Last year PCWizKid reviewed the Phenom II X4 970 Black Edition CPU form AMD which builds upon the success of the 965. Today AMD officially releases the Phenom II X4 975 Black Edition desktop CPU which makes it AMD's fasted quad core desktop processor. With a price tag of only $195 USD (MSRP) it is clocked at 3.6GHz. Since it is an unlocked Black Edition processor we look forward to great overclocking potential. The only difference from the 970 BE is 100Mhz increase in 975 BE.
Along with the release of the Phenom II X4 975 BE, AMD has also released the Phenom II X4 840 which is a more economical value edition quad core CPU.
PCWizKid will start off in this review with the Phenom II X4 975 BE and next we will review the Phenom X4 840.
Specifications
Model Number:
Phenom II X4 840 (HDX840WFK42GM)
Phenom II X4 975 (HDZ975FBK4DGM)
Clock Frequency:
3.2GHz
3.6GHz
Max TDP:
95 Watts
125 Watts
Cache Size:
L1 Cache 64K (each for Instruction + Data)
L2 Cache: 512KB per core (2MB Total)
L1 Cache 64K (each for Instruction + Data)
L2 Cache: 512KB per core (2MB Total)
L3 Cache: 6MB Shared L3
Process Technology:
45-nanometer SOI (silicon-on-insulator) technology
45-nanometer SOI (silicon-on-insulator) technology
HyperTransport Technology Links:
One 16-bit/16-bit link @ up to 4.0GHz full duplex (2.0GHz x2)
One 16-bit/16-bit link @ up to 4.0GHz full duplex (2.0GHz x2)
Memory:
Integrated 128-bit wide memory controller with speeds: Up to 2.0GHz with Dual Dynamic Power Management
Integrated 128-bit wide memory controller with speeds: Up to 2.0GHz with Dual Dynamic Power Management
Types of Memory:
support unregistered DIMMs up to PC2-8500 (DDR2-1066MHz) -AND- PC3-10600 (DDR3-1333MHz)
support unregistered DIMMs up to PC2-8500 (DDR2-1066MHz) -AND- PC3-10600 (DDR3-1333MHz)
- Gigabyte MA790FXT-UD5P Motherboard - AMD Radeon HD5850 1GB Graphics Card - OCZ 4GB DDR3 Memory - WD Caviar Blue SATA II 500GB HDD - Tuniq Ripper 1000 Watt Power Supply - Cooler Master Scout Case - Noctua NH-D14 CPU cooler - Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit
Phenom II X4 975 Video Review
Phenom II X4 840 Video Review
Conclusion
As expected and seen in PCWizKid's benchmark results the Phenom II X4 975 BE has a small inscrease in performance from its predesessor the 970 BE, however it is atractively priced and well suited for enthusiasts doing hard core gaming and willing to take advantage of its overclocking potential and headroom. What was nice to see was the amount over overclocking, a full 700Mhz gain that was achieved while keeping the temperatures low. As mentioned in the video review if you are looking for a substantial increase in performance for gaming this is more than enough. The AMD Phenom II X4 840 offers a budget entry quad core chip that retails for around $100 USD and offers plenty of performance for workstations and everyday computing.
Contact PCWizKid for general feedback, requests for reviewing your hardware or software product or for media and press requests. Click here for contact details
->SUBSCRIBE TO PCWIZKID'S RSS FEED<-
