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Reviews Around The Web
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Choose Web Reviews from this Maker:
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Monday, April 14, 2008
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Eagerly waiting for the fixed AMD Phenom X4 processors? So were we. We put the AMD's updated quad-core processor lineup to the test to see how they stack up to Intel's range, but the outcome was far from satisfactory. Read on as we dissected the Phenom X4, including the 9850 'Black Edition'.
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Friday, April 11, 2008
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Those into massive multi-tasking or highly threaded applications will benefit the most from a quad-core processor, but even with AMD's massive steps forwards, we still feel the Q6600 is the slightly better purchase, regardless of the small £10 price difference. Both can be overclocked, but the Phenom X4s are much hotter and less tolerant to heat in comparison. At just over 60˚C our Phenom at 2.8GHz was stable, but at just under 70˚C it locked up.
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Tuesday, April 8, 2008
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It has since taken some time for AMD to come up with a new addition to its CPU portfolio. Already attempted once, AMD had to re-design some of the CPUs due to a hardware problem that results in errors if the additional cache memory is used; today AMD has corrected this and released what is now known as the "B3" stepping revision of its Phenom Processors, the first series of CPUs to support the K10 architecture. First off, before we get into our Phenom processor, we wanted to have a bit of a look at the K10 architecture that AMD is hoping will save it from Intel's Core architecture that has managed to severely hamper AMD's sales as the top performance CPU.
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Wednesday, April 2, 2008
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It's hard to believe, but there are actually many people who don't want the trappings, and cost, of gaming hardware. Integrated graphics aren't always an option and, when they are, they use precious system resources that, for only a little extra cash, can be un-tethered. Which is exactly what an entry-level video card is supposed to do. They're not intended to play video games, and their 3D processing capacity is misleading. Good enough doesn't mean gaming; it's about low power consumption and decent features. So, for those of you looking for "good enough," is this vanilla HD 2400 XT it? Or does it come up short where it counts?
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The Phenom launch was not without its bright spots. First and foremost was the fact that the Phenom would be the first true quad core processor, with all four cores being on the same die. The other plus side came in the form of one heck of an olive branch from AMD, in the form of a multiplier unlocked "Black Edition" of the Phenom 9600. We have just such a creature for a review.
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One thing AMD is stressing is the upgradeability of their older motherboards to support their new Quad Core CPUs. AMD sent a list of compatible motherboards that are on AMD's Recommended List and it includes older motherboards including the nForce 570 chipset M2N-32-SLI and the AMD 690 boards that were prevalent a couple of years ago. Newer boards like the AMD 790FX and NVIDIA GeForce 7050 and presumably the upcoming 780a are being tested and qualified but few if any are on the list at the moment. The other consideration is for the home builder wanting to build an inexpensive motherboard+CPU combo. The 9850 is retailing for $235, add a 780G motherboard from AMD or an equivalent NVIDIA integrated board like the 8300 and you'd have a system that'd be hard to match on the Intel side dollar for dollar, especially with the state of Intel's graphics drivers not even supporting DX10 as of yet. As an upgrade to existing AMD systems is where this CPU will be the sweet spot. This is due to the fact that if you have a slower CPU, but still want a faster system, this is an easy buying decision to make and will most certainly speed your system up from an older AMD CPU.
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Friday, March 28, 2008
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The new AMD Phenom X4 50-series of processors is how Phenom should have launched back in November of last year. This stepping of Phenom doesn't offer higher performance versus the older Phenom B1 and B2 steppings, but does remove the TLB erratum that caused many consumers to skip over Phenom when considering a platform for their next system. Those that already have an AMD Socket AM2 platform now have a solid upgrade path to look forward to...
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Thursday, March 27, 2008
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AMD has finally gone into full production with a new mask spin of their Phenom processor now dubbed the Phenom X4. The new flagship 2.5GHz Phenom X4 9850 is representative of a new revision of the native quad-core Phenom silicon that resolves the well known TLB errata. Quad-core Phenom X4 processors based on the new B3 revision silicon should be hitting store shelves in the not too distant future. In addition to resolving the TLB bug, AMD is also unveiling some higher clocked Phenoms and tri-core and low-power models too.
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Thursday, March 13, 2008
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A little over three weeks back, AMD unleashed their HD3870 X2 graphics card which put AMD back on top for the fastest graphics card. Although the card featured a Crossfire connector bridge, drivers were not available to take advantage of this feature. AMD has now released their 8.3 Catalyst drivers that allow you to run two HD3870 X2 graphics cards in Crossfire mode allowing you to harness the power of four GPUs.
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Tuesday, March 11, 2008
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Is Black the in colour for CPU's nowadays? Or is Blue much more in vogue? Take a look at how Phenom gets on in the labs...
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Monday, March 10, 2008
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The HD3800 series have been available for nearly three months now, but it's only until NVIDIA recently decided to launch their 9600GT that we decided to have another look at ATI's current mainstream video card. Our article includes two samples, one standard clocked HD3870 branded Club3D, and one supercharged video card labeled HIS. Head on to found out how we rated the HD3870 three months after release.
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Thursday, March 6, 2008
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The 4850e X2 CPU does what it is designed to do, namely bring the performance and features of the 4800 X2 into the 45W maximum power draw domain. From a performance point of view this new CPU is in line with the 4800+ X2 with similar performance across the board. Computers are going green in every sense of the word, with motherboard manufacturers designing motherboards with lower power becoming more important in saving the environment and energy. With a projected MSRP of $89, the 4850e CPU is excellent to facilitate this.
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Today we are looking at a new chipset and processor form AMD. The AMD 780G chipset features integrated DirectX 10 compliant graphics and a wealth of other features. After all the dust settled the 780G and Athlon X2 4850e performed well. Especially so when you consider that the CPU retails for only $89 and the CPU with the mainboard will cost around $180. Throw in a $50 HD 3450 discrete graphics card and you have a very low cost machine that can play games like Crysis (albeit at low settings).
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Wednesday, March 5, 2008
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During a recent trip to visit ATI we got a chance to see numerous AMD 780G motherboards and while we are finishing up our 780G review this should hold you over. AMD expects 780G based motherboards to be priced between $80-$120 with some manufacturers boards available this week and others later in the month. With the 780G and SB700 chipsets motherboard manufacturers can come up with some interesting designs and today we will be showing you what ASUS, ECS, Foxconn, Gigabyte, MSI, J&W and Jetway have developed...
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AMD latest motherboard chipset - the RS780G - looks to completely redefine the market for integrated graphics. Unlike its rivals, it has power enough to run modern games and can pair with a low-cost discrete graphics card to boost performance even further.
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