AMD's new Phenom II chips take on Intel

Updated on February 9 at 12:10 a.m. PST with corrected Intel pricing.

Advanced Micro Devices added new Phenom II desktop models on Monday, including triple-core processors, in its continued attempt to outdo Intel desktop price-performance.

The Phenom II "Dragon" line of desktop processors uses AMD's new 45-nanometer technology and comprises both quad-core (X4) and triple-core (X3) parts.

The triple-core Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition processor is priced at $145, which AMD compares with Intel's Core 2 Duo (dual-core) E8400 processor, priced at $163. The quad-core X4 810 processor (2.6GHz) is priced at $175 versus the Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 processor (2.33GHz), priced at $163.

The Phenom II processors fit in either AM2+ or AM3 sockets and support DDR2 or next generation DDR3 memory technology.

Models include:

• AMD Phenom II X4 910 - (2.6GHz)
  
• AMD Phenom II X4 810 - (2.6GHz)
  
• AMD Phenom II X4 805 - (2.5GHz)
  
• AMD Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition - (2.8GHz)
  
• AMD Phenom II X3 710 - (2.6GHz)
  

The processors are available immediately, AMD said.

[AppleSuxLeo]

Too late. Intel just dropped the prices on the E9650 , E9550 , etc. Quads.

[mnovick1988]

Yes, but only short price drops. Nothing Significant. Not to mention, about the only thing worth buying for there Performance Advantages is there Extreme Line...

And you will never see them drop the prices on those. So its a Closed book, Fanboy.

[AppleSuxLeo]

Actually the 9550 IS a performance model and has a 12 MB L2 cache and was winner of the bang for your buck award. And the price drop was over $80.
You should do some research like I did before you open your pie-hole , boy.

[morrie 52]

Just read a review on Benchmark Reviews,on the 810 model,that it compared very favourably with Core i7,but with cost half the price for a set-up,$800 Core i7 and $400 810.And the X3 710,was running in day to day use with no discernable difference in performance with the Core i7.
So with the ability to run ddr2 and 3,it looks like the wolf is back biting at Intels ankles.
http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=294&Itemid=63&limit=1&limitstart=10

[mnovick1988]

Well, Without being Too Rambunctious. im Glad, AMD is providing a Fast UNIVERSAL platform. Something Intel really, Cannot Contend with. In there Glorified Profit ring.

Congrats, AMD and keep it coming.

[drbyte]

Wish more software took advantage of multiple core cpu's. Why go quad core?

[pithenumber]

lots of them do, we are seeing the first of the quad core games that didn't suck at using all 4 cores. This means that AMD's triple core will thrive since Intel is still getting a large bit of money from C2D/Pentium DC which the 720 can pwn

[kenlhb]

I trend to like Intel's CPU. But I don't know why I always buy computers with AMD's CPU. Maybe it is a little cheaper.

[KeegdnaB42]

The AM2+ backwards compatibility offers a HUGE competitive advantage. You can pick up a Phenom II and pop it in your existing rig and then upgrade everything else later, instead of an i7 where you have to get a new mobo regardless.

[sythara]

Yeah but AMD changed their sockets so much in the past few years it was hard to keep up the hardware with the upgrading ships. LGA775 has been around for ages, and you can expect LGA 1366 to stay around long as well. Thats why going with Intel has more upgradability on the long run.

Sure, AMD may prove itself once again and rise above Intel, but I'm sceptical about switching back to AMD for that same reason.

[pithenumber]

@syth
Intel will be forced to change sockets fast too, AMD changes usually are an increase in HyperTransport, if Intel wants to make QPI faster (QPI2?), they need a new socket.

[AppleSuxLeo]

Actually the 9550 IS a performance model and has a 12 MB L2 cache and was winner of the bang for your buck award. And the price drop was over $80.
You should do some research like I did before you open your pie-hole , boy.

[pithenumber]

No, the i7 is the Intel performance models, the 9550 is a high end regular

I'm getting a Ph2 720 BE, someone got it to 3.7 on MEDIOCRE air cooling and very little voltage bump

[3rdalbum]

Keegdna: AMD are starting to switch to the AM3 socket, so although you can put the Phenom 2 into an existing AM2+ motherboard, you won't be able to put AMD's 2010 chips into it. I was surprised to learn recently that Intel's LGA775 socket has been around since the days of the Pentium 4 and that you can put a Core 2 Quad into your old P4-era motherboard.

[outpostprime]

Actually all Phenom II chips are compatible. The only difference between AM3 and AM2+ is that AM3 has the slots for DDR3. AMD won't be going full DDR3 until the 32nm Fusion is released in late 2010~11. Currently it's only a rumor that the boards released on release of the AM3 boards will only be DDR3 chips.
So far AMD has said plainly that ALL 45nm phenoms will be AM2+ compatible. On the other hand the Fusion chips will be using a totally different socket with a butt load more pins. It most likely will be AM3 compatible with some disabled features but not AM2+.
AMD has taken a new approach to how it handles upgrades since AM2. The next generation is always compatible with the previous. But never 2 generations back or forward. Lets people use their machines for 2~3 years rather then 1year. Modular (AMD/ATi) is better then singular (Intel/Nvidia) is a good way to put it ;).

[viper396]

Your facts are incorrect. The LGA775 socket may have been around since the pentium 4 days but that's were the similariaty ends. Putting a P4 into a modern board is possible on some boards but you will rarely, if ever find an old P4-era board that is forward compatible to a Core-2-Quad. The bus speeds and voltages are often different.

[pithenumber]

@3rdalbum
I have an old P4 board, sckt775, they stopped giving BIOS updates years ago, so no C2Q


old 775 boards are not compatible with new 775 chips, when the manufacturer feels like you need a new board, they stop giving BIOS updates that give compatibility with new chips

[monkeyman1140]

AMD provides the backwards compatibility with AM2+ processors but I wished motherboard manufacturers took this more seriously and provided proper bios updates to enable this convenience. There's no financial incentive for them to do so, so they prefer to leave you hanging and make you buy their newer boards. Just plain bad business, but not AMD's fault.

[joshsc]

3rdalbum- It is "AMD IS starting to switch", not AMD are. AMD is ONE company. AMD is not plural.

[pithenumber]

AMD is two companies, broke up last year

[Trane Francks]

AMD would very well be plural when speaking the queen's English.

[mdulcey]

As another comment pointed out, this is a difference between American English and British English. On the west side of the pond standard usage is to refer to most collective entities (like corporations) in the singular (AMD is); on the east side they are addressed in the plural (AMD are). Once again, two countries separated by a common language.

[IMOreally]

3rdalbum: Yes Intels 775 dates back to the end of the P4 era, but even they are changing the socket for the new i7 processor. You need a LGA1366 for that processor. That means the new 2009 Intel processors will not work with the 775.

[sythara]

It has lasted long enough, as opposed to AMD releasing new socket every few years.

[pithenumber]

720 is the one to buy, kills the high end C2D's on both performance/clock and performance in general on most things due to the extra core. OC's well too.

[i_made_this]

I'm in no hurry. Will wait for the Black Edition Phenom X4 950's. Still, AMD must figure out how to compete with Intel for their fair share of the high end laptop market.

Ultimately, the best race is still on for which firm will deliver the combined CPU/GPU SKU - this is the product AMD first promised, Intel next and Nvidia surely could do it as well. It'll be a market killer.

[ztenc]

I will buy AMD CPUs next time.