Review: AMD brings 45nm process and Phenom to bear on dual-core CPUs - CPU - HEXUS.net

Where do 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 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 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	£75*
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

* estimated pricing.

Analysis

The two new dual-core chips are emboldened in the table, above, next to the other K10-derived dual-core chips. At the time of their launch we bemoaned the fact that AMD wasn't bringing the benefits of 45nm production down to dual-core models, so it's righted an obvious shortcoming in the line-up.

Faster of the two, Phenom X2 550 Black Edition, codenamed Callisto, is much akin to the also-multiplier-unlocked Athlon X2 7850 BE, albeit with a higher clock-speed - 3.1GHz vs. 2.8GHz - and a full dollop of L3 cache: 6MB. What's more, being AM3 compliant, it ships with a DDR2/DDR3 memory-controller and a lower TDP of 80W. Expected etail price should be around £75.

The nomenclature itself is interesting, insofar as AMD is marketing this as a Phenom chip. Knowing that it has the full complement of 6MB L3 cache and the ability of some motherboards to unlock cores on certain CPUs, it wouldn't be reach to say that the X2 550 BE could be turned into a quad-core chip with a BIOS tweak - all for £75.

The ~£60 Athlon II X2 250, codenamed Regor, shares the same Phenom guts but decreases die-size - from the Phenom X2's 258mm² to 117.5mm² - by lopping off all the L3 cache but compensating, somewhat, with a double-sized L2. Clock-speed is also healthy, at 3.0GHz, and it also has a built-in DDR2/DDR3 memory-controller. It's the only Phenom-based CPU without some L3 cache. The smaller manufacturing process helps bring TDP down to 65W, which makes it a better choice for small form-factor systems.

Think of the Phenom X2 550 BE as a faster, better Athlon X2 7850 BE, whilst the Athlon II X2 250 can be viewed as an updated X2, jumping from the K8 to K10 architectures.