14 DAY TRIAL // Sunnyvale, California-based Advanced Micro Devices has just announced the introduction of its new, next-generation Phenom II processors, coming to expand the company's line of 45nm consumer CPUs. With the new models, AMD will be able to provide its customers with a choice between a triple core and a quad-core performance, with support for the current DDR2 or DDR3 memory technologies. These new products are meant to allow PC users the freedom of upgrading to higher-performance solutions, without requiring the replacement of the entire PC configuration.
“Whether buying a new desktop PC or upgrading components in an existing system, AMD recognizes consumers are looking for value more than ever before,” Leslie Sobon, vice president of product marketing, AMD, said. “With the combination of the infrastructure compatibility and the introduction of the AMD Phenom II triple-core processors, AMD has made two very strategic design decisions that our competitor cannot duplicate at the component or platform level.”
With the new product expansion, AMD can basically provide customers with a choice between 5 different quad-core processors, and 2 triple core CPUs. These models are designed to enable them to take advantage of the performance capabilities of either an AM2+ platform or an AM3 configuration. According to the chip maker, the new AMD Phenom II processors should work equally well with either DDR2 or DDR3 memory, consequently enabling a better upgrade management.
Aside from the already available Phenom II 940 and 920 processor models, AMD has also introduced the Phenom II 910, 810 and 805 models, expanding the company's quad-core offering. From the three, the 910 solution comes with the highest clock speed, at 2.6GHz, and a bigger L3 cache memory of 6MB. The other two models, more specifically the 810 and 805, are clocked at 2.6GHz and 2.5GHz and provide an L3 cache of 4MB. All three CPUs are featured with a TDP of 95W, and are manufactured using the producer’s latest-generation of 45nm-based chips. In addition, these three models come with an AM3 packaging.
AMD's new triple-core processors are designed to provide an L3 cache of 6MB, TDP of 95W and a 45nm process technology. The 710 and 720 solutions are clocked at 2.6GHz and 2.8 GHz, respectively. The highest-performance 720 model comes in a Black Edition offering.
As far as pricing is concerned, the chip maker has announced that the Black Edition triple-core Phenom II X3 720 model comes at a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $145, while the quad-core Phenom II X4 810 processor is priced at $175.