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AMD Phenom II processor: characteristics, description, reviews. AMD Phenom II processor: characteristics, description, reviews Efficiency of using DDR3

AMD's current policy in terms of processor production is extremely clear. All efforts are aimed at creating Deneb chips for the Phenom II X4 9*0 line of processors. However, the production of such high-tech crystals is far from simple, even by modern standards. The percentage of defects is so high that recycling it irrevocably would lead to a significant increase in the cost of full-fledged working chips. That is why, having successfully systematized the rejected crystals, AMD provided naturally discounted models, united in the Phenom II X4 8 * 0 line (Deneb core); Phenom II X3 7*0 (Heka core) and even Phenom II X2 5*0 (Callisto core). You can get acquainted with the characteristics of some representatives of all lines, the Phenom II family, by looking at the table below.

Name	Phenom II X4 945	Phenom II X4 910	Phenom II X4 810	Phenom II X4 805	Phenom II X3 720	Phenom II X3 710	Phenom II X2 550
Technical process, nm
Core
Connector
Frequency, MHz
Factor
HTT/Bclk
L1 cache, KB
L2 cache, KB
L3 cache, KB
Supply voltage, V
TDP, W
Limit temperature, °C
Set of instructions		RISC, IA32, x86-64, NXbit, MMX, 3DNow!, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSE4a	RISC, IA32, x86-64, NXbit, MMX, 3DNow!, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSE4a	RISC, IA32, x86-64, NXbit, MMX, 3DNow!, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSE4a	RISC, IA32, x86-64, NXbit, MMX, 3DNow!, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSE4a	RISC, IA32, x86-64, NXbit, MMX, 3DNow!, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSE4a	RISC, IA32, x86-64, NXbit, MMX, 3DNow!, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSE4a
Approximate price as of 07/14/09, $

The Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition processor tested today is the fastest in its line, however, it is this model range that has undergone the most significant “amputations” compared to all Phenom II representatives. The series lost two whole cores, with the same amount of third-level cache memory. But, first things first - first, about its packaging.

Appearance of packaging

Let us remind you that the Phenom II X2 550 is “crowned with the title” Black Edition. Accordingly, the packaging, according to AMD tradition, is exclusively black without any “flashy” logos.

The blue square on the front of the package displays the main advantages of the model. This is a fairly high clock speed of 3.1 GHz, a total cache memory of 7.0 MB, and is also designed for installation in the Socket AM3 processor socket.

Equipment

The packaging of the boxed model of the Phenom II X2 550 BE did not bring any surprises, but it did not cause disappointment either.

The delivery includes:

Processor Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition;
CPU cooler FOXCONN(N)1A018E000;
Installation instructions and three-year warranty;
Sticker on the system unit.

The “lightweight” model of the FOXCONN(N)1A018E000 cooler is already familiar to us firsthand. This model is included with all “stripped down” Phenom II models. However, its effectiveness in cooling the Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition processor being reviewed today will be tested in practice and described below.

There is a sticker included. Let us remind you that it was absent in the first tested models of the Phenom II family. Based on letters from readers, we received information that all models of the Phenom II family of new batches are equipped with a sticker.

AMD processor Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition

Having examined the heat distribution cover of the Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition processor, it became known that its place of production is Malaysia. The marking is represented by the alphanumeric combination HDZ550WFK2DGI, which can be deciphered as follows:

HD – AMD K10.5 architecture processor for workstations;
Z – processor with a free multiplier;
550 – model number indicating the family (first digit) and the position of the model within the family (the remaining digits - the higher the number, the higher the operating clock frequency);
WF – processor thermal package up to 80 W with a supply voltage in the range of 0.875 – 1.425 V;
K – the processor is packaged in a 938 pin OµPGA (Socket AM3) case;
2 – total number of active cores and, accordingly, the amount of L2 cache 2x512 KB;
DGI - Callisto core (45 nm) C2 stepping.

It should be noted that there is some discrepancy with the labeling. The letter combination DGI was used to mark the previously reviewed processors Phenom II X3 710 and Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition. which have a Heka core, which assumes the presence of three active computing cores. But the Phenom II X4 810 processor, also reviewed earlier, is labeled as FGI, and has four active computing cores, but a “cut down” third-level cache. Well, the most surprising thing is that the full-fledged processors Phenom II X4 920 and Phenom II X4 940 are also labeled DGI, although they did not fall under the “scalpel”. However, the Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition processor we are considering today is dual-core.

The back of the processor exposes the 938-pin package. This is Socket AM3. Let us remember that it is backward compatible with the AM2+ connector, and the memory controller built into the processor can work with DDR2 and DDR3 memory.

Specification:

	AMD Phenom II X2 550 BE
Marking
CPU socket
Clock frequency, MHz
Factor	15.5 (starting)
HT bus frequency, MHz
L1 cache size, KB
L2 cache size, KB
L3 cache size, KB

Number of cores
Instructions support	MMX, 3DNow!, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSE4A, x86-64
Supply voltage, V
Thermal package, W
Critical temperature, °C
Technical process, nm
Technology support	Cool'n'Quiet 3.0 Enhanced Virus Protection Virtualization Technology Core C1 and C1E states Package S0, S1, S3, S4 and S5 states

Proprietary technologies:

Enhanced virus protection technology (NX bit / Enhanced Virus Protection). Supported by operating systems starting from Windows XP SP2, it is designed to prevent the spread of some viruses that use a buffer overflow error (for example MSBlaster and Slammer), i.e. allows you to prohibit the execution of program code located in memory areas intended for data.

128-bit SSE block and SSE4a instruction set. Includes 6 new instructions to fully and efficiently support the respective applications.

AMD Virtualization (AMD-V)- improved technology that allows you to simultaneously run two independent Operating Systems on one PC.

AMD Cool 'n' Quiet 3.0 Technology provides an effective reduction in power consumption, thereby enabling the creation of quieter computing systems. For the technology to function, support/activation in the BIOS and a software driver is required.

AMD CoolCore- hardware technology allows you to disable currently unused processor units to reduce power consumption and heat dissipation; no driver or activation in the BIOS is required.

Dual Dynamic Power Management Technology- Provides independent power to all processor cores and memory controller for optimal performance and power consumption.

By tradition, confirmation of the characteristics is a screenshot of the CPU-Z program.

However, even the latest version of the CPU-Z program brought a surprise. Pay attention to the Code Name cell. Codename for the core is Deneb, when the real name should be Callisto. Most likely, this embarrassment is due to the fact that the Phenom II X2 processor line is quite “fresh” and the authors of the CPU-Z program at the time of creating version 1.51 simply did not know that this processor model would exist.

The Cahce section of CPU-Z showed the cache distribution. 128 KB L1 cache per core. 512 KB of L2 cache also per core and a total of 6 MB of L3 cache.

DDR3 memory worked at the “native” frequency of the controller built into the processor, 1333 MHz, with a corresponding set of timings.

During testing we used Processor Test Stand No. 1

Motherboards (AMD)	ASUS M3A32-MVP DELUXE (AMD 790FX, sAM2+, DDR2, ATX)GIGABYTE GA-MA790XT-UD4P (AMD 790X, sAM3, DDR3, ATX)
Motherboards (AMD)	ASUS F1A75-V PRO (AMD A75, sFM1, DDR3, ATX)ASUS SABERTOOTH 990FX (AMD 990FX, sAM3+, DDR3, ATX)
Motherboards (Intel)	GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P (Intel P45, LGA 775, DDR2, ATX)GIGABYTE GA-EX58-DS4 (Intel X58, LGA 1366, DDR3, ATX)
Motherboards (Intel)	ASUS Maximus III Formula (Intel P55, LGA 1156, DDR3, ATX)MSI H57M-ED65 (Intel H57, LGA 1156, DDR3, mATX)
Motherboards (Intel)	ASUS P8Z68-V PRO (Intel Z68, sLGA1155, DDR3, ATX)ASUS P9X79 PRO (Intel X79, sLGA2011, DDR3, ATX)
Coolers	Noctua NH-U12P + LGA1366 KitScythe Kama Angle rev.B (LGA 1156/1366)ZALMAN CNPS12X (LGA 2011)
RAM	2x DDR2-1200 1024 MB Kingston HyperX KHX9600D2K2/2G2/3x DDR3-2000 1024 MB Kingston HyperX KHX16000D3T1K3/3GX
Video cards	EVGA e-GeForce 8600 GTS 256 MB GDDR3 PCI-EASUS EN9800GX2/G/2DI/1G GeForce 9800 GX2 1GB GDDR3 PCI-E 2.0
Hard drive	Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3500418AS, 500 GB, SATA-300, NCQ
power unit	Seasonic SS-650JT, 650 W, Active PFC, 80 PLUS, 120 mm fan

Select what you want to compare the AMD Phenom II X2 550 with

Knowing the approximate drop in performance when testing triple-core models compared to quad-core models of the same Phenom II family, it was not difficult to guess the performance of dual-core models of the same family. The clock frequency of the Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition increased by 100 MHz compared to the Athlon II X2 250 and the presence of 6 MB of third-level cache gave a slight increase in performance. Otherwise, the standard dependence of the number of computing cores on performance, adjusted for clock frequency. But this slight increase in performance allows you to try to compete with equal-frequency dual-core Intel processors, especially when taking into account the cost of these processors.

Efficiency of a boxed cooler

The FOXCONN(N)1A018E000 cooling system, which comes with all processor models of the Phenom II X4 8** and Phenom II X3 7** lines, did not demonstrate much efficiency. This was especially evident when testing the Phenom II X4 810 processor, although when the processor was running at “standard” voltage and frequencies, it coped with its responsibilities.

Let us remind you that this cooler consists of a solid aluminum radiator, the dimensions of which are 30x68x77 (HxWxD) mm. The central thermal column is square-shaped in section; heat-dissipating ribs extend diagonally from it, four of which are thickened, because They also serve as a fan mount.

The radiator is fastened with a “traditional” clip, which fits into the corresponding “grooves” in the radiator.

The fan is marked as FOXCONN PV701512F2BF 1G. Its standard size is 70 mm, and its height is only 15 mm, which means that it is low-profile. The fan drive is equipped with a PWM (PWM) converter, which makes it possible, when connected to the appropriate 4-pin connector, to automatically adjust the speed of rotation of the impeller. The maximum rotation speed of the blades during testing reached ~3000 rpm, while the noise level can be described as moderate and does not stand out from the background of other fans in the system. For a more realistic idea of the effectiveness of a “boxed” cooler in cooling the dual-core processor Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition, it was given the most serious opponent Scythe Kama Angle . Moreover, the rotation speed of the blades of the latter was maximum, i.e. 1200 rpm In parallel with monitoring the processor temperature, the power consumption of the system as a whole was measured to assess the energy efficiency of the Phenom II X2 550 BE processor. Energy-saving technologies C1E and Cool`n`Quiet have been disabled due to possible distortion of results.

First, measurements were made at “standard” frequencies and voltages. The clock frequency is 3100 MHz, and the processor supply voltage is 1.34 V, i.e. the one installed by the GIGABYTE GA-MA790XT-UD4P motherboard in AUTO mode.

As you can see, the “boxed” cooler was able to “maintain” the temperature under load at 58°C, which is 8°C less than that of the Phenom II X4 810 and as much as 18°C more than the performance cooler Scythe Kama Angle. The energy efficiency of the Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition processor in idle mode is almost the same as that of the dual-core Athlon II X2 250, which AMD positions as more economical. But under load, processor consumption diverges significantly. This is due to the presence of a large third-level cache memory in the Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition.

Efficiency of using DDR3

The Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition processor is capable of working with both DDR2 and DDR3 memory. Despite the fact that at the moment DDR3 memory is almost equal in price to DDR2 memory, new AM3 motherboards will be able to use it. That is why we present to your attention comparative tests of the Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition processor using DDR3-1333 and DDR2-800 memory.

Test package		Result		Decrease in productivity, %
Test package		We use DDR3	We use DDR2	Decrease in productivity, %



	Rendering CB-CPU
	Shading, CB-GFX



Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. Demo, High, 1280x1024, AA2x
	DirectX 9 High, fps
	DirectX 10 Very High, fps

The overall average performance drop was only 2,68% . Only the buyer himself can decide whether this is a lot or a little, focusing on the difference in price. In any case, if you have a motherboard with a Socket AM3 connector and DDR3 memory at an affordable price, you shouldn’t give up the extra three to five frames per second.

Overclocking

Since the Phenom II X2 550 processor model we are considering today is the Black Edition, which implies a free, not blocked, multiplier, we decided to try to overclock it without increasing voltage, because not all motherboards have the ability to change the processor supply voltage in a sufficient range.

Stable operation was achieved at a processor clock frequency of 3817 MHz. What's on 23% higher than the nominal clock frequency. It is worth noting that the multiplier changed from x15.5 to x19.0, while the reference bus frequency remained unchanged.

The processor temperature when overclocked without raising the voltage using a “boxed” cooler increased by only 2°C at idle, and by 3°C under load, but still remains acceptable. But power consumption increased by 12 watts and amounted to 237 watts, which, even without the results of overclocking with increased voltage, makes you think not only about a productive cooler like the Scythe Kama Angle, but also about a powerful power supply, as well as a good motherboard that will be capable of " feed" the processor during overclocking.

By raising the voltage to 1.44 V, it was possible to achieve stable system operation at a processor clock frequency of 3939 MHz. In this case, the multiplier value was x19.5. Compared to the “standard” clock frequency, the increase was 27%. In fact, this is a very solid overclocking, since not a single “brother” model of the Phenom II family was able to achieve stable operation at this clock frequency. For example, the Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition model was able to overclock to only 3608 MHz at a rather dangerous voltage of 1.536 V. The Phenom II X4 810 model, which is not a representative of the elite Black Edition division, was overclocked in the classical way, i.e. raising the reference frequency, and reached a clock frequency of only 3445 MHz at 1.44 V. The only exception can be considered the Phenom II X4 940 Black Edition processor, which reached a clock frequency of 3811 MHz at a voltage of 1.44 V. However, do not forget that this is a representative of a full-fledged line that can only work with DDR2 memory, which naturally affected the results of its overclocking.

It’s not for nothing that the “boxed” cooler is missing from the table above. Its effectiveness turned out to be extremely insufficient– the system “freezes” under load. But Scythe Kama Angle once again demonstrated his “icy heart”. Difference between the highest recorded temperature in nominal mode and during acceleration with increasing voltage was only 6°C and as much as 32°C lower than the critical temperature declared by AMD. Power consumption during overclocking with increased voltage increased by another 23 watts. The assumptions were confirmed; to operate the Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition processor in an overclocked state with increased voltage, you will need a high-performance cooler, a good power supply and a motherboard with a high-quality processor power supply system. We suggest evaluating the increase in performance of the overclocked Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition in the following table.

Test package		Result
Test package		Rated frequency	Overclocked processor
	Rendering CB-CPU
	Shading, CB-GFX
Fritz Chess Benchmark v.4.2, knodes/s


Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. Demo, High, 1280x1024, AA2x
	DirectX 9 High, fps
	DirectX 10 Very High, fps

When overclocking the processor to 27% the average increase in productivity was 16.4%. This nonlinearity is due to the fact that the “standard” processor frequency is 3100 MHz, which is quite high even by today’s standards, and not all tasks depend only on the core clock frequency.

Activating blocked kernels

At the moment, it’s no secret that for all modifications of the “cut down” processors of the AMD Phenom II family, you can try to unlock and restore previously disabled blocks. Naturally, to claim that all models are capable of “unlocking” is an absolute fallacy. However, the culprit of today's review made us sweat... The approach applied to the Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition processor was unsuccessful, i.e. by setting the option Advanced Clock Calibration (ACC) in meaning AUTO no changes were noticed. Using the “scientific poke” method and studying the information posted on the Internet, the following values were set for the BIOS items in the Advenced Clock Calibration section.

EC Firmware Selection
Advanced Clock Calibration
Value (all cores) [-2%]

Fingers crossed, the system was launched, and a few minutes later a wonderful screenshot of the task manager window and the CPU-Z program was taken.

The dual-core processor Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition has turned into the non-existent quad-core Phenom II X4 B50 BE! Now we have in our hands a full-fledged Deneb processor with a “starting” clock frequency of 3100 MHz. Let us recall that the Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition processor, with the Advanced Clock Calibration option set to AUTO, just like today’s Phenom II X2 550 BE, became quad-core and received the non-existent “official name” Phenom II X4 20. A system with an already quad-core Phenom II X2 The 550 Black Edition was surprisingly absolutely stable. No nuances in operation were noticed during testing.

Test package		Result		Productivity gain, %
Test package		Phenom II X2 550 2 cores	Phenom II X2 550 4 cores	Productivity gain, %









	Rendering, CB-CPU
	Shading, CB-GFX
Fritz Chess Benchmark v.4.2, knodes/s


Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. Demo, High, 1280x1024, AA2x
	DirectX 9 High, fps
	DirectX 10 Very High, fps

This is where productivity has improved significantly! This suggests that increasing the clock frequency above ~3.0 MHz does not provide as much performance gain as increasing the number of active cores. Thus, activating two previously blocked cores at a constant clock frequency gave an average increase in performance 46% . At times almost linear with the number of cores. That is why there were special hopes for successful overclocking of the newly-made quad-core processor.

The fact of stable operation at a clock frequency of 3838 MHz of the Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition processor with two unlocked cores speaks for itself. This is the highest result that was achieved when overclocking any processor from the Phenom II family in our test laboratory. In this case, the voltage supplied to the processor was 1.4 V. Which does not even go beyond the limits set by the manufacturer. Fabulous! By paying ~$110 you can get a processor whose characteristics lie between the most expensive and advanced models of the Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition and Phenom II X4 945 family today.

Naturally, one fact of fantastic characteristics is not enough. This is why the decision was made to pit the unlocked and overclocked Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition against some of the most powerful processors from competing Intel. So, the competitors will be Core 2 Quad 9550 and Core i7 940 , previously reviewed on our website, as well as the “brotherly” Phenom II X4 940. To achieve more adequate results, only processor tests will be compared.

Futeremark PCMark`05 showed an absolutely linear dependence of performance not so much on the number of computing cores but on the processor clock frequency.

CrystalMark has already shown more realistic performance results for multi-core processors. Although the three-fold difference between the Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition, operating at standard frequencies with two computing cores, and the Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition, overclocked to 3838 MHz with two cores unlocked, seems unrealistic. Nevertheless, the quad-core processor Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition, operating at a clock frequency of 3838 MHz, confidently holds superiority over its far from weak competitors, which are two to three times more expensive.

Futeremark PCMark`06, in turn, gave the most interesting results, showing that in general, gaming performance primarily depends on the video subsystem, and only then does processor performance become important.

Well, coming to the conclusions of this article, I would like to show the results of “dancing with a tambourine” over the extraordinary Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition processor in all its glory.

Test package		Result		Productivity gain, %
Test package		Phenom II X2 550 2 cores	Phenom II X2 550 4 cores @3838 MHz	Productivity gain, %









	Renderin, CB-CPU
	Shading, CB-GFX
Fritz Chess Benchmark v.4.2, knodes/s


Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. Demo, High, 1280x1024, AA2x
	DirectX 9 High, fps
	DirectX 10 Very High, fps

The overall average performance increase when activating two cores and overclocking to 3838 MHz was 67.45% (!). In the editor's memory this is first case such an increase in performance directly, and not in the percentage of characteristics. Moreover, the acceleration noticeable to the “naked eye” is observed not only in specific synthetic tests, but in real applications and games. And the most amazing thing is that such an increase in productivity was obtained without the use of “sophisticated” technologies, such as cooling with liquid nitrogen, multi-level freon units, or even the ubiquitous water cooling system. Paradox or incredible luck? Most likely, the second, since it was not possible to find more suitable logical reasons.

Conclusion

As for using the AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition processor in nominal mode, this prospect is a little doubtful. The fact is that the Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition is generally inferior to the more technologically advanced Athlon II X2 250 processor, both in terms of power consumption, heating, and even cost. After all, although in terms of performance at nominal frequencies there is a slight superiority of the Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition, But the same energy consumption, heating and price completely neutralize it. Here I would like to advise you to either save a little and get almost the same performance at lower costs, or, conversely, add a little and buy at least a three-core processor. The only thing that can improve the situation a little is if you look at this processor as a Black Edition model with mandatory subsequent overclocking. But if you choose the AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition as an object of real overclocking with an attempt to unlock two more cores, then its purchase will be more than justified!

As already stated, 67% "free" The increase in absolute productivity does not require any explanation. There is simply no processor that is more profitable for an overclocker today. However, please note that:

To use the Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition processor overclocked to 3838 MHz with two cores activated, you should, at a minimum, acquire a good power supply, an appropriate motherboard with a high-quality processor power supply and an 8-pin power connection, as well as an alternative high-performance cooler.

have “good” luck, since world practice shows that not every processor of the Phenom II family “cut down in cores” can be unlocked. However, if there is an opportunity to “choose”, not using it would be not only stupidity, but real laziness!

dual-core processors based on the Phenom II (K10) architecture

Probably the loudest public outcry and the most favorable reviews in the press among the processors released so far within the Phenom II line was caused by the triple-core X3 720. First of all, of course, it has an advantageous position against dual-core processors from the 8000th Core 2 Duo family. As demonstrated, this processor felt confident in programs that weakly used multithreading, and gained benefits in programs that required work for more than two cores.

However, in the modern Intel line there are also dual-core processors of both the 5000 and 7000 series, which are also “buyed by someone”, and, presumably, in view of the affordable prices, they are bought quite en masse. At the same time, AMD's relatively new additions aimed at this market niche include only the Athlon X2 7750 and 7850 (both processors contain Phenom crystals upgraded to dual-core). They compete quite successfully in performance with the Pentium E5300/E5400, but have higher heat dissipation and relatively modest overclocking potential. And most importantly, as production capacity is transferred to the production of Phenom II, it becomes not so easy to obtain the required number of Phenom crystals to produce dual-core processors that are in demand by the mass market. And for sure, such processors are not cheap in terms of cost. Accordingly, the task that faced the developers was formulated approximately this way: to release more economical (and cost-effective) dual-core processors in the budget segment and present something fresh as opposed to processors from the 7000 series from a competitor. Now we will see how they coped with this task. It is curious that the processors themselves were released earlier than the originally announced dates (late summer, autumn), which has already become a pleasant corporate trend from AMD this year, and first of all, of course, indicates the pace of transition to the 45 nm process technology.

The Phenom II X2 core is physically a quad-core Phenom II crystal (Deneb, although the crystal still received its own code name: Callisto), that is, it turns out in the same way as the Athlon X2 7750/7850, only the new processor is taken as the basis. The cores of a quad-core die that have not passed factory testing are blocked, resulting in a processor with fewer cores. This approach allows us to maximize the percentage of use of the resulting crystals in production. And the Athlon II is already a physically dual-core Regor crystal, which also does not have a third-level cache. As a result, the die area is only 117.5 mm², while Deneb occupies 258 mm². It will be very interesting to see how the lack of L3 cache will affect the performance of the K10 core, since previously there were no such processors (all Phenoms had L3 cache).

The maximum TDP for the Phenom II X2 550 is stated as 80 W, and for the Athlon II X2 250 - 65 W. From a practical point of view, this means that even owners of cramped cases should not have any problems with low-noise cooling. And the subjective impressions from the specimens we received for testing fully confirm this assumption. Most likely, AMD is even playing it safe by specifying such values, and the bulk of processors in production lots fit into it with a margin. We have already conducted one study on the power consumption of processors from the Phenom II family.

By the way, our samples did not bring any new results to the overclocking statistics of processors from the current 45 nm AMD family: both ran stably at 3.8 GHz, like most previously tested 3- and 4-core models. Another thing is that for Athlon II it was necessary to increase the voltage only to 1.42 V, and for Phenom II - to 1.48, but this may also be a feature of specific copies. In other words, the overclocking potential of dual-core processors is as high as that of 3-4 core processors, but the transfer of the younger model to its own dual-core crystal did not reveal any additional bonuses in this regard.

CPU	Athlon II X2 250	Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition	Pentium E5300	Core 2 Duo E7400
Kernel name	Regor	Callisto (Deneb)	Wolfdale-2M	Wolfdale
Production technology	45 nm	45 nm	45 nm	45 nm
Core frequency, GHz	3,0	3,1	2,6	2,83
Number of cores	2	2	2	2
L1 cache, I/D, KB	64/64	64/64	32/32	32/32
L2 cache, KB	2 x 1024	2 x 512	2048	3072
L3 cache, KB	-	6144	-	-
RAM (*)	DDR2-800/DDR3-1066	DDR2-1066/DDR3-1333	-	-
Multiplication factor	15	15,5 (**)	13	10,5
Socket	AM2+/AM3	AM2+/AM3	LGA775	LGA775
TDP	65 W	80 W	65 W	65 W
Price	N/A(0)	N/A(0)	N/A()	$110()

(*) maximum frequency supported by the memory controller in the processor; installation of memory designed for a lower frequency is acceptable (for example, DDR2-667 and DDR2-800 for processors supporting DDR2-1066); for processors with LGA775 socket, the frequency and type of memory are determined by the used chipset
(**) unlocked for user overclocking capability

Test bench configuration

In all cases, 4 GB of memory was installed, the frequency corresponded to the maximum supported by each configuration. The Phenom II X2 processor has a memory controller similar to the 3- and 4-core Phenom II, respectively, it works with DDR2-1066 and DDR3-1333, and for the Athlon II X2 the standard frequencies are one step lower (DDR2-800/DDR3-1066). The Pentium E5300 used DDR2-800, and the E7400 used DDR2-1066.

hard drive: Seagate 7200.11 (SATA-2);
cooler: Zalman CNPS9700 AM2/NT;
video card: Palit GeForce GTX 275;
power supply: SeaSonic M12D 750 W.

Testing

The performance testing methodology (list of software used and testing conditions) is described in detail in the article, but in the current review the previous principle of grouping applications into subgroups is used to determine relative scores (for groups of similar applications); in the future, a new principle will be used (in accordance with classes of tasks ). For ease of perception, the results in the diagrams are presented as percentages (the result of the Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 in each test is taken as 100%). Detailed results in absolute values are available as a table in Microsoft Excel format.

3D modeling packages

In the subgroup that combines 3D modeling programs, switching to DDR3 unexpectedly does not give a gain, and there is even a slight lag. This is quite strange, because for three- and four-core processors from the 700, 800 and 900 series, we consistently observed an advantage from switching to DDR3 in this subgroup, albeit small (within 3-5%). Perhaps, in the case of dual-core processors, memory bandwidth in 3D modeling programs is no longer any determining factor, and access delays for DDR3, in turn, may be higher in some modes and negatively affect the result. But, looking ahead, we note that this is the only example of this kind; in all other subgroups, the transition to DDR3, at a minimum, does no harm, and sometimes brings very tangible benefits.

CAD/CAM packages

In CAD/CAM modeling programs that are conservative and do not favor multi-threading, convincing scaling and high relative scores, apparently, will not be expected not only from quad-core processors, but also from dual-core processors.

The Phenom II was formally inferior to its competitor here, just as the Athlon II was inferior to its competitor when using DDR2. However, the Athlon II very effectively managed to compensate for the lack of L3 cache and, accordingly, the overall small cache size by switching to DDR3 memory.

Compilation

In the compilation test, AMD processors outperform their competitors, and here, perhaps, by an unattainable amount. Athlon II is almost catching up with the E7400, but we remember that compilation is known as a very “cache-hungry” process! But, in fact, we are not talking about the need for a large cache volume, but in a broader sense: the dependence of this task on the processor’s ability to effectively interact with the memory subsystem as a whole.

Graphic editors

In graphic editors, the picture is almost the opposite; here the highest price is for performance in integer calculations, and as a result, Intel processors are ahead. The small increase from switching to DDR3 is explained by the fact that increasing bandwidth is obviously not the key point. As for the magnitude of delays, the progress in this case is not so great, because we use DDR2 with the minimum available timings, and for DDR3 we still have to set higher values. As a result, for example, in Photoshop, some operations are performed a little faster, and some a little slower, and accordingly, on average, the superiority of the DDR3 configuration is minimal.

Science and mathematics packages

The gain is on the side of AMD processors, and the most impressive effect of the transition to DDR3 is for the younger model, which only slightly outperformed the E5300 when using DDR2, but with the new type of memory was on par with the E7400. We have never seen such an increase when changing memory type! On the one hand, it is clear that in the absence of an L3 cache and, in general, a modest amount of cache memory, the nuances of interaction with RAM should appear clearly. But on the other hand, we did not expect that the integrated memory controller (even though this is the third generation of such controllers for AMD) would work so efficiently. In fact, adjusted for the difference in frequencies with the Phenom II X2, we can say that the transition to DDR3 completely compensated for the lack of L3 cache.

From an ideological point of view, the approach of improving the controller and overclocking the memory itself looks more thorough than the traditional method of smoothing out differences in the throughput of internal processor blocks by introducing cache memory of different levels into the processor itself. And, by the way, especially for the budget segment, where a large cache cannot be implemented for economic reasons. And no matter how large the cache is, there will always be conditions and situations in which even the operational amount of data will not fit in it. We must also assume that as DDR3 becomes cheaper, users for the Athlon II will often choose not the officially recommended one with a frequency of only 1066, but the high-frequency 1333 and even 1600. Fortunately, there are no difficulties in setting such frequencies using either a multiplier or the itself, when raising the reference frequency. Also for this processor, the impact of raising the CPU NB frequency will probably be significant.

Java

Java applications load the system in a variety of ways. Accordingly, AMD processors, which are more balanced in terms of the characteristics of computing units, and most importantly, the mechanism of interaction with memory, easily outperform their competitors. And again, the Athlon II pleases us in that it not only catches up with the E7400, but also formally surpasses it. By the way, this subgroup of tests is more relevant for processors in the budget category than for expensive ones with excess power.

Archivers

Again AMD is ahead. But in this category of tests it is already clearly visible that sometimes a fast cache cannot be replaced, even with fast memory access, so the Athlon II lags behind its older brother quite significantly. The level of delays when accessing the cache still remains of a different order than when accessing memory, and in archivers this is what determines the overall speed.

Audio encoding

Audio encoding tasks that are integer in nature are faster on Intel processors. However, from a practical point of view, it should be noted that the difference between all four processors in this subgroup was small. All of them “shot” approximately twice as slow as the Core 2 Quad Q9300 (whose results, we recall, are taken as 100% when calculating points for processors tested using the current method). This suggests practical advice to users who actively and constantly encode audio: take a closer look at multi-core processors. In any case, if encoding is performed using a shell like dBpoweramp, which is capable of using multiple cores even for single-threaded codecs, at least by simultaneously starting encoding of different tracks.

Video encoding

An unexpected picture, or rather, irrational, that is, not explainable from a logical point of view, if we operate in terms of processor performance, because the Phenom II X2 550 is not weaker in any of its technical characteristics than the Athlon II X2 250, and has the same number of cores .

	Athlon II X2 250 (DDR2)	Athlon II X2 250 (DDR3)	Phenom II X2 550 (DDR2)	Phenom II X2 550 (DDR3)	Pentium E5300	Core 2 Duo E7400
ProCoder	0:04:14	0:04:06	0:03:49	0:03:46	0:05:28	0:04:59
DivX	0:06:16	0:06:08	0:06:02	0:05:54	0:06:14	0:05:43
VC-1	0:12:15	0:11:58	0:11:28	0:11:23	0:13:19	0:11:54
x264	0:20:00	0:19:42	0:19:50	0:19:55	0:21:41	0:19:15
XviD	0:05:12	0:05:00	0:06:57	0:07:01	0:05:20	0:04:40

If you look at the detailed ones, which we, for clarity, decided to duplicate in the table, such a result is entirely “on the conscience” of the strange result demonstrated in coding using XviD. Let us recall that in this encoder all Phenom IIs previously, regardless of the number of cores, demonstrated results significantly worse than their corresponding competitors from Intel. Which, of course, was out of the ordinary, but there would be nothing criminal about it. Or rather, it was quite possible to refer to some optimization features or a specific load on the computing units. In fact, everything is much more primitive - apparently, there is a “cockroach” in the codec itself, some kind of optimization error that does not allow the current version to work optimally on Phenom II. But when installing the Athlon II, the “braid” unexpectedly comes off the “stone”, and the processor demonstrates the result that should have corresponded to processors from the Phenom II family, adjusted for a larger number of cores, frequency and other parameters that clearly have a positive effect on performance (by correct code). That is, most likely, at least at the level of its direct competitors from the Core 2 Duo/Quad families.

Of course, one can complain that XviD, as a representative of Open Source, is in the position of “a child with seven nannies,” but, on the other hand, the openness of the code, theoretically, can help find errors and release the necessary updates faster than what happens with commercial software . We will, of course, monitor the development of the situation.

As for the results in other codecs, here we can only note a clear lag of the E5300; from a subjective point of view, the user will most likely consider the other processors to be equally fast.

Games

In the gaming subgroup, which is important for many users, the generally more progressive architecture of the Phenom II/Athlon II makes itself felt once again. As a result, a convincing victory and a beautiful diagram, which also demonstrates the good increase that new processors are able to squeeze out of DDR3.

Conclusions

It is probably unnecessary to say that the reviewed processors turned out to be quite wealthy and worthy of attention in the segment that the manufacturer is targeting. The tests also confirmed that with the transition to the 45 nm process technology and the elimination of those “childhood sores” that prevented the K10 architecture from demonstrating its full potential in the first Phenom processors, AMD now has the opportunity for symmetrical responses (dual-core versus dual-core, in this case).

Judging by the results of the Athlon II, the ability of the AMD core to make do with a small cache is also obvious, which is also very useful for inexpensive processors, since it allows you to make the chip more compact and reduce costs. But it is important that this processor, despite the reduced cache size, has by no means become completely dependent on RAM performance, and even when using DDR2-800 it confidently outperformed its competitor. At the same time, in a number of tests the increase from switching to DDR3 looks quite convincing, so support for a new type of memory also cannot be called just a nice line in the specification. It is worth mentioning that the Athlon II supports AMD-v virtualization technology, but processors from the Pentium Dual Core family do not have such hardware functionality. Until now, support for such technologies, which have long appeared in desktop processors, meant little to most users. However, in Windows 7, these features are used for a very useful mode of emulating the Windows XP environment.

As for the Phenom II X2 550, this processor, although on average at the level of the E7400, is likely to be in greater demand among home users than in the corporate segment. Here AMD itself has done its best: an unlocked multiplier for easy overclocking, a more promising AM2+/AM3 platform, for which, unlike LGA775, many more processors will be released (which is taken into account by supporters of a smooth upgrade), higher performance in games. And objectively, this processor is unlikely to be produced as widely as the Athlon II, since it uses the same crystals as the 3-4-core Phenom II, and as production is adjusted, there will be less and less crystals left, of which there is really a need to disable two of the four cores.

Modern processors are quite expensive things. However, they boast high performance. But models from the past can still compete with current “stones”. One of these active oldies is the AMD Phenom II X2 550 processor. Even in modern realities, it can give odds to budget solutions from AMD or Intel. And this despite the fact that at one time it was by no means a top model. Let's take a closer look at this interesting "stone".

Packaging and delivery

Since the processor bears the proud name Black Edition, its box is not distinguished by a special riot of colors. Everything is very concise: completely with the AMD logo. Nothing extra. Inside is the AMD Phenom II X2 550 itself in a plastic case. Also included with a radiator made by Foxconn. In addition, there are instructions (in Russian) and a warranty card. The warranty period is three years. As a bonus, an AMD branded sticker is included on the system unit. In general, the package contains everything you need to install the processor and its further use. Now it's time to look at the main technical characteristics.

Main characteristics of the processor

550, the characteristics of which we will now consider, is a dual-core device for a home computer. The most interesting thing is that other processors from this line have 4 cores. But our hero easily outperforms them in performance. And this happens due to the unlocked multiplier and the 6 MB third level cache. The starting clock frequency is 3.1 gigahertz. Not a bad result. The processor has a set of all necessary instructions. The “stone” also works successfully with RAM standard DDR 2 and DDR 3. Moreover, the latter allows you to achieve the best unlocking of the processor’s potential. "Stone" is made for Almost all modern motherboards support it.

Overclocking options

Now a little about the acceleration capabilities of the AMD Phenom II X2 550. The multiplier is unlocked programmatically (using a proprietary utility from AMD) or through the computer BIOS. In any case, you do not need to have special equipment or specific skills for this. After unlocking, you can increase the processor's operating frequency and voltage. But it is not recommended to do this with a standard Foxconn cooler. You need a serious cooling system, as the chip will get very hot. The overclocking resource is quite large. Some overclockers have achieved results of 6200 megahertz. But they used liquid nitrogen as a coolant. It is not recommended to experiment with such overclocking at home. You can simply burn out the processor.

Comparison with other models

The closest competitors for the AMD Phenom II X2 550 Processor are its “relatives” from the “Phenom” line, several “Atlons” and several processors from Intel of the same era. What can you say about them? Firstly, none of them (excluding Phenoms) have a full third-level cache of 6 megabytes. And this greatly affects productivity. Secondly, no one has an unlocked core multiplier. Thirdly, some competitor models may be overclocked, but they will never reach the level of our hero. These above-described features alone make this processor the best. And there is no need to consider the technical characteristics of each chip. No matter how many megahertz its competitors have, the Phenom will easily outshine them in overclocking mode. And this is an indisputable fact.

Owner reviews

To find out how a particular device works in real conditions, you need to look for reviews from happy owners of the device. The situation is exactly the same with processors. What do users say about the AMD Phenom II X2 550? In general, they are all happy with the processor. Even though we bought it a long time ago. The vast majority of owners note stable operation even during overclocking. This processor also copes well with modern games. The most inquisitive users conducted their own testing in order to compare this “stone” and modern budget-level processors. And if you believe their results, then “Phenom 2” easily outperforms them in terms of stability, performance and other parameters. This alone speaks volumes. The only difficulty is that such processors have long ceased to be produced. And you can only purchase a used model on the secondary market. However, a used processor is a pig in a poke. You never know how the previous owner used it. Therefore, you should refrain from such purchases. Somewhere in the warehouses of online stores there may be a suitable copy lying around. That's where you need to look for it.

However, there are those who are categorically not satisfied with the AMD Phenom II X2 550. Most often, people complain about the high temperature of the processor. And this is true. It’s not for nothing that “stones” from AMD are called “stoves”. The standard cooling system clearly cannot cope with its responsibilities. You can also sometimes hear complaints about insufficient performance in resource-intensive applications (such as Vegas, Pinnacle, latest versions of Photoshop). But this is only because users are unfamiliar with overclocking technology. If you increase the frequencies, then there will be no such problem. In general, there are very few complaints about Phenom X2. The vast majority of users knew very well what they were purchasing. Therefore, they are not inclined to demand the impossible from the processor. There are no complaints about gaming performance at all. "Stone" works great even with modern toys. And that's good. At least once upon a time AMD produced high-quality processors.

Conclusion

So, we have disassembled the old AMD Phenom II X2 550 processor. Its characteristics are such that it can easily compete with modern budget models. An undeniable advantage is the unlocked multiplier, which opens up wide overclocking possibilities. This makes the processor even more powerful. Even modern state employees often cannot compete with it in performance. And this makes Phenom the best solution for a budget home computer. You just have to buy a good cooling system for it. The standard one simply cannot cope with the amount of heat it generates. But this processor costs ridiculous money. True, it still needs to be found somewhere.

AMD is known as a supplier of high-performance, technologically advanced, and at the same time affordable processors for various types of PCs. The AMD Phenom II line of chips produced by this brand has become very popular in Russia and in the world. In turn, the modification of X4 processors belonging to the corresponding line has become more widespread. These chips are characterized as high-speed, universal and also optimally suitable for overclocking. What are their main characteristics? What do modern IT specialists say about the efficiency of Phenom II chips in the X4 modification?

General information about the line of microcircuits

The AMD Phenom II family of processors is based on a high-tech K10 microarchitecture. The corresponding chip line contains solutions equipped with a number of cores from 2 to 6. X4 chips belonging to the family in question also belong to the Dragon platform developed by AMD. Those chips that have 6 cores belong to the Leo platform.

AMD produces AMD Phenom II chips in several proprietary modifications: Thuban, Zosma, Deneb, Heka, and Callisto. All of them are united by a technological process of 45 nm. But the differences between them can be quite significant.

Thus, processors in the Thuban modification are equipped with 6 cores and 904 million transistors, and have an area of 346 square meters. mm. The size of the third level cache on chips of this type is 64 GB, the same amount is reserved for instructions. The second level cache is 512 KB, the third is 6 MB. The processors are compatible with DDR2 and DDR3 RAM modules. The power consumption of the chips is in the range between 95 and 125 W. Processors belonging to this proprietary line can operate at frequencies from 2.6 to 3.3 GHz, with the Turbo Core option enabled - up to 3.7 GHz.

AMD Phenom II chips in the Zosma modification have 4 cores. The cache memory indicators in them are the same as in Thuban processors. The situation is similar with support for RAM modules. Regarding power consumption, within the Zosma line there are chips that operate at 65 W, but there are also those that consume power of 140 W. Processors in this modification operate at a frequency of 3 GHz; in Turbo Core mode they can be accelerated to 3.4 GHz.

Deneb line chips also have 4 cores. They are equipped with 758 million transistors and have an area of 258 square meters. mm. The cache memory indicators are the same as in the chip modifications discussed above. The same can be said about the level of support for memory modules and core technologies. Processors belonging to the Deneb modification can operate at frequencies from 2.4 to 3.7 GHz.

Chips within the Heka line of chips actually correspond in basic characteristics to Deneb chips, but they only have 3 cores. From a technological point of view, they are Deneb processors with 1 core disabled. It can also be noted that the frequencies supported by Heka chips are in the range from 2.5 to 3 GHz. In addition, among the processors in this line there are no ones that have a consumption higher than 95 W.

Another modification of AMD Phenom II chips is Callisto. In turn, the chips that belong to it are also virtually identical to Deneb processors, but run on 2 cores. That is, they are Deneb chips with 2 cores disabled. Processors in this line operate at frequencies from 3 to 3.4 GHz and consume 80 W of power.

Among the most common types of Phenom II processors in Russia are those belonging to the Deneb line.

AMD Phenom II chips belonging to this technological series are available in the following popular modifications: X4 940, X4 945, X4 955, X4 965. There is also a flagship model of the X4 line - the X4 980 processor. Let's take a closer look at the features of these chips.

X4 940

The first processor we will study is the AMD Phenom II X4 940. The characteristics of this chip are as follows.

The processor in the X4 940 modification operates at a frequency of 3 GHz using a multiplication factor of 15 units. The chip is equipped with 4 cores. The technical process within which the microcircuit is made is 45 nm. The level 1 cache of the AMD Phenom II processor is 128 KB, the second level is 2 MB, and the third level is 6 MB. Instruction set supported by the chip: MMX, SSE in version 2, 3 and 4, 3DNow! The processor is compatible with technologies such as AMD64/EM65T as well as NX Bit. The maximum operating temperature of the AMD Phenom II chip is 62 degrees. The socket type supported by the chip is AM2+.

It can be noted that the AMD Phenom II X4 945 processor has almost the same characteristics. The only difference is that the X4 945 chip can run on

Characteristics and capabilities of the chip in the X4 955 version

Let us now study the specifics of the AMD Phenom II X4 955 chip. The characteristics of this chip are as follows.

The processor in the modification under consideration operates at a frequency of 3.2 MHz with a multiplication factor of 16. It has a built-in memory controller - its bandwidth is 21 Gbit/s. The volume is no different from that of the models we reviewed above, in particular, the AMD Phenom II X4 945. The characteristics of the chip in terms of supporting basic multimedia and computing technologies are the same as those of younger processors. The maximum operating temperature of the microcircuit is also 62 degrees. Among the most significant advantages of the AMD Phenom II processor in the X4 955 modification is compatibility with DDR3 RAM modules.

What are the practical capabilities of the chip? You can pay attention to the results of some tests of this processor. Note that these were achieved provided that the chip was used in combination with such components as:

Motherboard type supporting AM3 sockets;

4 GB RAM in DDR3 modification.

As tests conducted by IT experts show, the AMD Phenom II processor in combination with DDR3 memory modules is noticeably ahead of chips with similar characteristics that are installed in PCs equipped with DDR2 RAM. Therefore, a significant factor in using the capabilities of a microcircuit in practice is its addition to other high-performance and technologically advanced hardware components.

Overclocking X4 955

Let's consider another aspect of using the AMD Phenom II X4 955 processor - overclocking. Experienced IT experts recommend using the multifunctional Overdrive utility in version 3.0 to implement it.

Of course, you can overclock through the BIOS, but using the marked program allows you to solve the tasks without rebooting the PC. Among the most notable functions of the utility is BEMP. Its use makes it much easier to configure the processor in overclocking mode. This function involves establishing a connection between the Overdrive program and an online database, which contains lists of optimal values for clock frequencies and other options necessary to speed up the operation of the chip. The Smart Profiles option, which is available in the Overdrive program, is also very useful. With its help, the user can fine-tune the chip overclocking process.

Overdrive's capabilities also allow you to adapt the Phenom II X4 to various applications running on your computer. So, for example, if any program operates in single-threaded mode, then the user can, using the appropriate software, reduce the frequencies of 3 of the 4 cores of the chip so that the 4th has increased speed limits while maintaining the optimal operating temperature.

Comparison of X4 955 with competitors

How competitive is this version of the Phenom II X4? The review we are conducting in terms of comparing the capabilities of the chip with analogues may not be sufficiently detailed, but, again, we can examine the results of comparative tests of the chip conducted by IT specialists. The closest competitor to the processor in question is the Intel Core 2 in the Quad Q 9550 modification.

As chip performance tests show, the Intel solution is faster than the AMD chip, but not by much. The difference identified by experts most likely will not be of practical significance when launching games and applications. In turn, solutions such as the Intel Core i7 version 920 are noticeably ahead of both the AMD solution and the Q9550 processor. Moreover, all 3 microcircuits have generally comparable market values. It can be noted that in multimedia tests, the AMD Phenom II processor in the modification under consideration is significantly more competitive than in arithmetic tests. Thus, when testing, it is important to measure the performance of the compared solutions in different modes - in order to have a more objective idea of the capabilities of the chips.

Characteristics and capabilities of the chip in the X4 965 version

Let us now study the capabilities of the AMD Phenom II X4 965 chip. The characteristics of this chip are as follows.

The standard processor frequency is 3.4 GHz. The voltage on the chip is 1.4 V. Other processor parameters are generally identical to the younger models of the X4 line. It can be noted that the chip can be used on 2 types of sockets - AM3 and AM2+. The memory controller, which is installed in the processor, is compatible, in turn, with 2 RAM standards - DDR2 and DD3.

Overclocking the X4 965 chip

Let's study how successful overclocking the AMD Phenom II X4 965 can be. It can be noted that the processors of the line in question are well adapted to adjusting the voltage level. So, for example, if some of the advanced solutions from Intel can work unstable at 1.65 V and higher, then AMD chips operate completely stably in such modes.

As tests of the AMD Phenom II X4 show, overclocking the chip in this modification allows us to reach a frequency of 3.8 GHz. By the way, approximately the same result can be achieved by accelerating the processor in the X4 955 modification. As IT specialists note, it is theoretically possible to accelerate the X4 965 chip to a frequency of 4 GHz, at which the stability of the computer is maintained. But if this indicator is exceeded, the processor may operate unstable in some modes. According to experts who tested the version of AMD Phenom II in question, overclocking this chip allows not only to capture the advantages of the chip in tests, but also to achieve significant acceleration of PC operation in practice.

It can be noted that overclocking a processor in the X4 965 modification is possible not only through experiments with the main coefficients. Experienced IT specialists also use a technique according to which chip acceleration is achieved by increasing the frequency of the north bridge. This can be increased to a value corresponding to 2.6 GHz. It is important that the motherboard on which the processor is installed supports the required operating modes of the microcircuit.

An extremely important aspect of overclocking any chip, including the AMD Phenom II, is the characteristics of the cooling system. One that does a good job when the processor is running in normal mode may not be able to ensure stable operation of the chip, and therefore the entire PC as a whole. Therefore, it may be necessary to install a cooling system with higher speeds.

When experimenting with overclocking chips, it is also useful to have programs that allow you to monitor the temperature of the processor in real time. Even the most efficient chip cooling system can be unstable at some points - it is important for the user not to miss such moments and detect chip overheating in a timely manner.

Work that is directly related to increasing processor frequencies should be carried out systematically, avoiding sudden changes in the values of the relevant parameters. If the chip operates without errors and with acceptable heating at a given frequency, you can increase it slightly, and so on until the maximum performance of the chip is reached, operating stably.

Flagship model - X4 980

Perhaps the closest attention should be paid to the flagship model of the X4 line - the AMD Phenom II X4 980 processor. Its BE modification is very popular, which has an unlocked coefficient and therefore has become especially attractive for fans of overclocking chips.

In principle, the key technological capabilities of this processor coincide with those of, for example, the AMD Phenom II X4 945. The characteristics of the chip in terms of cache memory and supported standards are generally the same as those of the younger models of the X4 line. The chip, however, has a fairly high level of power consumption - 125 W. But for a high level of processor frequency - 3.7 GHz - this figure is considered quite optimal.

The flagship of the Phenom II X4 line: testing

Testing of the chip in question shows that its performance is quite consistent with that of the leading models of the competing brand - Intel, made, in particular, based on the Sandy Bridge microarchitecture. Moreover, in some tests, for example in multimedia, the chip outperforms some powerful analogues, such as the Intel Core i5-2500. If we talk about effective tools for measuring the speed of chips like the AMD Phenom II X4 980, then you can pay attention to a program such as Everest. This program is a package that contains a large number of synthetic tests. Among them are CPU Queen, CPU Photoworx, CPU Zlib. These tests allow you to evaluate the performance of integrated circuits.

It is very noteworthy that the benchmarks that are part of the Everest program are perfectly suited to testing the speed of processors in the mode of simultaneous use of several threads of calculations. That is, during tests the chip cores can be fully loaded. The more there are, the higher the actual processor performance will be.

IT specialists consider the results of measuring the performance of the X4 980 chip in floating point operations mode to be very indicative. In the relevant tests, the AMD solution, as experts note, is confidently ahead of competing processors from Intel. Another notable tool for measuring chip speed is PC Mark. It is also characterized by complexity in the study of processor capabilities. At the same time, chip testing modes are as close as possible to their actual conditions of practical use. For example, this program can provide testing of processors by activating the mode of browsing web pages, or converting one file type to another.

Testing the capabilities of the AMD Phenom II chip in the modification under consideration shows excellent results. Another popular test among IT experts is 3D Mark. It allows you to evaluate the capabilities of processors in a mode corresponding to the degree of load of 3D games. As experts note, the X4 980 chip is among the absolute leaders in its market segment based on speed testing in the 3D Mark program. Moreover, experts have recorded the superiority of this processor in 3D Mark modes over some Thuban chips, which, as we noted at the beginning of the article, are equipped with 6 cores.

There are no stability issues with the X4 980 chip when running at mainstream screen resolutions. But as for the frame playback speed, in some modes, AMD solutions, as experts note, still look preferable to AMD processors. However, in real gameplay, the difference in frame processing speed between Intel and AMD chips observed in tests will most likely not be noticeable.

Resume

The first thing worth saying about the Phenom II line we reviewed, be it the X4 965 model or the younger AMD Phenom II X4 940, is that the characteristics of the chips presented in it are very similar. Microcircuits differ mainly in frequency, and in some cases, in the type of supported socket. All modifications of the X4 line of processors lend themselves well to overclocking and look more than competitive against the background of analogues from Intel. As for the technological capabilities of the AMD Phenom II X4 line of chips, the characteristics of the chips and the standards they support allow us to conclude that AMD has brought to the market fully advanced solutions that can be considered among the most advanced in the corresponding chip segment. Processors belonging to the X4 line are equally optimal for both solving ordinary user tasks and running demanding computer games.

We talked to some overclockers and learned that some of them have been using 45nm AMD processors with voltages between 1.50 and 1.56V since the Deneb announcement last winter. This level of voltage tolerance is much higher than that of competing Intel models, but to eliminate potential problems, we decided to limit ourselves to a maximum voltage of 1.50 volts (give or take a few millivolts) under full CPU load, with no peak voltage at idle. exceed 1.55 V.

AMD offers its own overclocking utility called “AMD OverDrive Utility”, which allows you to change the most important settings directly under Windows. While the utility is really useful for finding CPU overclocking limits, many users will want to make the settings permanent by changing BIOS options.

The traditional method of overclocking is to increase the clock speed and then run stability tests until the processor starts to crash. Overclockers then increase the voltage to improve stability and repeat the tests until they hit the heat dissipation threshold (the processor is too hot) or the frequency threshold (when increasing the voltage no longer helps). However, tests of the Phenom II X2 550 showed that most processors continue to overclock if the voltage is set above our threshold. Therefore, we immediately set the specified voltage threshold and tried to find the highest stable frequency at which the processor would operate. The following BIOS screenshots show the results of our efforts, so let's see what we ended up with after each tweak.

The X2 550's stock clock speed is 3.10 GHz, which is obtained by multiplying the 200 MHz HT frequency by a factor of 15.5. The MSI BIOS lists the HT frequency as "CPU FSB frequency", which is technically inaccurate since AMD insists that the HT is not an FSB bus. Since we took the processor from the Black Edition line, most of our overclocking efforts will be devoted to increasing the stock 15.5x multiplier.

In the MSI BIOS, the “CPU VDD Voltage” parameter corresponds to the base processor voltage at which it will be detected, and “CPU Voltage” is used to fine-tune the voltage under load. We started by setting the “CPU VDD Voltage” voltage to 1.50 V, and the memory voltage “DRAM Voltage” to the manufacturer’s recommended level of 1.65 V. We then increased the CPU multiplier, which is set in the BIOS by the “Adjust CPU Ratio” parameter to 16x.

For stability tests we used Prime95 utility, while version v25.8 4 (64-bit assembly for Window) allowed loading each core. You can select several types of tests from the menu. We chose the “Small FFTs” option because this utility fully loaded the processor without putting much strain on the memory.

After about 20 minutes of testing, we rebooted the system and increased the CPU multiplier to 16.5x, then ran the Prime95 tests again. We continued to increase the multiplier until the system crashed at 18.5x. CPU-Z told us that the CPU voltage was dropping to 1.48V, so we went back into the BIOS and increased the “CPU Voltage” setting by 0.20V (to 1.520 volts) to try to compensate.

After a reboot, the 18.5x multiplier resulted in Prime95 already running stable, so we continued to increase the multiplier by 0.5x until the system crashed again with a 21x multiplier in the BIOS.

Since we had already reached the voltage threshold, we tried lowering the “Adjust CPU Ratio” multiplier in the BIOS to 20.5x and ran a longer stability test. After about 45 minutes, the system still crashed. We got the same thing when we set the multiplier in the BIOS to 20x.

With the “Adjust CPU Ratio” multiplier in the BIOS at 19.5x, the system worked stably for several hours. Knowing that we were able to achieve 19.5 x 200, but not 20 x 200, we began to increase the HyperTransport frequency, that is, the “200” parameter in 19.5 x 200. We used the “Adjust CPU FSB Frequency (MHz)” option in BIOS MSI, after which we set the HT frequency to 202 MHz and obtained stable operation in tests for more than one hour. We then tried to set it to 204 MHz, but the system crashed after about 45 minutes. At 203 MHz, the system crashed after about one hour of Prime95 testing, so we returned to a stable value of 202 MHz.

Click on the picture to enlarge.

Test configuration of AMD Phenom II X2
	Normal mode	Overclocking
CPU	AMD Phenom II X2 550 3.1 GHz, 1 MB L2 cache + 6 MB L3 cache, 1.288 V	3.94 GHz (19.5x 202 MHz), 1.50 V
Memory	DDR3-1333 CAS 9-9-9-24, 1.50 V	DDR3-1616 CAS 6-6-5-18, 1.65 V
Motherboard	MSI 790FX-GD70 Socket AM3, 790FX/SB750, BIOS 1.3 (04/27/2009)
Video card	Zotac GeForce GTX260², GPU 576 MHz, shaders 999 MHz, 896 MB GDDR3-2484
Hard drive	Western Digital VelociRaptor WD30000HLFS, 300 MB, 10,000 rpm, 16 MB cache
Sound card	Built-in HD Audio
Net	Built-in 1 Gbps
Software
operating system	Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate x64 SP1
Video card	GeForce 182.08 Desktop

An increase in CPU clock speed by 27% is unlikely to surprise many experienced overclockers, but the fact is that the Phenom II X2 550 already operates at a fairly high frequency of 3.10 GHz. The resulting clock rate of 3.94 GHz is truly impressive for an AMD processor, even if the percentage increase is not that large. How will overclocking affect CPU performance?

CPU arithmetic performance improved by 25%, and multimedia performance by 26%. The slight difference between the frequency increase and performance can be associated with the HT frequency being close to the standard one, as we discussed above.