CPU/Mobo Phenom II Info thread

take a look @ this reviews guyz

enjoyy

AMD Phenom II X3 720 BE

AMD Phenom II X4 810

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Review : AMD Phenom II X4 810 and X3 720BE review (AM3)
 
AMD is definitely back in the game. Heka (Tricores) can take on E7XXX series any day and X4 8XX series is good enough to match Q8XXX. X4 920 and X4 940 are decent alternatives to Q9300 and Q9400.

Fine, Intel's Q9550 and above still rule and E8XXX still has best performance/power ratio for general users, but platform cost and promise of extra core is nice.

BTW, here is what Xbitlabs says for X4 810

As for the AMD Phenom II X4 810 processor we discussed today, it is another incarnation of AMD’s strategy to be offering higher performance at a lower cost. Our tests showed that its performance is comparable to that of Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200, while its price is a little lower. As a result, AMD currently has a great alternative to all least expensive quad-core Intel processors starting with the Core 2 Quad Q9400 model. In other words, AMD made a very significant step to offering a competitive lineup of processors that we have every reason to recommend as a good buying choice.
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And Guru 3D:

So for gamers and people that like to tweak and overclock, I honestly would like to recommend you to look at that Phenom II X3 720 BE processor. At just 145 USD it's just colossal bang for your bucks, and the additional value kicks in even more once you overclock. If you do not care about overclocking but use your PC mainly for encoding, transcoding or (de)compressing a lot of stuff with your PC, then the AMD Phenom II X4 810 might probably work out better for you.
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AMD Phenom II X4 810: DDR3 vs. DDR2

a comparison on performance on DDR3 and DDR2 with our new phenom-II

AMD introduced support for DDR1 memory with first models of K8 CPUs in 2003 when that memory standard was on it rise to the peek. Those K8 cores nicely used all advantages of DDR1 memory standard including low access time. Result of integration of memory controller into CPU core and utilization of DDR1 memory standard was drastic performance increase compared to existing Athlon XP (K7) CPUs. Memory access time has dropped from 100ns to 40ns while improvement in memory bandwidth was utilization of 90-95% of theoretically achievable 100%.
Thanks to these characteristics Athlon 64 Socket 754, and later 939, had in average 20-30% better performances in games compared to previous generation of AMD CPUs. At the same time NetBurst architecture (Pentium 4) that operated on significantly higher frequencies offered much lower performances in most applications. Even then advantages of SOC (System On Chip) architecture were obvious. Gigabyte DDR3 arrived first!

Gigabyte made an effort and presented to us their AM3 solution although this is no surprise when we take tight bonds between Gigabyte and AMD into account. GA MA790FXT-UD5P is top quality motherboard that supports CrossFire, 10 SATA ports and 2 e-SATA ports that will be put to good use by all of you “storage maniacs†out there. Power filtration unit is “best-in-class†and it is consisted of 10 MOSFETs (Metal–Oxide–Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor) that are dynamically powered on depending on load. Cooling solution used for chipset and power unit is consisted of one heat-pipe cooler that does its job very nicely. This motherboard also has additional Power and Reset buttons along side with Clear CMOS that can be very useful to overclockers. Motherboard is based on already proven AMD 790FX chipset that is combined with SB750 south bridge.

Sadly, after AMD started with integration of memory controller into CPU, period of transition to newer memory standards become painful spot for this manufacturer. If we reflect on transition from DDR1 to DDR2 memory standard and problems with Socket AM2 platform and its bad performances, we can realize that transition to new memory standards can be painful experience for manufacturers. Socket AM2 CPUs that supported DDR2 memory weren’t compatible with older Socket 939 so transition to DDR2 memory standard demanded purchase of new motherboard, CPU and memory (obviously). If we add to all those problems controversial performances of immature AM2 platform simple conclusion, from the end-users perspective, was that it is not that profitable upgrade, because owners of good Socket 939 system would end up with system that has almost same performances.
On the other side first AMD dual-core CPUs, that actually appeared for the first time on Socket 939 platform, were a very rare bird in those days so a lot of users that needed dual-core CPU platform went for more efficient Intel Core 2 Duo CPUs. AMD tried to hold a piece of market share with lower prices for pricey 90nm F2 and F3 Athlon X2. In that fight for users and constant need for balance between price, market share and lower profit rate, users profited the most, and the biggest loser was AMD. With introduction of Phenom CPU that could work on almost any AM2 motherboard, AMD saw the light at the end of the tunnel but the end of suffering wasn’t over. When Phenom CPU appeared on the market AM2 platform was mature with all teething problems eliminated: BIOS was on most motherboards flawless and performances of F3 revision of X2 CPU were significantly better than Athlon X2 FX60 on Socket 939 platform (mainly because of higher frequencies – 3.2GHz for F3 against 2.6GHz for FX60). Besides, when first Phenom CPUs saw the light of the day, old Socket 939 platform was forgotten and no one was interested in performances of old platform when we had new AM2.

Newest K10 core was from start designed to support DDR3 memory standard, but from unknown reasons (to us) AMD decided to disable that support for 65nm revisions of this CPU. Even first Deneb 45nm cores had disabled support for DDR3 memory. Deneb cores that have DDR3 support are the same C2 revision that initially appeared on Socket AM2/AM2+. Same mistake with transition to new memory standard AMD didn’t want to repeat so new AM3 CPUs are backwards compatible with AM2/AM2+ motherboards. If you have old AM2 motherboard that supports Phenom CPUs, new Phenom X4 810, X3 720 or any other AM3 CPUs can be plugged in and everything will work flawlessly with “good old†DDR2 memory that you already have.
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InsideHW - AMD Phenom II X4 810: DDR3 vs. DDR2
 
Value and Conclusions
Without even reviewing the product, after being told at the initial briefing that DDR3 performance accounted for only a five percent improvement, we knew we weren't going to see much more than an evolutionary bump for AM3.

The reality is not even that. As much as we'd love to big-up the new socket and latest memory support, at the end of the day it's more of a formal increment to keep up with the changing times and, even then, DDR3 is still something to shy away from.

As it stands, in our opinion the DDR3 memory controller simply isn't good enough - AMD needs to push for 1,600MHz memory support and 8GB of DDR3 (all four slots) as well. It needs to be a significant performance bump in order to incentivise people to upgrade, bringing down DDR3 prices further and actually generating a performance gap.

There will be an inevitable drop in DDR3 prices in 2009 and it should become more mainstream. However, with the economic recession in full effect, companies like Qimonda have already filed for insolvency and have been bailed out (all the cool kids are doing it these days it seems). This, combined with the fact memory companies in the "good times" saw very little money from DDR2, the factors are in favour of DDR3 prices remaining higher for a while yet and AMD's contribution is hardly going to increase consumer demand - the final factor in this equation.

In our book, 8GB of RAM is still overkill unless you have some extreme demands, but we recognise it's become increasingly popular for DDR2 owners to drop in another 4GB because memory is so cheap. Upgrading and having to drop back to 4GB is unlikely to be on the cards for these consumers - especially if it's an upgrade to a slower system because of higher DDR3 latencies. Investing in an AM3 CPU also means limiting your upgrade options - what's the point in buying 4GB now and "cheaper" 4GB later when the outcome is a slower than DDR2, yet still more expensive pair of DDR3 modules?

AMD's AM3 update is more in parallel with DDR3 for Core 2 CPUs - it's there if you want it, rather than being a commanding must-have upgrade. We'll continue to focus on AM2+ products for now until AMD releases a core refresh or DDR3 drops so low it's impossible to ignore. In our opinion, this latest batch of new CPUs from AMD should really only be considered as AM2+ parts for now.
People have often ignored the very capable Intel Core 2 Duo E8200/8400 in favour of the Q6600 because they want a decent overclock and quad-core resources but until heavily overclocked, the Q6600 isn't as fast as the higher clocked dual-core chips in a lot of instances and, for the most part, clock speed is still an overwhelming factor for general system performance.

While we fobbed off the triple-core processors when AMD released the first of them based on the ill-fated 65nm Agena core because their clock speeds were just too low, AMD has now readdressed this issue and at 2.8GHz with an unlocked multiplier the 720 is a great choice. It's inexpensive and it balances the need for many core, improving performance in things like video encoding and also in applications that rely mostly on higher frequencies.

While it doesn't beat the £25 more expensive and quite frankly bulletproof Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600, it's a great alternative option for those whose budgets lie in the sub £150 bracket, rather than around £200 and upwards. Unless you're after some extreme overclocking or all of the applications you use take advantage of no more than two cores, we do think it's probably a better option than the E8400 at £136.07 or the E7500 at £124.19, as the Phenom II X3 720 beats the even higher clocked Core 2 Duo E8500 in quite a few of our tests.

The Phenom II X3 720 has hit a great price (even Intel's cheapest quad-core, the Q8200 is £141 - £20 more expensive for a far lower 2.33GHz clock) and with DDR2 it certainly holds its own against the more expensive Intel competition and even other AMD CPUs in many of the tests. What we really like is the fact that AMD officially supports the majority of overclockers - and not just those with more money than sense - by releasing inexpensive Black Edition parts. The 720 is a fantastic choice for cost efficient overclocking and it's a corporate strategy Intel should take on board. We don't have a thousand dollars for your XE thank-you-very-much.

What AMD is mostly lacking in this equation is really awesome motherboards though. With Nvidia on yet another rebranding drive for old parts and AMD's next generation chipsets the best part of a YEAR away - it's set to be a seriously boring time on the AMD front. The good news is that there should be some good bargains for AM2+ motherboards and buying one now means it will remain "current" for a long while yet. However, when it comes to AMD chipsets, its own chipset division doesn't exactly make the most feature rich and leading southbridges, which in this day and age is certainly important.

With generally poor USB performance and relying on other companies like Silicon Image to sort out its SATA it's still a poor showing, despite the fact it's extremely low power, thanks to TSMC's process technology. At the end of the day, if the CPU competition is close leaving customers undecided, the answer is what other factors are there - and when it comes to motherboards, Intel's P45/ICH10R chipset is far superior with better boards like the Asus P5Q Deluxe, and Gigabyte's GA-EP45-UD3R/P standing above many.

Finally, AMD is mostly lacking stock - right now, even a few days after release you still can't buy any of these CPUs - that's a mirroring of the Athlon X2 7750 and Phenom II X4 940/920 launches where actual product was unavailable for several weeks. We seriously hope AMD rectifies this soon, because it only gives Intel more chance to fill the gap.

At the end of the day, the Phenom II X3 710 is a superb price at a shade over £100 for a pretty high performance multi-core CPU (certainly better than the original "cheap" triple-cores) and dropped into an AM2+ motherboard the Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition affords some much needed consumer choice for inexpensive, multi-core overclocking fun.
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bit-tech.net | Review - AMD Phenom II 810, 805, 720 & 710 AM3 CPUs
 
Good competition is wallet friendly...
but chips and chipsets releasing by the day causes u to sit staring at your barely 6 months old but outdated system!!!:huh: :huh:
neways 720 be here i come!!!!
wanna overclock u till u cry!!!BI***H:eek:hyeah: :eek:hyeah: :eek:hyeah: :eek:hyeah:
 
Ok here is a small roadmap of whats comming soon from AMD stable :) This chart also includes CPU's that are already released
Code: 
[B]Expected Release Date | Socket |        CPU     |   Speed   |  Total Cache  [/B]

February 2009             AM3   Phenom II X4 910    2.6GHz         8 MB 
February 2009             AM3   Phenom II X4 810    2.6GHz         6 MB 
February 2009             AM3   Phenom II X4 805    2.5GHz         6 MB 
February 2009             AM3   Phenom II X3 720    2.8GHz        7.5 MB 
February 2009             AM3   Phenom II X3 710    2.6GHz        7.5 MB 
April 2009                AM3   Phenom II X4 945    3.0GHz         8 MB 
April 2009                AM3   Athlon X4 615       2.7GHz         2 MB 
April 2009                AM3   Athlon X4 605       2.5GHz         2 MB 
April 2009                AM3   Athlon X3 420       2.8GHz        1.5 MB 
April 2009                AM3   Athlon X3 410       2.6GHz        1.5 MB 
June 2009                 AM3   Athlon X2 240       2.8GHz         2 MB 
June 2009                 AM3   Athlon X2 235       2.7GHz         2 MB

Thermal Design Power [TDP]
Code: 
Deneb = 95-125
Heka = 65-95
Regor = 45-65

AMD has planned to release a new socker/chipset exclusivly for AM3 the southbridge will be named RS880 and RS880D which will replace 780 and 790 respectively :)

The bug with AM3 and DDR 3 1333 Mhz will be fixed with BIOS update and later on it will be implemented within RS8XX series :)

Source : AMD Processor Roadmap, Launch Dates Revealed - InsideTech.com | Fudzilla - Motherboard
 
the AMD X4 920 is a brilliant proccy for those not wanting to OC etc.

the compatible mobo costs are much cheaper compared to those of Intel, which results in cheaper AMD combos then Intel at the same performance point.
 
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