Phenom, Efficient at Full Capacity

The Phenom’s energy consumption during standby is disappointing: it uses twice as much energy as the Dual-Core Athlon 64. An average user switching from one of the fastest Athlon 64 processors to the Phenom won’t notice a difference in power costs, though.

When fully loaded, compared to the Athlon 64, the Phenom’s performance-energy intake ratio is better. That is, if programs made for four core processors are being used.

The Sempron 64 is an absolute energy saver when used at full capacity. The Athlon X2 BE processor remains unchallenged at the top when it comes to standby in Cool’n’Quiet mode. The 4000e series Athlon X2 processors can’t keep up with the savings that the Athlon X2 BE processors offer.

In the event that Cool’n’Quiet mode cannot be turned on, the Athlon X2 BE and the Sempron 64 suffer only minor losses. The classic Athlon 64 X2 will, in the worst case, lose about as much electricity as it takes to light up a room.

For HTPC and multimedia computers that save energy, we recommend a dual-core processor from the Athlon X2 BE line, or one of the new 4000e series Athlon X2 processors. If the computer is left on all the time, about $231.00 (150 Euros) per year in electrical costs can be expected.

When it comes to energy consumption, the K9A2 Platinum motherboard with the 790 FX chipset from MSI is superior to Asus and Gigabyte. We recommend the MSI K9A2 Platinum motherboard for users who want to take advantage of the energy intake of an AMD system while using the 790FX.

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  1. 1 – Energy consumption of 35 AMD-Processors
  2. 2 – Test System Components
  3. 3 – Test System Components, Continued...
  4. 4 – Measuring Devices and Testing Methods
  5. 5 – AMD Phenom: Up to 27 Watts During Standby
  6. 6 – Testing 35 AMD Processors
  7. 7 – Energy Consumption: The Processor and Cool'n'Quiet Mode
  8. 8 – Energy Consumption: Cool’n’Quiet and the Complete System
  9. 9 – Energy Loss: When Cool’n’Quiet Mode Doesn’t Work
  10. 10 – System Energy Loss: When Cool’n’Quiet Mode Doesn’t Function
  11. 11 – Energy Consumption: Loading the Processor to the Maximum
  12. 12 – Energy Consumption: Burdening the Complete System to the Maximum
  13. 13 – Energy Costs: When Cool'n'Quiet Mode Doesn’t Work
  14. 14 – Electrical Costs: For an Average User
  15. 15 – Electrical Costs: the 24-Hour System
  16. 16 – Electrical Costs: the Full Capacity for 24-Hour System
  17. 17 – Phenom, Efficient at Full Capacity
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