, and hence the entire PC as a whole. Therefore, it may be necessary to install a cooling system with a higher speed.

When experimenting with overclocking chips, it is also useful to have programs that allow you to monitor the temperature of the processor in real time. Even the most efficient chip cooling system can become unstable at some moments - it is important for the user not to miss such moments and fix the chip overheating in time.

The work that is directly related to the increase in processor frequencies should be carried out systematically, avoiding sudden changes in the values of the corresponding parameters. If the chip works without errors and with acceptable heating at a given frequency, you can increase it a little, and so on until the maximum performance of the chip is reached, which works stably.

Flagship model - X4 980

Perhaps the closest attention should be paid to the flagship model of the X4 line - the AMD Phenom II X4 980 processor. Its BE modification, which has an unlocked coefficient, is very popular and therefore has become especially attractive to overclockers.

In principle, the key technological capabilities of this processor coincide with those of, for example, AMD Phenom II X4 945. The characteristics of the chip in terms of cache memory and supported standards are generally the same as in the younger models of the X4 line. The chip, however, has a fairly high level of power consumption - 125 watts. But for a high level of processor frequency - 3.7 GHz - this indicator is considered quite optimal.

Flagship of the Phenom II X4 line: testing

Testing of the chip in question shows that its performance is quite consistent with that of the leading models of the competing brand - Intel, made, in particular, based on the Sandy Bridge microarchitecture. Moreover, in some tests, for example, in multimedia, the microcircuit outperforms some powerful analogs, such as, for example, the Intel Core i5-2500. If we talk about effective tools for measuring the speed of chips like AMD Phenom II X4 980, then we can pay attention to such a program as Everest. This program is a package that contains a large number of synthetic tests. Among those are CPU Queen, CPU Photoworx, CPU Zlib. These tests allow you to evaluate the performance of microcircuits in the complex.

It is noteworthy that the benchmarks that are part of the Everest program are perfectly adapted to testing the speed of processors in the mode of simultaneous use of several computational threads. That is, during the tests, the cores of the chip can be fully loaded. The more of them, the higher the actual processor performance will be.

IT-specialists consider the results of measuring the performance of the X4 980 chip in the floating-point operation mode to be very indicative. According to experts, AMD's solution is confidently ahead of competing processors from Intel in the corresponding tests. Another notable tool for measuring the speed of chips is the PC Mark program. It is also characterized by complexity in the study of the capabilities of the processor. At the same time, the chip testing modes are as close as possible to their real conditions of practical use. For example, this program can provide processor testing by activating the web browsing mode, or converting one type of file to another.

Checking the capabilities of the AMD Phenom II chip in this modification shows excellent results. Another popular test among IT experts is 3D Mark. It allows you to evaluate the capabilities of processors in a mode corresponding to the degree of load of 3D games. According to experts, the X4 980 chip is among the absolute leaders in its market segment according to the results of testing the speed of work in the 3D Mark program. Moreover, experts have recorded the superiority of this processor in 3D Mark modes over some Thuban chips, which, as we noted at the beginning of the article, are equipped with 6 cores.

There are no problems with the stability of the X4 980 chip when running at major screen resolutions. But as for the frame rate, in some modes solutions from AMD, according to experts, still look preferable to processors from AMD. However, in a real game process, the difference in frame processing speed between Intel and AMD chips, observed in tests, most likely will not be noticeable.

Summary

The first thing to say about the Phenom II line we reviewed, whether it's the X4 965 model or the younger one, AMD Phenom II X4 940, is that the characteristics of the chips presented in it are very similar. Microcircuits differ mainly in frequency, in some cases - in the type of socket they support. All modifications of the X4 line of processors lend themselves well to overclocking and look more than competitive against the background of analogues from Intel. As for the technological capabilities of the AMD Phenom II X4 line of chips, the characteristics of the chips and the standards they support allow us to conclude that AMD has brought to the market completely advanced solutions that can be considered among the most advanced in the corresponding segment of chips. Processors belonging to the X4 line are equally optimal both for solving ordinary user tasks and for running demanding computer games.

AMD has chosen a different strategy than its main competitor, Intel. The manufacturer produced products in series and lines. So, in 2008, a whole family of processors with a different number of cores appeared on the market, but under the same name - AMD Phenom II. All crystals were based on the same K10 microarchitecture.

Diversity

The family has collected many different models of processors, which are divided into three categories depending on the number of cores: two, four and six. Each of them also fell into a certain line. For example, six-core crystals came out under the code name Thuban. The same variant was released with two disabled cores, which gave only four active "hearts", but under a different name - Zosma.

There was a series with four cores without turned off spares - Deneb. Then, at first, one core was turned off for these models and the Heka line was called, and then two cores were turned off and called Callisto.

Specifications

Each processor from the AMD Phenom II family could be installed in a Socket AM3 format with 2 GHz HyperTransport. All models supported dual-channel memory of two types - DDR2 and DDR3. The power consumption of each model of the line was different. Six-core models could absorb up to 125 watts. The core frequency in the younger variations ranged from 2500 to 3000 MHz, and in the older ones - from 3300 to 3700 MHz (in Thuban).

Branded sets

The AMD Phenom II processor has become very popular in its time. The company decided to use versions for four and six cores in a special kit for gamers. This is how gaming platforms began to appear based on a quad-core crystal, with a 700-series processor and a proprietary graphics accelerator.

AMD Dragon was created specifically for gamers who would like to have all the necessary devices for a gaming PC at once. Initially, variations of motherboards with a socket for an AM2 + chip and a DDR2 memory type were available on the market. After the rebranding, they began to use the AM3 socket and DDR3 memory. In addition, an ATI Radeon HD 4800 graphics card functioned on the motherboard.

AMD Leo is another platform for gamers that was made up of high performance components. Instead of a four-core crystal, a six-core processor was introduced here.

We will look at the three main most popular models of AMD Phenom II processors. Their characteristics vary, and each crystal shows its overclocking capabilities in different ways. So, Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition stood out among the dual-core ones, Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition among the quad-core ones, and Phenom II X6 1055T among the six-core ones.

junior relative

Since the novelty has received the proud name of Black Edition, then, accordingly, the company packed the crystal in a black strict box. There are practically no bright graphic elements on it. On the front, only information about the model family and in the corner are the main specifications. The buyer can immediately note the increased frequencies - up to 3 GHz, a large amount of cache memory and a processor socket.

There is nothing unusual inside. In addition to the crystal, inside we find instructions and a cooler for AMD Phenom II X2 550 BE. As practice shows, despite the presence of a cooling system, users prefer to purchase an additional cooler. But for some, the branded version will do.

The appearance of the processor did not present anything unusual. Front service information with codes and abbreviated wording. At the back, you can count 938 pins, which are designed for the AM3 connector type. In addition, this option is also compatible with the older generation of connectors - AM2 +.

It is worth saying right away that this crystal received the code name Callisto. There are four cores inside, but half of them work, so the model is considered dual-core. The 45nm process technology is used. Consumes a processor of 80 watts. The clock frequency is 3.1 GHz. Cache memory has three levels. The total volume is 7 MB.

It was possible to reduce the power consumption of crystals and the noise of computing systems. AMD CoolCore was responsible for regulating the operation of inactive processor blocks, which, in turn, affected power consumption and heat dissipation. The memory could reach 1333 MHz.

Those users who were able to unlock two dormant cores received an excellent processor. The dual-core model has evolved into a quad-core model. The chip with a starting frequency of 3100 MHz had a high overclocking potential. But even without overclocking, performance has already increased by almost 50%.

As a result, overclocking showed excellent results for this AMD Phenom II model - the frequency increased to 3838 MHz. At one time, the chip cost $110. For this money, the user could create a quad-core crystal with a frequency of 3.8 GHz from a dual-core crystal.

Reviews

After 3-4 years, users continued to leave good reviews about this model. The downsides were really hard to find. Buyers praised a good supply of initial clock frequency, a sufficient amount of cache memory and a universal connector. Those who were not afraid to unlock the cores received a huge performance boost and an excellent overclocking rate.

Average fellow

The middle niche was occupied by processors of the AMD Phenom II X4 family. Here we will look at another successful popular model - Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition. Since this chip also belonged to the "black series", the box has not changed from the previous time. Inside are the same regular cooler, instructions and the chipset itself.

The core was codenamed Deneb, which referred to four active blocks. Otherwise, the model practically did not differ from the previous one. The base frequencies indicated a value of 3.2 GHz. The amount of cache memory reached 7 MB. The manufacturing process is 45 nm. Increased consumption (up to 125 W).

The AMD Phenom II X4 models did not have the hard limits on voltage range, unlike the dual-core variants. Thus, increasing the current supply could help in successful overclocking. The only thing that could cause problems - with overheating. In this case, a standard cooling system would definitely not help. Although it is quite good, it is not designed for more powerful processors. Especially if you use overclocking.

Since this option did not have blocked cores, it was not necessary to expect an unprecedented increase from it. Although, in principle, the increase in the frequency potential to a stable indicator of 3716 MHz still paid off. And although not everyone considers raising the core speed by 16% a good result, even this option could slightly increase the performance of the system as a whole.

If you install a more powerful cooler, then you can safely raise the frequency to 3.8 GHz. But you need to remember that at the same time you should also raise the voltage, which will entail an increase in power consumption.

Introduction Continuing the series of announcements of processors based on the new 45nm Deneb core, AMD today introduces several new models aimed at the mid-price segment. Thus, the "pioneers" of the Phenom II family, which we considered earlier, having processor numbers 940 and 920, remain the older models in AMD products, but now the company's positions will be reinforced by several more processors, which are manufactured using a more modern technological process. More specifically, AMD is presenting five 45nm processors today: three quad-core processors - Phenom II X4 910, 810 and 805, as well as two tri-core processors - Phenom II X3 720 and 710. and fast processors. It is much more interesting that the models released today on the market have a new design - Socket AM3.

Recall that the main goal of transferring AMD processors to the Socket AM3 platform is to implement support for more modern and faster DDR3 SDRAM. At the same time, such Socket AM3 processors also retain compatibility with the existing Socket AM2+ infrastructure. It turns out that the new Phenom II models have a universal memory controller that can work with DDR2 or DDR3 SDRAM, depending on which motherboard it is installed on. However, such versatility is not at all surprising: we all remember the ease with which motherboard manufacturers used to develop products supporting DDR2 SDRAM, basing them on LGA775 X-series chipsets oriented to work with DDR3 SDRAM. Continuity, which is at the forefront of changing memory standards, ensures compatibility between DDR2 and DDR3 at the logical level, which allows engineers to support both technologies at the same time at minimal cost.

At the same time, with all its appearance, AMD makes us understand that we should not expect too much from the new processor socket and DDR3 memory. Yes, DDR3 SDRAM has higher frequencies, but at the same time it is also characterized by increased delays, which, as you know, also significantly affect the speed of platforms with AMD processors. Apparently, being guided by these considerations, AMD has not yet started switching older Phenom II models to Socket AM3, which remain available exclusively in Socket AM2+ variants. So for the time being, only mid-range models can boast of compatibility with Socket AM3, for which, frankly speaking, the ability to work with high-speed and expensive memory is not so relevant.

The fact that the Phenom II X4 940 and 920, released just a month ago, turned out to be incompatible with the new Socket AM3 platform, obviously, has some more weighty reasons, besides the lack of a noticeable increase in performance. And these reasons are not difficult to see if you get acquainted with the characteristics of the models presented today in more detail. The fact is that, when switching to a new processor socket, AMD decided to make its processors more economical: for all five of today's new products, the maximum heat dissipation level is set not to 125 W, as for the older Phenom II, but to 95 W. It is the same nameplate heat dissipation that all four-core Intel processors belonging to the Core 2 Quad family have. However, to all appearances, the parity in the maximum calculated thermal characteristics of the LGA775 and Socket AM3 platforms will not last long, since within the next couple of months AMD is going to introduce faster and less economical processors than Phenom II X4 910 and 810.

From all that has been said, it follows that the compatibility of the processors presented today with the new Socket AM3 socket and DDR3 memory does not solve much from the point of view of ordinary consumers. The presented models of the middle price range in the vast majority of cases will fall into the Socket AM2 + infrastructure and will be used with the widespread and inexpensive DDR2 SDRAM. AMD does not yet offer high-performance Phenom II modifications that would be really interesting to use in Socket AM3 platforms. Nevertheless, this is not a reason for us to close our eyes to a new promising platform, to which we decided to devote a separate material. In this article, we will get acquainted with the features of the new processor socket, and along the way we will test one of the new Socket AM3 processors - Phenom II X4 810.

The Phenom II Family: Species Diversity

First of all, we decided to gather together all the information about AMD processors manufactured using the 45nm process technology and supplied to the market under the Phenom II trademark. The need for a single reference table is due to the fact that this series, which currently includes seven processors, turned out to be very controversial: it consists of models with a different number of cores, with different purposes, compatibility with different platforms, and so on.

According to earlier plans, AMD was going to introduce another Socket AM3 processor - Phenom II X4 925, but at the moment its release has not taken place. A possible reason for this is problems with fitting its heat dissipation into the 95-watt thermal package. And taking into account the fact that the next model, Phenom II X4 910, although formally announced, is actually available only for AMD OEM partners, the older Socket AM3 processor, which will be available in stores in the near future, turns out to be Phenom II X4 810 This is what explains the participation of this model in our tests.

The expansion of the Phenom II model range leads to the fact that the new nomenclature of processor ratings adopted by AMD becomes clear. Thus, a series of ratings characterize the main characteristics of processors. And if we add information about future processor models with 45-nm cores to the available data, we get a completely harmonious and logical sequence:

Series 900 - quad-core processors with 6 MB L3 cache;
Series 800 - quad-core processors with 4 MB L3 cache;
Series 700 - three-core processors with 6 MB L3 cache;
Series 600 - quad-core processors without L3 cache;
Series 400 - three-core processors without L3 cache;
The 200 series are dual-core processors.

Information about the 200, 400 and 600 series is preliminary. The output of such processors, judging by the available data, is scheduled for the second quarter of this year.

Socket AM3 platform

With the introduction of the new Socket AM3 platform, AMD's first goal is to introduce support for modern DDR3 SDRAM memory in systems based on Phenom II processors. Such support has been available in competitor platforms for more than a year and a half, but earlier AMD considered the transition to a new type of memory untimely due to its high cost. By now, the situation has changed a lot, prices for DDR3 modules have dropped significantly, and this has prompted AMD to enter the market and develop a new type of processor socket.

However, unlike its main rival, AMD has rarely made drastic changes in the platform design lately. The company's engineers make every effort to ensure the possibility of a painless migration from one platform to another. This tactic is especially relevant in the light of current realities, when AMD processors do not have many advantages compared to Intel products. This is what makes the new platform interesting: AMD developers were able to offer such a scheme for upgrading the memory controller built into their own processors, in which neither old nor new adherents of the Athlon and Phenom brands should be dissatisfied.

The fact that the Socket AM3 platform is in many ways similar to its predecessor can be understood from a quick glance at the boards and processors in the new version. Not only did AMD not convert its chips to LGA packaging, moreover, the processors even retained the same geometric dimensions, and the number of their contacts has practically not changed. Due to the fact that AMD has put the ideas of succession and compatibility at the forefront, it is possible to distinguish a Socket AM3 processor from a Socket AM2 + brother only upon very careful examination.

Left - Socket AM2+ processor, right - Socket AM3 processor

Differences between Socket AM2+ and Socket AM3 processors are visible only from the "belly". From the above photo, you can see that the number of contacts in Socket AM3 has decreased by two, respectively, now there are 938 of them.

A similar picture can be seen if we compare the connectors on motherboards.

Left - Socket AM2+, right - Socket AM3

As you can see, Socket AM3 processors can be mechanically installed in Socket AM2+, while a Socket AM2+ processor in Socket AM3 simply cannot be inserted into the motherboard due to the "extra" two pins. This mechanical compatibility reflects the logical compatibility as well. The new Socket AM3 processors have a universal memory controller that supports both DDR2 and DDR3 SDRAM. The specific type of memory used in each case is determined solely by the DIMM slots on the motherboard. In Socket AM2+ boards this is DDR2, in Socket AM3 it is DDR3 SDRAM. Older Socket AM2+ processors do not have such versatility, they can only work with DDR2 SDRAM, which is why they were deprived of mechanical compatibility with the new processor socket.

Socket AM2+ and Socket AM3 have retained continuity in many other aspects. Due to matching socket and processor sizes, AMD was able to ensure that the same CPU coolers can be used on both platforms. Even the scheme of their fastening has not been transformed.

The same applies to microarchitecture features: Socket AM2+ and Socket AM3 processors differ only in terms of the memory controller. All other nodes, including the HyperTransport 3.0 bus, were kept unchanged. And this, in turn, means that new chipsets are not required to support Socket AM3, such processors are perfectly compatible with the same chipsets as Socket AM2+ models. That is why the main developers of chipsets for the AMD platform do not offer any special solutions aimed at supporting new products.

Almost complete mechanical and logical compatibility between the types of processor sockets in some cases even allows you to deviate from the original one-to-one correspondence scheme: Socket AM2+ - DDR2 SDRAM, Socket AM3 - DDR3 SDRAM. Some motherboard manufacturers, such as Jetway, are preparing universal Socket AM2+ motherboards with slots for DDR2 and DDR3, in which, when using a Socket AM3 processor, it will be possible to put either one or the other memory.

Socket AM3 processors officially support DDR2 memory up to 1067 MHz and DDR3 memory up to 1333 MHz. At the same time, reliable performance of DDR3-1333 in Socket AM3 systems is guaranteed only if no more than one module per channel is used. However, in practice it turns out that the new processors can also work with DDR3-1600 SDRAM: the corresponding multiplier for the memory frequency is supported by the built-in controller. In practice, it looks like when installing a Socket AM3 processor in a Socket AM2+ board, it becomes possible to choose between the standard DDR2-667/800/1067 memory frequencies for any Phenom, and when it is used in Socket AM3 boards, another set of multipliers opens up, allowing you to clock the memory in DDR3-1067/1333/1600 modes.

It only remains to add to the above that to achieve full compatibility of the Socket AM2+ motherboards on the market with the new Socket AM3 processors, a simple BIOS update is enough. Moreover, BIOS support for Phenom II processors even in Socket AM2+ version automatically entails that Socket AM3 processors will work without problems in such a motherboard. And this, in turn, means that no special difficulties are expected when adapting the existing motherboard fleet to new processors.

Processor Phenom II X4 810

After a detailed story about what Socket AM3 itself brings, it seems that the processor in this design has nothing to surprise us with. However, this is not quite true. Although in general the new Phenom II differs little from the Phenom II presented by AMD a month ago, the Phenom II X4 810 sent to us for testing showed some unexpected characteristics.

First of all, it should be noted that Phenom II X4 810 received a processor number from the eighth dozen for a reason. With these reduced numbers, AMD designates quad-core processors with reduced performance. In our case, a part of the L3 cache went under the knife, its size in the Phenom II X4 810 is 4 MB versus 6 MB in the "full-fledged" Phenom II.

In general, the appearance of Phenom II processors with a reduced L3 cache, as well as with disabled cores, is a completely natural event. The monolithic chip of Deneb processors, although produced using a 45-nm process, has a fairly large area: 258 square meters. mm. For comparison, this is only slightly less than the area of the Intel Core i7 chip, which indicates approximately the same production cost for these processors. Comparing the retail prices of Core i7 and Phenom II is clearly not in favor of the latter: obviously, the release of Phenom II is a much less profitable enterprise than the production of Core i7. And given that AMD does not yet have chips comparable in performance to the best Intel products, it becomes clear that the company is forced to squeeze the maximum profit from the available resources. Selling processors based on partially defective chips, which for some reason could not make it into the Phenom II 900 series, is one such method.

Actually, the appearance of Phenom II X4 810 is a typical illustration of this tactic. This processor is based on exactly the same Deneb semiconductor die as in the Phenom II 900 series processors, but a third of the L3 cache is disabled in it. Thanks to this trick, AMD implements chips in which a defect occurred during production in the part where the L3 cache is located. If the marriage falls on the area of the crystal in which the computing cores are located, then such crystals are used in the production of the three-core Phenom II 700-series processors, which are also presented to the public today.

The characteristics of the L3 cache memory of the Phenom II X4 810 processor look rather strange.

According to the diagnostic utility, the L3 cache of this processor has 64 associativity regions, while the L3 cache of the full-fledged Phenom II X4 900 with a 6 MB L3 cache had only 48 associativity regions. The most logical explanation for this phenomenon seems to be an error in the CPU-Z readings, and the Phenom II X4 810 L3 cache has an associativity of 32. Otherwise, the cache in the 800 series should have a higher latency than in older processor models, which in practice is not observed.

However, the L3 cache of Phenom II processors in Socket AM3 is still faster than their Socket AM2+ counterparts. However, the reasons for this lie not at all in the depths of the microarchitecture - they lie on the surface. The fact is that for its Socket AM3 models, AMD has set a higher frequency of the integrated northbridge, which is also used to clock the L3 cache. The L3 cache in the Phenom II X4 810, like in other processors for the new platform, operates at a frequency of 2.0 GHz, while the L3 cache frequency of its predecessors was 200 MHz lower.

As follows from the screenshot above, the above is also true when installing a Socket AM3 processor in a Socket AM2+ motherboard.

But despite all the differences between the Phenom II in Socket AM3 we are considering and its Socket AM2+ counterparts, which we had the opportunity to meet a month ago, it is quite difficult to hide the blood relationship between them. For example, the Phenom II X4 810 uses the same C2 core stepping that we saw in the Phenom II X4 940 and 920 processors earlier. And this means that the semiconductor crystals underlying the Socket AM2+ and Socket AM3 versions of Phenom II do not differ at all, and the memory types supported by one or another processor modification are determined only at the stage of packaging it into a case.

Impact of L3 cache size on performance

The first question that arises when getting acquainted with the characteristics of the Phenom II X4 810 processor concerns how much the reduction in the size of the L3 cache damages performance. To unambiguously answer this question, we decided to compare the performance of the Phenom II X4 810 and Phenom II X4 910 processors. Both these models are based on the 45 nm Deneb core, have the same clock speed of 2.6 GHz and differ only in the amount of cache memory, which in both cases it operates on the same frequency of 2.0 GHz.

Our testing shows that cutting the L3 cache from 6 to 4 MB does not lead to any significant drop in the performance of Phenom II X4 processors. The loss of Phenom II X4 810 to its “full-fledged” colleague not only averaged only 2%, but even in the most unfavorable situations did not exceed 5%.

Thus, it is quite reasonable that the Phenom II X4 810 costs only 20 dollars less than the Phenom II X4 920. Obviously, there is no glaring difference in the practical performance of these processors, and the main drawback of the younger model is not the reduced L3 cache, but at a lower clock frequency.

By the way, we should not forget that the L3 cache of the Phenom II X4 810 operates at a higher frequency than the L3 cache of the older Phenom II X4 940 and 920 models. And this can be considered as additional compensation for its smaller volume. , because as we found out earlier, a 200-MHz increase in the frequency of the north bridge built into the processor entails an approximately one and a half percent increase in performance.

Motherboard Gigabyte GA-MA790FXT-UD5P

Frankly, we have the impression that today's announcement of the Socket AM3 platform is not well prepared. Obvious problems that we also had to face can be seen in the unavailability of the new infrastructure: it turned out to be quite difficult to choose a platform for testing new Socket AM3 processors. Motherboard manufacturers clearly did not expect that AMD would present Socket AM3 within a month after the release of the first Socket AM2+ Phenom II, and therefore did not have time to bring the development and production of the corresponding products to the final stage. As a result, even AMD representatives recommended us to test the Phenom II X4 810 on a Socket AM2+ motherboard with DDR2 memory.

Nevertheless, we still managed to get a motherboard for testing Socket AM3. The situation was saved by Gigabyte, which literally at the last moment provided its fresh Socket AM3 board GA-MA790FXT-UD5P. This board will be the new flagship product in Gigabyte's range of offerings for owners of AMD processors, and therefore it deserves a separate review.

Gigabyte GA-MA790FXT-UD5P continues the company's series of products aimed at supporting AMD processors, so this motherboard has many similarities with its predecessors equipped with Socket AM2+. However, this is not surprising, considering that the GA-MA790FXT-UD5P is based on the usual set of logic, consisting of the AMD 790FX north bridge and the SB750 south bridge. In fact, the main features of the board are concentrated in the vicinity of Socket AM3, as there are four slots for DDR3 SDRAM - memory that was not previously supported by systems with AMD processors.

Since the motherboard in question is designed to create high-performance systems, it has two PCI Express x16 2.0 slots that can work with a pair of graphics cards combined using CrossFireX technology in full speed mode.

The board's positioning also determined its belonging to the Ultra Durable 3 class, to which Gigabyte classifies all of its most interesting products. First of all, this means that high-quality electronic components are widely used in the manufacture of the board: capacitors with a solid electrolyte of Japanese origin, field-effect transistors with a reduced channel resistance in the open state, and inductors made on armored ferrite cores. Secondly, the GA-MA790FXT-UD5P motherboard uses a PCB with thicker than usual ground and power copper layers. This improvement allows Gigabyte to talk about improving the quality of signals and reducing interference, as well as improving the thermal regime of the board - conductors at the same time play the role of a heat sink.

The processor power converter on the board is made according to a four-channel scheme, and its power is such that Gigabyte guarantees stable operation of the board with processors consuming up to 140 watts. The transistors included in the power converter are covered with a massive heatsink (the largest on the board), connected by heat pipes to heatsinks installed on the north and south bridges of the chipset. It should be emphasized that these heatsinks have a small height and are moved away from the processor socket at a distance sufficient for comfortable installation of massive coolers. However, when installing a processor cooling system, obstacles can still arise from the DIMM slots, which are located so close to the processor socket that the cooler can make it impossible to install DDR3 memory modules in the slots closest to the processor.

For ease of use, Gigabyte engineers placed Power, Reset, and Clear CMOS buttons on the board. Unfortunately, the convenience it brings is offset by their very unfortunate location: the first two buttons were locked between the connectors, and the Clear CMOS button can be blocked by a long video card. But Gigabyte engineers did not forget a device to protect the reset button from accidental pressing: it is closed with a transparent plastic cap.

The presence on the GA-MA790FXT-UD5P of ten Serial ATA-300 ports deployed parallel to the board attracts attention. At the same time, six ports are implemented in a standard way through the SB750 south bridge, and additional JMicron controllers are responsible for the remaining four. Ports connected to the southbridge support RAID levels 0, 1, 0+1, and 5, while additional ports can only provide RAID 0 or 1.

The rear panel of the board has eight USB 2.0 ports, two Gigabit network ports, two Firewire ports, PS/2 mouse and keyboard ports, as well as analog and SPDIF audio inputs and outputs. It should be noted that the eight-channel codec Realtek ALC889A, which has a certified signal-to-noise ratio of 106 dB, is responsible for the implementation of sound on the board under consideration. In addition to the ports on the rear panel, the GA-MA790FXT-UD5P is also equipped with several pin headers that allow you to connect four more USB 2.0 and one IEEE1394.

The BIOS Setup of the motherboard in question is made with a clear eye on enthusiasts, therefore, in addition to the standard settings, it contains a whole section "MB Intelligent Tweaker" designed for overclocking. In addition to the standard options for changing multipliers and base frequencies, it offers flexible means for controlling voltages.

The voltage increase limit for DDR3 memory is 2.35 V, and the processor voltage can be increased to a value exceeding the standard value by 0.6 V. Additionally, you can control the voltage of the north bridge built into the processor and the power supply of chipset chips.

Also, the board offers detailed settings for memory parameters.

On the whole, the Gigabyte GA-MA790FXT-UD5P motherboard made quite a favorable impression on us. Of course, the BIOS version number F4D, with which we tested this board, cannot yet be called problem-free and absolutely stable, but, nevertheless, we were able not only to complete the full set of tests in the normal mode, but also to conduct experiments on overclocking the processor.

How We Tested

We divided today's testing into two stages. First of all, we will find out how the transfer to a new platform that supports DDR3 SDRAM affects the speed of Phenom II X4 processors. To do this, we will compare the performance of the new Phenom II X4 810 when running in a Socket AM2+ motherboard with DDR2-800 and DDR2-1067 memory with its performance when installed in a Socket AM3 board, in which we will use DDR3-1333 and DDR3-1600 SDRAM .

The second phase of our tests will be dedicated to finding out the performance of AMD's new quad-core processors in comparison with competing offerings. Here, obviously, the comparison of Phenom II X4 810 and Core 2 Quad Q8200 performance will attract the main interest, since these processors have approximately the same retail price.

As a result, the following set of components was involved in the tests:

Processors:

AMD Phenom II X4 920 (Deneb, 2.8GHz, 6MB L3);
AMD Phenom II X4 910 (Deneb, 2.6GHz, 6MB L3);
AMD Phenom II X4 810 (Deneb, 2.6GHz, 4MB L3);
AMD Phenom II X4 805 (Deneb, 2.5GHz, 4MB L3);
AMD Phenom X4 9950 (Agena, 2.6GHz, 2MB L3);
Intel Core 2 Quad Q8300 (Yorkfield, 2.5 GHz, 333 MHz FSB, 2 x 2 MB L2);
Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 (Yorkfield, 2.33 GHz, 333 MHz FSB, 2 x 2 MB L2).

Motherboards:

ASUS P5Q Pro (LGA775, Intel P45 Express, DDR2 SDRAM);
Gigabyte MA790GP-DS4H (Socket AM2+, AMD 790GX + SB750, DDR2 SDRAM);
Gigabyte MA790FXT-UD5P (Socket AM3, AMD 790FX + SB750, DDR3 SDRAM).

RAM:

GEIL GX24GB8500C5UDC (2 x 2GB, DDR2-1067 SDRAM, 5-5-5-15);
Mushkin 996601 4GB XP3-12800 (2 x 2GB, DDR3-1600 SDRAM, 7-7-7-20).

Graphic card: ATI RADEON HD 4870.
HDD: Western Digital WD1500AHFD.
Operating system: Microsoft Windows Vista x64 SP1.
Drivers:

Intel Chipset Software Installation Utility 9.1.0.1007;
ATI Catalyst 9.1 Display Driver.

Performance: DDR3 vs DDR2

In this part of our article, we will compare the performance of the Phenom II X4 810 when installed in motherboards with different types of processor sockets: Gigabyte MA790GP-DS4H and Gigabyte MA790FXT-UD5P. In both cases, we used a couple of different widely used memory configurations.

Thus, the Socket AM2+ system used DDR2-800 with 5-5-5-15 timings and 1T Command Rate and DDR2-1067 with 5-5-5-15 and 2T Command Rate timings. Note that the use of 2T Command Rate in the second case is a forced measure, since the Phenom II memory controller does not allow reducing this delay when using 2GB DDR2-1067 SDRAM modules.

The Socket AM3 system used configurations that included DDR3-1333 and DDR3-1600, both with 7-7-7-20 latencies. The Command Rate parameter in both cases was set to 1T - fortunately, with high-speed DDR3 memory, this choice is acceptable.

Synthetic tests

First of all, it was decided to evaluate the practical parameters of the memory subsystems of various platforms using synthetic tests.

As expected, the synthetic tests unanimously demonstrate the superiority in throughput and latency of the Socket AM3 platform. In other words, from the new platform that allows the use of DDR3-1333 and DDR3-1600, we can only expect a performance boost.

It should be added to the above that, as an additional test showed, the performance of the Socket AM3 processor memory controller installed in a Socket AM2+ system with DDR2 memory is identical to the performance of the memory controller of "native" Socket AM2+ processors (provided that the built-in northern bridge). In other words, the versatility of the memory controller in Socket AM3 processors does not reduce its performance when working with DDR2 SDRAM.

Overall Performance

The results obtained in SYSMark 2007, which shows the weighted average performance in real applications, confirm the benefits of the new platform. However, they do not give grounds for excessive optimism. As you can see, switching to DDR3 SDRAM increases the speed of the system based on the Phenom II X4 810 processor quite symbolically. Thus, the superiority of a Socket AM3 system equipped with DDR3-1600 SDRAM over a system with a Socket AM2+ processor and DDR2-1067 memory is only 3-4%.

Gaming Performance

Although games usually show good sensitivity to changes in the characteristics of the memory subsystem, switching to DDR3 does not bring a serious gain. However, it must be emphasized that this does not at all mean the acceptability of a completely disregarding approach when choosing memory. For example, betting on DDR3-1600 SDRAM instead of DDR2-800 can increase platform performance by up to 10%. Therefore, the appearance of the Socket AM3 platform and processors with a universal memory controller cannot be called a useless step. By now, DDR3 memory has received sufficient development so that its advantages over DDR2 cannot be doubted. And this means that AMD was obviously not in vain waiting to launch its new platform.

Although video encoding is primarily a computational task, fast DDR3 memory provides a slight speedup in this case too.

Tellingly, the advantage of the Socket AM3 platform over Socket AM2+ is evident even in the final rendering, which is almost completely indifferent to the choice of memory.

Other Applications

When editing images in a popular graphics editor, the type of memory has a distinct effect. Even when using the most common DDR3-1333 memory, we were able to get higher speeds than demonstrated by a Socket AM2+ system with DDR2-1067 SDRAM.

With the transition to a new platform, the speed of solving computational problems in Excel and Mathematica has slightly increased. The advantage of a Socket AM3 system with DDR3-1600 memory over a configuration using Socket AM2+ and DDR2-1067 SDRAM was almost 3%.

Approximately on a similar scale, the speed of the archiver also increases.

Summing up, we can say that the Socket AM3 platform makes it possible to speed up the execution of typical tasks by Phenom II X4 processors by an average of 2-3%. Today, against the background of the difference in prices between DDR2 and DDR3 modules, this increase seems ridiculous. However, in the light of the trend of further fall in the cost of DDR3 SDRAM, the Socket AM3 platform has quite bright prospects.

AMD Phenom II X4 810 Performance

Despite the fact that the new AMD Phenom II X4 810 processor has a Socket AM3 design, we decided to test its performance, as well as the performance of other today's new products, in a Socket AM2 + system equipped with DDR2 memory. This is due to the fact that in the current realities, these processors belonging to the middle price range will most likely be used in such systems: this is the most logical option in terms of economic feasibility. In addition, DDR2 memory was also used in all other systems we tested, so the choice of the Socket AM2+ platform for the Phenom II X4 810 tests seems to be quite correct.

Overall Performance

Competent construction of a pricing policy is something that AMD has become particularly adept at lately. Therefore, it would be strange to see if any of the new processors looked inadequate among competitors in the same price category. So the slight superiority of the Phenom II X4 810 over the Core 2 Quad Q8200 is by no means surprising, but the more expensive Intel processor, the Core 2 Quad Q8300, is already too tough for today's main novelty.

Gaming Performance

Although the Phenom II processors began to demonstrate much better performance in games than their predecessors manufactured using 65-nm technology, it is not yet possible to speak of a confident victory of the Phenom II X4 810 over the Core 2 Quad of the same price category. In order for the Phenom II X4 810 to receive our unequivocal recommendations as a gaming solution, it clearly lacks clock speed. However, the situation for the AMD processor is by no means catastrophic, and in a number of gaming applications its performance is quite acceptable.

Video encoding performance

But when encoding video Phenom II X4 810 manifests itself exclusively on the positive side. For example, when using the x264 codec, it can even compete on equal terms with the more expensive Core 2 Quad Q8300. This is explained, obviously, by the high efficiency of the FPU/SSE of the processor block with the Stars microarchitecture (K10).

Render performance

The general verdict with this type of load is hard to make. As you can clearly see from the graphs, everything depends heavily on the application that is used for rendering. Nevertheless, the Phenom II X4 810 does not hit the dirt, demonstrating decent results even in 3ds max 2009, where Intel processors are traditionally strong.

Other Applications

Adobe Photoshop and Microsoft Excel are two popular applications where Phenom II processors do a very poor job. This also applies to the Phenom II X4 810, which outperforms the Core 2 Quad Q8200 in our test tasks by 9 and 17 percent, respectively.

In Wolfram Mathematica 7, the results of the Phenom II X4 810 can be called acceptable, although they turn out to be slightly lower than those of the youngest processor in the Core 2 Quad series.

But when archiving in WinRAR, the new AMD processor manages to demonstrate a significantly higher relative performance than in previous cases.

Counting tasks, where integer arithmetic is actively used, are not the most favorable environment for processors with the Stars (K10) microarchitecture. The two diagrams above are a vivid illustration of this well-known thesis.

Overclocking

With the release of the Phenom II family, the topic of overclocking AMD processors has become relevant again. These processors, which are based on 45-nm cores, among other things, have received good overclocking potential: as shown by our earlier tests, these models, when using air cooling, are capable of operating at frequencies reaching 3.7-3.8 GHz. However, our conclusions were made for 900-series processors using full-fledged Deneb cores. Now we have a Phenom II X4 810 processor in our hands, which has a reduced L3 cache, and, moreover, a Socket AM3 design.

To study the overclocking potential of the new processor, we used the new Socket AM3 motherboard Gigabyte MA790FXT-UD5P. The use of this board will allow us, among other things, to draw conclusions about the suitability for overclocking of Socket AM3 platforms in general. CPU cooling during the tests was performed by a Scythe Mugen cooler with a Noctua NF-P12 fan installed on it.

We managed to get the best result by increasing the processor supply voltage from the nominal 1.3 to 1.525 V. In this state, the processor overclocked to 3.64 GHz, which is quite comparable with the results of overclocking other Phenom II obtained earlier.

Note that since the Phenom II X4 810 processor does not belong to the Black Edition class and does not have a free multiplier, it was overclocked by increasing the frequency of the base clock generator. In particular, in order to obtain a processor frequency of 3.64 GHz, we had to increase the frequency of the clock generator to 280 MHz, which the Socket AM3 motherboard we use coped with without any problems. In other words, overclocking processors in Socket AM3 systems is absolutely similar to overclocking in systems with a Socket AM2+ processor socket and can be performed in full accordance with our guide.

As for the Phenom II X4 810 itself, its 40% overclocking can be an additional argument in favor of the AMD platform. Moreover, it is often possible to overclock comparable Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 processors only up to 3.4 GHz. And in this regard, a system built on the basis of Phenom II X4 810 can be quite attractive for overclockers.

conclusions

To be honest, AMD chose a somewhat strange moment to launch its new Socket AM3 platform, designed for processors with DDR3 memory support. For some reason, this platform did not appear a month ago, along with a new line of Phenom II processors, but only now. As a result, in view of the fact that older modifications of Phenom II are already offered in Socket AM2+ variations, models from the middle price range have to accompany the announcement of Socket AM3. However, these processors seem to be very poor candidates for installation in Socket AM3 motherboards: the DDR3 memory required for such systems is about one and a half to two times more expensive than the widely used DDR2 SDRAM, which makes it a dubious investment compared to the option of choosing a more expensive processor.

However, the main advantage of Socket AM3 processors lies in the fact that they are equipped with a flexible memory controller that can work with both DDR3 and DDR2 memory. Therefore, no one is forcing you to use the medium-priced Phenom II processors presented today in Socket AM3 systems in Socket AM3 systems. They also work great in existing, time-tested Socket AM2+ or even Socket AM2 infrastructure.

However, thanks to the testing of the new processor in the Socket AM3 motherboard, we were able to verify the viability of this platform as well. The use of DDR3 SDRAM with Phenom II processors has a quite tangible effect, consisting in about a three percent increase in performance even compared to DDR2-1067 SDRAM.

Fortunately, the lack of high-performance processors for the Socket AM3 platform is a temporary situation. Over the coming months, AMD will obviously adjust its proposals, and the new platform will receive decent high-speed processors. This period of time is given to motherboard manufacturers that obviously need it so that they can finally bring their Socket AM3 products to perfection.

As for the Phenom II X4 810 processor reviewed in this article, it should be taken as another embodiment of AMD's strategy to offer higher performance for less money. Testing showed that in terms of performance it is comparable to the Core 2 Quad Q8200, but at the same time it costs a little less. As a result, AMD has an acceptable alternative to all cheap quad-core Intel processors, up to the Core 2 Quad Q9400. In other words, AMD was able to take an important step - to offer a competitive line of processors that can be recommended for purchase.

To what has been said in this article, it only remains to add that we are not finishing our acquaintance with Phenom II yet, and in the near future we will have another article about new three-core processors based on the Heka core, produced using a 45-nm process technology.

Check availability and cost of AMD Phenom II processors