Today sees the launch of four new desktop chips that add to the company's dual-, triple-, and quad-core offerings. A table will show you how they fit in.
| Processors | Cores | Architecture | Process | Form factor | Clock speed | L2 cache (total) | L3 cache | Memory-controller speed (up to) | Voltage | TDP | etailer pricing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition | 4 | K10 | 45nm | AM3 | 3.2GHz | 2MB | 6MB | 2.0GHz | 0.875-1.5V | 125W | £188 |
| AMD Phenom II X4 945 | 4 | K10 | 45nm | AM3 | 3.0GHz | 2MB | 6MB | 2.0GHz | 0.875-1.5V | 125W | £179 |
| AMD Phenom II X4 910 | 4 | K10 | 45nm | AM3 | 2.6GHz | 2MB | 6MB | 2.0GHz | 0.875-1.425V | 95W | N/A |
| AMD Phenom II X4 905e |
4 |
K10 |
45nm |
AM3 |
2.5GHz |
2MB |
6MB |
2.0GHz |
0.825-1.25V |
65W |
£150 |
| AMD Phenom II X4 810 | 4 | K10 | 45nm | AM3 | 2.6GHz | 2MB | 4MB | 2.0GHz | 0.875-1.425V | 95W | £137 |
| AMD Phenom II X4 805 | 4 | K10 | 45nm | AM3 | 2.5GHz | 2MB | 4MB | 2.0GHz | 0.875-1.425V | 95W | N/A |
| AMD Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition | 3 | K10 | 45nm | AM3 | 2.8GHz | 1.5MB | 6MB | 2.0GHz | 0.85-1.425V | 95W | £110 |
| AMD Phenom II 710 | 3 | K10 | 45nm | AM3 | 2.6GHz | 1.5MB | 6MB | 2.0GHz | 0.875-1.425V | 95W | £99 |
| AMD Phenom II X3 705e |
3 |
K10 |
45nm |
AM3 |
2.5GHz |
1.5MB |
6MB |
2.0GHz |
0.825-1.25V |
65W | £102 |
| AMD Phenom II 940 Black Edition | 4 | K10 | 45nm | AM2+ | 3.0GHz | 2MB | 6MB | 1.8GHz+ | 0.875-1.5V | 125W | £149 |
| AMD Phenom II 920 | 4 | K10 | 45nm | AM2+ | 2.8GHz | 2MB | 6MB | 1.8GHz+ | 0.875-1.5V | 125W | £145 |
| AMD Phenom X4 9950 Black Edition | 4 | K10 | 65nm | AM2+ | 2.6GHz | 2MB | 2MB | 2.0GHz | 1.05-1.3V | 125W | £117 |
| AMD Phenom X4 9850 BE | 4 | K10 | 65nm | AM2+ | 2.5GHz | 2MB | 2MB | 2.0GHz | 1.05-1.3V | 125W | £110 |
| AMD Phenom X2 550 Black Edition | 2 | K10 | 45nm | AM3 | 3.1GHz | 1MB | 6MB | 2.0GHz | 0.85-1.42V | 80W | £80 |
| AMD Athlon X2 7850 Black Edition | 2 | K10 | 65nm | AM2+ | 2.8GHz | 1MB | 2MB | 1.8GHz | 1.2-1.25V | 95W | £53 |
| AMD Athlon X2 7750 Black Edition | 2 | K10 | 65nm | AM2+ | 2.7GHz | 1MB | 2MB | 1.8GHz | 1.2-1.25V | 95W | £46 |
| AMD Athlon X2 7550 | 2 | K10 | 65nm | AM2+ | 2.5GHz | 1MB | 2MB | 1.8GHz | 1.2-1.25V | 95W | £43 |
| AMD Athlon II X2 250 | 2 | K10 | 45nm | AM3 | 3.0GHz | 2MB | N/A | 2.0GHz | 0.85-1.42V | 65W | £60 |
| AMD Athlon X2 6400+ BE | 2 | K8 | 65nm | AM2 | 3.2GHz | 2MB | N/A | 1GHz | 1.35-1.4V | 125W | £65 |
| AMD Athlon X2 6000+ | 2 | K8 | 65nm | AM2 | 3.1GHz | 1MB | N/A | 1GHz | 1.1-1.4V | 89W | £59 |
What we see is that the triple- and quad-core chips are both energy-efficient models, denoted by the 'e' suffix. Ostensibly the same as the other Phenom II AM3 chips, they have an ACP of just 65W, compared to 95W/125W for the regular models.
At the time of writing, the quad-core variant, 905e, was etailing for around £150, whilst the same chip, albeit with three active cores, came in at around £100, providing better value. Overclocking on both should be good, given the TDP and voltage characteristics.
The other two chips are both dual core and, this time, Phenom-derived. The Phenom II X2 550 BE clocks in at 3.1GHz and has the full 6MB of L3 cache, albeit only 1MB of L2 (512KB per core). It's currently up on etail for around £80. The Athlon II X2 250, on the other hand, does away with L3 cache altogether but adds 1MB of per-core L2 cache. Clocked in at 3.0GHz, its pricing is yet to be determined. Take a look at our review to see how it stacks up.
