Earlier this year PCWizKid reviewed the Phenom II X4 975 Black Edition CPU form AMD which builds upon the success of the 965. Today AMD officially releases the Phenom II X4 980 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 3.7GHz. Since it is an unlocked Black Edition processor we look forward to great overclocking potential. The only difference from the 975 BE is 100Mhz increase in 980 BE.
Specifications
Model Number:
Phenom II X4 980 (HDZ980FBK4DGM)
Clock Frequency:
3.7GHz
Max TDP:
125 Watts
Cache Size:
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
HyperTransport Technology Links:
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
Types of Memory:
support unregistered DIMMs up to PC2-8500 (DDR2-1066MHz) -AND- PC3-10600 (DDR3-1333MHz)
- MSI 890FXA-GD65 Motherboard - AMD Radeon HD6870 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 980 Video Review
Conclusion
As expected and seen in PCWizKid's benchmark results the Phenom II X4 980 BE has a small inscrease in performance from its predesessor the 975 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.
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