The New AMD CPUs: Speed Bumps For Free
AMD is launching five new processors today: three Athlon IIs and two Phenom IIs. So, let's go over the significance of each model.
Athlon II X2 255
| Header Cell - Column 0 | Athlon II X2 255 | Athlon II X2 250 |
|---|---|---|
| Codename: | Regor | Regor |
| Process: | 45nm | 45nm |
| CPU Cores: | 2 | 2 |
| Clock Speed: | 3.1 GHz | 3.0 GHz |
| Socket: | AM2+/AM3 | AM2+/AM3 |
| L1 Cache: | 2 x 64KB | 2 x 64KB |
| L2 Cache: | 2 x 1MB | 2 x 1MB |
| HyperTransport: | 4,000 MHz | 4,000 MHz |
| Thermal Envelope: | 65W | 65W |
The first model we'll look at is the Athlon II X2 255. Essentially a 100 MHz speed bump over the older Athlon II X2 250, its $75 MSRP brings it right on top of the triple-core Athlon II X3 425. As such, we'd probably opt for the slower triple-core X3 for the sake of scalability in threaded software. But the 255's 3.1 GHz clock speed is interesting for a budget offering.
Athlon II X3 440
| Header Cell - Column 0 | Athlon II X3 440 | Athlon II X3 435 |
|---|---|---|
| Codename: | Rana | Rana |
| Process: | 45nm | 45nm |
| CPU Cores: | 3 | 3 |
| Clock Speed: | 3.0 GHz | 2.9 GHz |
| Socket: | AM2+/AM3 | AM2+/AM3 |
| L1 Cache: | 3 x 64KB | 3 x 64KB |
| L2 Cache: | 3 x 512KB | 3 x 512KB |
| HyperTransport: | 4,000 MHz | 4,000 MHz |
| Thermal Envelope: | 95W | 95W |
The Athlon II X3 440 is much more promising. It offers a 100 MHz speed advantage over its older 435 predecessor, yet the cost to the consumer is almost identical. This is the first triple-core Athlon II to come clocked at 3.0 GHz, and at $84, it promises a solid price/performance value.
Athlon II X4 635
| Header Cell - Column 0 | Athlon II X4 635 | Athlon II X4 630 |
|---|---|---|
| Codename: | Propus | Propus |
| Process: | 45nm | 45nm |
| CPU Cores: | 4 | 4 |
| Clock Speed: | 2.9 GHz | 2.8 GHz |
| Socket: | AM2+/AM3 | AM2+/AM3 |
| L1 Cache: | 4 x 64KB | 4 x 64KB |
| L2 Cache: | 4 x 512KB | 4 x 512KB |
| HyperTransport: | 4,000 MHz | 4,000 MHz |
| Thermal Envelope: | 95W | 95W |
The new Athlon II X4 635 brings budget quad-core performance within kissing distance of 3.0 GHz, and ups the price ante slightly to $119. At 2.9 GHz, it's 100 MHz faster than the older Athlon II X4 630 model. Can you see the trend?
Phenom II X2 555 Black Edition
| Header Cell - Column 0 | Phenom II X2 555 | Phenom II X2 550 |
|---|---|---|
| Codename: | Callisto | Callisto |
| Process: | 45nm | 45nm |
| CPU Cores: | 2 | 2 |
| Clock Speed: | 3.2 GHz | 3.1 GHz |
| Socket: | AM2+/AM3 | AM2+/AM3 |
| L1 Cache: | 2 x 128KB | 2 x 128 KB |
| L2 Cache: | 2 x 512KB | 2 x 512KB |
| L3 Cache: | 6MB | 6MB |
| HyperTransport: | 4,000 MHz | 4,000 MHz |
| Thermal Envelope: | 80W | 80W |
Now for the Phenom II models, and guess what: the Phenom II X2 555 sports a 100 MHz speed bump over the 550 (surprised?). And while the extra multiplier is less impressive on a multiplier-unlocked Black Edition processor, let's face it; any Phenom II X2 550 could run at 3.2 GHz with the most basic tweaking. The new processor stepping that the 555 employs gives us some hope that we'll have more overclocking headroom. Best of all, this CPU comes in at $99, the exact same price as its older, slightly slower predecessor.
Phenom II X4 910e
| Header Cell - Column 0 | Phenom II X4 910e | Phenom II X4 910 |
|---|---|---|
| Codename: | Deneb | Deneb |
| Process: | 45nm | 45nm |
| CPU Cores: | 4 | 4 |
| Clock Speed: | 2.6 GHz | 2.6 GHz |
| Socket: | AM2+/AM3 | AM2+/AM3 |
| L1 Cache: | 4 x 128KB | 4 x 128KB |
| L2 Cache: | 4 x 512KB | 4 x 512KB |
| L3 Cache: | 6MB | 6MB |
| HyperTransport: | 4,000 MHz | 4,000 MHz |
| Thermal Envelope: | 65W | 95W |
Finally, we have the Phenom II X4 910e. You can look at this in one of two ways: it's a 100 MHz speed bump over the 905e, or it's an energy-efficient Phenom II X4 910. Either way, it's available at $169 as AMD's low-power, higher-performance tradeoff CPU.
Real World Advantages
So, what exactly is AMD putting on the table, and to whom will it make a difference?
Let's start with the speed bump. It's a nice gesture, but honestly, nobody at their computer desk is going to notice a 100 MHz increase in the real-world. Having said that, in many cases, AMD is giving it away at no extra cost. And it will help the company's price/performance ratio look better when it comes time to run the benchmarks.
There is one segment of the population we expect to disproportionately appreciate the higher speed, however: overclockers. A 100 MHz speed bump on a locked CPU means a higher multiplier, and higher multipliers mean that it's easier to reach higher processor speeds using lower reference clock rates. In addition, the Phenom II X2 555 is being manufactured on the new C3 stepping, and that also bodes well for those who push their processors to the limit.
In the final analysis, AMD's lineup is most definitely stronger as a result of today's updates/refreshes. We're not going to compare the new models to their slower predecessors, but we do think the whole sub-$200 CPU segment is deserving of a value analysis, and that includes both AMD and Intel CPUs. We have one coming up in the next few weeks.
For now though, we're going to focus on a single product in the new lineup: the Phenom II X2 555. We'll be comparing it to its new nemesis: the Intel Pentium G6950.
