Wanted to drop a quick note before I head out for day 1 of CES 2009. AMD announced their next generation quad core processor today – the AMD Phenom II – built on the same 45nm process that Intel has been on for a few years now. The Phenom II will initially be available in two versions – the X4 920 and the X4 940 Black Edition – and will fit in nicely between Intel’s Core 2 Quad processor models and the new Core i7 product offerings. The Black Edition processors will have their core clock multiplier unlocked which will be a boon for computing enthusiasts.
The key driving points with the Phenom II?
- Larger L2 cache
- Larger L3 cache – bumped up to 6MB
- Higher core frequencies – the 940 Black Edition is available as high as 3 GHz
- No socket changes here – still utilize AM2+ motherboards
Where Phenom II will truly compete is in the area of price. The 3GHz Phenom II X4 940 Black Edition will have a price of $275. The Phenom II X4 920 at 2.8GHz will be available for $235. This translates to inexpensive quad core systems with comparable performance to more expensive Core 2 Quad systems and low end Core i7 systems.
With that said, here’s a rundown of early reviews and their verdicts:
ExtremeTech reviews the Phenom II X4 940 Black Edition and has this to say:
“If you’re looking to build a fairly cost effective quad core system, AMD’s latest Phenom II will get you there. Just don’t expect performance miracles.“
The TechReport reviews the new Phenom II’s and has this to say:
“In the Phenom II, AMD has produced a chip that comes strikingly close to duplicating the performance of Intel’s mid-range Core 2 Quad processors, the Q9300 and Q9400”
Bit-Tech reviews both the AMD Phenom II X4 940 and 920 processors and says:
“While not the best performer we’ve ever seen, AMD has finally got a solid competitor it can sell on an inexpensive platform – this should readdress the balance quite nicely in the market.”
TweakTown looks at the Phenom II and the new Dragon platform and says:
“While not quite up to the task of taking on the Core 2 Extreme in raw performance, its associated price tag makes it a fairly attractive option for the performance it offers”
Tom’s Hardware looks at the Phenom II X4 processor and says this:
“When it comes to system efficiency and energy consumption, if you put a Phenom II X4 940 system head-to-head against a Core 2 Quad Q6600, an AMD system delivers measurably better “performance per watt” figures.”
Anandtech takes a look at both the Phenom II X4 940 and 920 here with this to say:
“If you’ve been waiting for an AMD to be excited about for the past couple of years, today is your day. Competition is back.”
Bjorn3D looks at the Phenom II X4 940 and the verdict is…
“Even though we are positive about the Dragon platform we cannot stop to be a bit disappointed again that AMD cannot put out something that rivals the best from Intel.”
LegitReviews looks at the AMD Phenom II X4 940 processor and has this to say:
“The AMD Phenom II processor series processor may not be the performance winner in all the benchmarks, but it might not need to be competitive in this day and age when the price tag matters most.”
OverclockersClub looks at the higher end 940 processor with this to say at the end:
“For the price, the Phenom II is a killer processor.”
