AMD Hits Top (Base) GHz with Quad-Core Phenom

By Marcus Yam
published

Just another 100MHz.

AMD today released a new Phenom II that could be one of the last new introductions for the company before it enters its future in Fusion.

New to its desktop family is the AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition processor. The X4 980 is much like the X4 975, except it gains another 100MHz to hit 3.7GHz. It features the same 6MB of L3 cache and a TDP of 125W.

If you're familiar with the Phenom II family, then you'll know exactly what this latest member is all about. Tech Report has a quick lowdown on what it calls "An old horse gallops a few steps faster."

Marcus Yam
Marcus Yam
Marcus Yam served as Tom's Hardware News Director during 2008-2014. He entered tech media in the late 90s and fondly remembers the days when an overclocked Celeron 300A and Voodoo2 SLI comprised a gaming rig with the ultimate street cred.
67 Comments Comment from the forums
  • virtualban
    meh...
    Waiting June and their big revelations.
    Come on bulldozer. I am lying when I am saying I don't have high expectations for you because I fear disappointment. Be a fan like it is never going to disappoint you, because that's the only way to truly be a fan. And right now I am a fan for getting the CPU to move some. There is a lot of stagnant potential in Intel, and there is pushing AMD to the limits. I like them both pushed to the limits and the pressure to bring more. So, GO AMD!! Bring us dream instructions per cycle and also keep the experience of pushing your CPUs to 3.7 GHz out of the box.
    Reply
  • killerclick
    This is really sad. AMD should just dismantle itself if it can't compete against Sandy Bridge.
    Reply
  • Silmarunya
    killerclickThis is really sad. AMD should just dismantle itself if it can't compete against Sandy Bridge.
    It's just a minor update like AMD and Intel do all the time. Sure, it can't complete with SB, but AMD's answer to SB is slated for June in the form of Bulldozer (high end CPU for use with discrete GPU's) and Llano (mid end CPU with powerful IGP for everyday use).

    It's a bit like saying that a security patch is Window's answer to the next Mac OS X - that's not true, it's the next Windows version that's the answer.
    Reply
  • Hmmm,.I do hope that AMD would at least be able to top the 1st gen Core iX processors when it comes to IPCs and trample SB's iGP to stay competitive..
    Reply
  • bustapr
    killerclickThis is really sad. AMD should just dismantle itself if it can't compete against Sandy Bridge.No matter how much better sandy bridge is, AMD wont be dismantled because of it. Amd remains the solid leader in the low end market and its high end(which is not bad at all) is ALOT cheaper than intels high end. Bulldozer is supposed to be AMDs answer top SB, and if it doesnt do well against SB, its still in a good spot because it will undoubtably be a powerful CPU at an affordable price(probably 1/2 or less of SB price).
    Reply
  • enzo matrix
    Tech Report has a quick lowdown on what it calls "An old horse gallops a few steps faster."
    Wouldn't that be a "half step faster"? ;)
    Reply
  • fir_ser
    I can't wait to see what's coming out in June, I'm most excited about Bulldozer.
    Reply
  • ironmb
    No matter how much better sandy bridge is, AMD wont be dismantled because of it. Amd remains the solid leader in the low end market and its high end(which is not bad at all) is ALOT cheaper than intels high end. Bulldozer is supposed to be AMDs answer top SB, and if it doesnt do well against SB, its still in a good spot because it will undoubtably be a powerful CPU at an affordable price(probably 1/2 or less of SB price).

    AMD has high end APU's? Lol i laughed at this one. AMD is for budget gamers. Bulldozer is a joke, AMD is 3 years behind Intel, and still lacks any benchmarks to prove they can keep up with anything. AMD stick to putting your money into crap laptops.
    Reply
  • jsc
    ironmb, we do not know whether or not Bulldozer is a joke. It may be, but until the reviewers get production samples, we really do not know. And lest I be accused of being an AMD fanboi, my last 6 systems were Intel Core2 systems.

    Is the 980 a "minor update" or is it a 975 tested and placed in a faster bin?
    Reply
  • killerclick
    bustaprNo matter how much better sandy bridge is, AMD wont be dismantled because of it. Amd remains the solid leader in the low end market and its high end(which is not bad at all) is ALOT cheaper than intels high end.
    i5-2500K completely dominates this latest (and every other) AMD CPU but still costs less and uses less power. And when Bulldozer comes out, it'll still be slower than Sandy Bridge, not to mention Ivy Bridge which is expected by the end of the year. AMD is dead, surviving only on the charity of fanboys.
    Reply