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1 2 3 4 5 6 NextAMD Phenom II & Athlon II
June 5, 2009 by Lawrence Lee
| Product |
AMD Phenom II
X2 550
AM3 Processor |
AMD Athlon II
X2 250
AM3 Processor |
| Manufacturer |
AMD |
AMD |
| MSRP |
US$107 |
US$87 |
Today we will be looking at two of AMD's newest processors, the Phenom II X2
550 Black Edition, and the Athlon II X2 250. Priced at a suggested retail price
of $102 and $87 respectively, they are aimed squarely at the bread and butter
value segment of the desktop processor market. Not only are they the first dual
core parts for the AM3 socket, they are also the first dual core AMD chips manufactured
using the same 45nm fabrication process as the Phenom II X4's.
|
Our Phenom II X2 and Athlon II X2 samples.
|
The Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition runs at 3.1 GHz, has an unlocked multiplier
and a thermal envelope of 80W. The Phenom II X2 series (code name Callisto)
are simply Phenom II X4 900's with two cores disabled, and as such they have
a healthy 6MB of L3 cache. Manufacturing defects will often produce CPUs with
one or two faulty cores, so recycling them as dual and triple core CPUs is a
very economical strategy. This also opens up the possibility of processors with
four good cores being repackaged as dual cores to satisfy demand, though this
may be rare due to the popularity of the Phenom II X4 series.
|
CPU-Z screenshot: Phenom II X2 550 BE.
|
"Regor" is AMD's code name for their Athlon II X2 processors. These
parts have only two cores on the die and no L3 cache, though they have twice
as much L2 cache. The X2 250 is easier and cheaper to manufacture, resulting
in a reduced price tag and lower 65W thermal design power. It seems appropriate
that the Athlon name is reused for these processors. Like Callisto, Regor is
an AM3 part so it can be used on both of AMD's current desktop sockets. The
Athlon II X2 250 is clocked at 3.0 GHz.
|
CPU-Z screenshot:Athlon II X2 250.
|
Compared to Intel's current lineup of 45nm dual core CPUs, both of AMD's new
dual core chips land in unoccupied territory: the $90-$100 price point. They
are sandwiched on one side by the more expensive Intel Core 2 Duo E7000 series
with 3MB of L2 cache and a 1066 MHz front side bus, while on the opposite side
reside the Pentium E5000 series with 2MB of L2 cache and a 800 MHz front side
bus. All of these competitors are 65W parts.
|
Comparison Table: Dual Core 45nm Processors (June
2009)
|
|
Model
|
Clock Speed
|
L2 Cache (total)
|
L3 Cache
|
FSB/HT
|
TDP
|
Mfg.
Price
|
|
E7400
|
2.80 GHz
|
3MB
|
N/A
|
1066 MHz
|
65W
|
$113
|
|
E7300
|
2.66 GHz
|
3MB
|
N/A
|
1066 MHz
|
65W
|
$113
|
|
E7200
|
2.53 GHz
|
3MB
|
N/A
|
1066 MHz
|
65W
|
N/A
|
|
X2 550 BE
|
3.1 GHz
|
1MB
|
6MB
|
2.0 GHz
|
80W
|
$102
|
|
X2 250
|
3.0 GHz
|
2MB
|
N/A
|
2.0 GHz
|
65W
|
$87
|
|
E6300
|
2.80 GHz
|
2MB
|
N/A
|
1066 MHz
|
65W
|
$84
|
|
E5400
|
2.70 GHz
|
2MB
|
N/A
|
800 MHz
|
65W
|
$84
|
|
E5300
|
2.66 GHz
|
2MB
|
N/A
|
800 MHz
|
65W
|
$74
|
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