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AMD's Phenom II X4 TWKR: We Give It The LN2 Treatment

10:00 AM - June 30, 2009 by Bestofmedia Team, Ton Khowdee
Source: Tom's Hardware US – Keywords: amd, phenom, twkr
Categories: AMD/ATI, Overclocking

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Two AMD Phenom II X4 42 Black Edition TWKR (whew, that's a mouthful) CPUs, side by side. This is a picture that you'll likely not see anywhere else. After all, these are pretty rare chips.  The TWKR-edition CPUs are currently the most sought-after and coveted AMD processors in the world, at least if you're a hardcore overclocker. Ever since pictures of the TWKR CPUs were leaked a few weeks back, enthusiasts everywhere have been buzzing about them. What hidden superpower do these chips have? What makes these processors so special? Tom's Hardware, along with Team IRONMODS, will put these two chips to the test to see what really makes them tick. But first, here's a bit of background on these unique offerings.

According to AMD, there are approximately 100 TWKR processors in the world. These chips were created especially for the extreme overclocking community to operate beyond the specification of typical production-level processors. What makes these chips special is the fact that they are considered “high leakage” parts. In this context, high leakage means that the processors "leak" more current than a normal Phenom II CPU and consequently run hotter, which actually turns out to be a positive for the overclocking crowd (even if it means they're more likely to die an early death). They can take on more voltage and generally tend to scale higher when cooled with extreme methods, such as liquid nitrogen or liquid helium.

Comments
B-Unit 06/30/2009 4:37 PM
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-8+

Maybe Im just a weenee, but that 4th 4890 looks to be in a rather precarious position.

scook9 06/30/2009 4:46 PM
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Well that is quite the processor. I hope they aren't going to use these to "show off" the Phenom II x4 line suggesting that these are comparable parts. This is a product that was specifically engineered for this use after all, not representative of the consumer offerings. I am very interested to see what quad 4890's are capable of.

spentshells 06/30/2009 4:49 PM
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im actualy excited

raptor550 06/30/2009 5:19 PM
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I guess my CPU is holding back my GPU. I'm interested in setting up some home made water cooling to get some extra frames.

bk420 06/30/2009 5:31 PM
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I think tom's hardware should have used Liquid Helium like the people that broke the last AMD record. They might be able to the same. Great Article, I hope AMD will at least produce a limited series.

Will water cooling be enough for this CPU? If so count me in.

playerone 06/30/2009 5:50 PM
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Great article. But I think this just kind of backfires, most of us would really like to get our hands on a better chip and can't. The latest 955 is really no better than the 940 when it comes to overclocking and it is very likely that the 965 due out shortly will be the same.

My January bought 940 and just bought Asus N4M82 combo runs nicely at 3.9 on air and though I'm not done with it yet I don’t expect it to go much further while being stable. I could actually get a slower 955 if I where to buy right now.
What I would actually have liked to see would have been the soon to be released 965 and see how that does on some good air and water cooling rather than some chip that none of us can get our hands on. Will the 965 be a better overclocker, able to break 4gigs stable more consistently? Very doubtful.

Though this was cool (ha), its just stupidly impractical for those that like extreme overclocking but actually also use their computer. Thanks for the show.

redgarl 06/30/2009 5:52 PM
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schip 06/30/2009 6:11 PM
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scook9 :
Well that is quite the processor. I hope they aren't going to use these to "show off" the Phenom II x4 line suggesting that these are comparable parts. This is a product that was specifically engineered for this use after all, not representative of the consumer offerings. I am very interested to see what quad 4890's are capable of.



You're absolutely right that these chips are not representative of the Phenom II line up at all. However, AMD designed the whole phenom II line up to be very overclocker friendly and these TWKR parts are "just a handpicked and binned processor" as stated here at Legit Reviews. Clearly if these TWKR processors were engineered this way, they could more easily be reproduced and then sold. Cheers!

megamanx00 06/30/2009 6:54 PM
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Awesome, and insane :D.

dangerous_23 06/30/2009 7:27 PM
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where can i get a pci-e expansion slot like the one in the last photo?

IronRyan21 06/30/2009 7:30 PM
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If I won one of these procs, I would frame it!

sighQ2 06/30/2009 7:37 PM
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playerone 06/30/2009 7:47 PM
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citation][nom]sighQ2[/nom]Vote me down. hahahaThis was all done b4 - Dec 08. Vids on utube. w PhII 940. THG is late to the game due to spintel bias. again. (well look it up if you don't know[/citation]

Been living under a rock eh? What you posted was old, this is new. New TWKR chip that has been released to just a few and NDA expired just today. Look for "TWKR" reviews on other sites as well. It just it just makes some who whish for better feel even worse...

Lets see some of the latest yeilds being tested and if really better IMO think that would do better for AMD than this stunt will.

sighQ2 06/30/2009 7:50 PM
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Pei-chen 06/30/2009 7:56 PM
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Was these CPU used when AMD showed off the insane OC stun? I hope AMD's marketing team didn't use the old bait and switch.

sighQ2 06/30/2009 8:01 PM
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bob boblaw 06/30/2009 8:10 PM
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Am I the only one to notice the misuse of "then" instead of "than" throughout the article?

Quote :Cooling pots are more then just containers to hold sub-zero liquids.

Quote :There is nothing more frustrating then a mediocre component limiting your benchmark potential.

Seriously, who proofreads these articles?

Crashman 06/30/2009 8:16 PM
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sighQ2 :
@ "playerone" - yeh - I know - spintel is scared of a new FX - and you get paid to discredit anything resembling that.955 is a rolls royce in disguise965 is COMING SOON - more to follow. an evolving parade, anytime you want to join in.you won't like either of them - so don't buy them - you can always get some pseudo wannabe turbo boosty thing from chipzilla, and pay for the power sucking socalled uncore - wtf is an uncore anyway - such propaganda - IT'S PART OF THE LAME CHIP used to HIDE the actual TDP. But we are off topic now aren't we - and that's what you want fanboy - general disruption. (RIGHT?) (go ahead, insult me - the facts remain - monopoly antitrust)AMD is so HOT right now - and you are scared of that. Everything is selling out - unavailable - hard to find. That's a problem for your "spin", spinner. Don't waste time trying to convince me otherwise - some of the noobs are your unwary victims - and that's your prey.reveal you....... (YEH, VOTE ME DOWN)



Your rhetoric doesn't change any facts.

smithereen 06/30/2009 8:17 PM
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These are going to be going for $$$s on eBay any time now.

playerone 06/30/2009 8:41 PM
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sighQ2 :
@ "playerone" - yeh - I know - spintel is scared of a new FX - and you get paid to discredit anything resembling that.955 is a rolls royce in disguise965 is COMING SOON - more to follow. an evolving parade, anytime you want to join in.you won't like either of them - so don't buy them - you can always get some pseudo wannabe turbo boosty thing from chipzilla, and pay for the power sucking socalled uncore - wtf is an uncore anyway - such propaganda - IT'S PART OF THE LAME CHIP used to HIDE the actual TDP. But we are off topic now aren't we - and that's what you want fanboy - general disruption. (RIGHT?) (go ahead, insult me - the facts remain - monopoly antitrust)AMD is so HOT right now - and you are scared of that. Everything is selling out - unavailable - hard to find. That's a problem for your "spin", spinner. Don't waste time trying to convince me otherwise - some of the noobs are your unwary victims - and that's your prey.reveal you....... (YEH, VOTE ME DOWN)


You must be a double agent "Fanboy" no idiot would troll off fanboy AMD crap like you are without knowing how stupid it sounds.

FX? Are you kidding? Wow, yeah, big advantage LOL. My new 980a (actually rebaged 780a) and 940 combo run just fine, 3.9 on air and thats under 24/7 load with fans running at a decently quiet 800 rpm (two 38x120mm), can run at 4gigs at 1200 rpm as well.
You really think the 965 are gonna be something? Go ahead and hold your breath, I'll bet they do know better in O/C than a 955 which is no better than my 940. Really, you are just mocking AMD, but thats ok, I just prefer the underdog.