AMD is known as a supplier of high-performance, technological, and at the same time affordable processors for various types of PCs. The AMD Phenom II line of chips manufactured by this brand has become very popular in Russia and in the world. In turn, the modification of the X4 processors related to the corresponding line has gained widespread popularity. These chips are characterized as high-speed, universal and also optimally suitable for overclocking. What are their main characteristics? What do modern IT experts say about the effectiveness of Phenom II chips in the X4 modification?
Chip line overview
Processors of the AMD Phenom II family are based on the high-tech microarchitecture like K10. In the corresponding line of the chip there are solutions equipped with a number of cores from 2 to 6. The X4 microcircuits belonging to this family also belong to the Dragon platform developed by AMD. Those chips that have 6 cores belong to the Leo platform.
AMD releases AMD Phenom II chips in several proprietary modifications: Thuban, Zosma, Deneb, Heka, as well as Callisto. All of them are united by the technological process - 45 nm. But the differences between them can be traced very significant.
So, processors in the Thuban modification are equipped with 6 cores and 904 million transistors, have an area of 346 square meters. mm The size of the third-level cache on microcircuits of this type is 64 GB, the same amount is reserved for instructions. The cache of the second level is 512 KB, the third is 6 MB. Processors are compatible with RAM modules such as DDR2 and DDR3. The power consumption of the chips is between 95 and 125 watts. Processors related 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.
The AMD Phenom II chips in the Zosma modification have 4 cores. The cache figures in them are the same as the Thuban processors. The situation is similar with the support of RAM modules. Regarding energy consumption - within the Zosma line there are chips that work at 65 watts, but there are also those that consume 140 watts of power. The processors in this modification operate at a frequency of 3 GHz, in Turbo Core mode they can accelerate to 3.4 GHz.
Deneb chips also have 4 cores. They are equipped with 758 million transistors and have an area of 258 square meters. mm The cache 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 related to the Deneb modification can operate at frequencies from 2.4 to 3.7 GHz.
The chips within the Heka line of chips actually correspond to the Deneb chips in terms of their basic characteristics, however, only 3 cores function in them. From a technological point of view, they are Deneb processors with the 1st 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 of this line there are no those that have a consumption above 95 watts.
Another modification of the AMD Phenom II chip is Callisto. In turn, the chips that belong to it are also virtually identical to Deneb processors, but operate on 2 cores. That is, they are Deneb chips with 2 cores disabled. The processors of this line operate at frequencies from 3 to 3.4 GHz, consume power of 80 watts.
Among the most common types of Phenom II processors in Russia are those that belong to the Deneb line.
AMD Phenom II chips related to this technological line are available in the following popular modifications: X4 940, X4 945, X4 955, X4 965. There is also the flagship model of the X4 line - the X4 980 processor. Let's consider the features of these chips in more detail.
Characteristics of the X4 940 processor
The first processor we will learn is AMD Phenom II X4 940. The characteristics of this chip are as follows.
The processor in the modification of the X4 940 operates at a frequency of 3 GHz with a multiplication factor of 15 units. The chip is equipped with 4 cores. The manufacturing process within which the microcircuit is made is 45 nm. The amount of cache memory at level 1 of the AMD Phenom II processor is 128 KB, the second is 2 MB, the third is 6 MB. A set of instructions supported by the chip: MMX, SSE in versions 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 type of socket supported by the chip is AM2 +.
It can be noted that the AMD Phenom II X4 945 processor has almost the same specifications. The only difference is that the X4 945 chip can run on the AM3 socket.
Features and capabilities of the chip in version X4 955
Let us now examine the specifics of the AMD Phenom II X4 955 chip. The characteristics of this chip are as follows.
The processor in this modification operates at a frequency of 3.2 MHz with the use of the multiplication factor 16. Has a built-in memory controller - the bandwidth of its band is 21 Gbit / s. The processor cache volume does not differ from that of the models considered by us above, in particular, AMD Phenom II X4 945. The characteristics of the chip in terms of supporting the main multimedia and computing technologies are the same as those of the younger processors. The maximum operating temperature of the chip 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 features of the chip? You can pay attention to the results of some tests of this processor. Note that these were achieved on the condition of using the chip in combination with such components as:
- motherboard type ASUS M4A79T, supporting AM3 sockets;
- 4 GB of RAM in the modification of DDR3.
As tests carried out by IT experts show, the AMD Phenom II processor, in combination with DDR3 memory modules, is noticeably ahead of the similar chips that are installed in PCs equipped with RAM in the DDR2 modification. Therefore, a significant factor in using the capabilities of the chip in practice is its complementation with other high-performance and high-tech hardware components.
Acceleration X4 955
Consider another aspect of using the AMD Phenom II X4 955 processor - overclocking. Experienced IT experts recommend using Overdrive in version 3.0 for its implementation.
Of course, you can overclock through the BIOS, but using the marked program allows you to solve tasks without rebooting the PC. Among the most notable features of the utility are BEMP. Its use can significantly simplify the configuration of the processor in overclocking mode. This function involves establishing the connection of the Overdrive program with an online database, which contains lists of optimal values for clock frequencies and other options necessary to speed up the chip. The Smart Profiles option, which is in the Overdrive program, is also very useful. With its help, the user can fine-tune the process of overclocking the chip.
The features of the Overdrive program also allow you to adapt the overclocking of the AMD Phenom II X4 processor to the work of various applications running on the computer. So, for example, if any program operates in single-threaded mode, then the user can use the appropriate software to reduce the frequencies of 3 of the 4 cores of the chip in order for the 4th to increase the limits of speed increase while maintaining the optimal operating temperature.
Compare X4 955 with competitors
How competitive is the AMD Phenom II X4 processor under review? The review conducted by us regarding the comparison of the capabilities of the chip with analogs may not be sufficiently detailed, but, again, we can examine the results of comparative tests of the chip by IT specialists. The closest competitor to the processor in question is Intel Core 2 in the modification of Quad Q 9550.
As the benchmark tests show, the Intel solution is faster than the AMD chip, but not by much. The practical significance when launching games and applications, the difference identified by experts, most likely, will not be. In turn, solutions such as Intel Core i7 in version 920 are noticeably ahead of both the AMD solution and the Q9550 processor. At the same time, all 3 chips have a generally comparable market value. It can be noted that in the multimedia tests, the AMD Phenom II processor in this modification is much more competitive than in arithmetic ones. 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 microcircuits.
Features and capabilities of the chip in version X4 965
We will now examine 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 indicator on the chip is 1.4 V. Other parameters of the processor, in general, are 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
We’ll examine how successful overclocking of AMD Phenom II X4 965 can be. It can be noted that the processors of this line are well adapted to adjust the voltage level. So, for example, if some of Intel's advanced solutions can work unstably at an indicator of 1.65 V and higher, then AMD chips function in such modes to the full extent.
As tests by AMD Phenom II X4 show, overclocking the chip in this modification allows reaching 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 experts note, it is theoretically possible to accelerate the X4 965 chip to a frequency of 4 GHz, at which the computer remains stable. But if this indicator is exceeded, the processor may work in some modes unstably. According to experts who tested the considered version of AMD Phenom II, overclocking this chip allows not only to fix the advantages of the chip in the tests, but also to achieve significant acceleration of PC performance in practice.
It can be noted that overclocking the processor in the X4 965 modification is possible not only through experiments with basic coefficients. Experienced IT specialists also apply a technique according to which chip acceleration is achieved by increasing the frequency of the north bridge. This can be brought to an indicator corresponding to 2.6 GHz. It is important that the motherboard, on which the processor is installed, supports the required operating modes of the chip.
An extremely important aspect of overclocking any chip, including AMD Phenom II - the characteristics of the cooling system. One that does a good job of operating the processor in normal mode may not be able to provide stable operation of the microcircuit, which means the whole 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 to fix the overheating of the chip in time.
Work that is directly related to an increase in processor frequency indicators should be carried out systematically, avoiding sharp changes in the values of the corresponding parameters. If the chip works without errors and with acceptable heating at a given frequency, you can slightly increase it, and so on, until the maximum performance of the microcircuit that works stably is reached.
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, AMD Phenom II X4 945. The characteristics of the chip in terms of cache size and supported standards are generally the same as in the younger models of the X4 line. The chip, however, has a rather high level of power consumption - 125 watts. But for a high level of processor frequency - 3.7 GHz - this figure is considered to be quite optimal.
The flagship of the Phenom II X4 line: testing
Testing the chip in question shows that its performance is consistent with that of the leading models of a competing brand - Intel, made, in particular, based on the Sandy Bridge microarchitecture. Moreover, in some tests, for example in multimedia, the microchip surpasses some powerful analogues - such as, for example, Intel Core i5-2500. If we talk about effective tools for measuring the speed of chips like the AMD Phenom II X4 980, you can pay attention to a program such as Everest. This program is a package in which a large number of synthetic tests are presented. Among them - CPU Queen, CPU Photoworx, CPU Zlib. These tests allow you to evaluate the performance of integrated circuits.
It is noteworthy that the benchmarks that are part of the Everest program are perfectly adapted to test the speed of processors in the mode of simultaneous use of several streams of calculations. That is, during the tests, the chip cores can be fully loaded. The more of them, the higher the actual processor performance.
IT experts consider the results of measuring the performance of the X4 980 chip in the floating point mode to be very indicative. In the corresponding tests, the solution from AMD, experts say, is confidently ahead of competing processors from Intel. Another noteworthy tool for measuring chip speed is PC Mark. It is also characterized by complexity in the study of processor capabilities. At the same time, the testing modes of the chips are as close as possible to their real conditions of practical use. For example, this program can provide testing of processors by activating the mode of viewing web pages, or converting one type of file to another.
Testing the capabilities of the AMD Phenom II chip in this modification shows excellent results. Another popular test among IT experts is 3D Mark. It allows you to evaluate the capabilities of processors in the mode corresponding to the degree of load of 3D games. According to experts, the X4 980 chip is among the absolute leaders in its market segment according to the results of testing the speed of work in the 3D Mark program. Moreover, experts recorded the superiority of this processor in 3D Mark modes over some Thuban microcircuits, which are equipped, as we noted at the beginning of the article, with 6 cores.
There is no problem with the stability of the X4 980 chip when working in basic screen resolutions. But as for the frame playback speed - in some modes the solutions from AMD, as experts say, still look preferable to processors from AMD. However, in real gameplay, the difference in frame processing speed between Intel and AMD chips, observed in the tests, most likely will not be noticeable.
Summary
The first thing to say about the Phenom II line we reviewed, be it the X4 965 model or the younger, the AMD Phenom II X4 940, the characteristics of the chips presented in it are very similar. Microcircuits differ mainly in frequency, in some cases - by the type of socket supported. All modifications of the processors of the X4 line lend themselves well to overclocking and look more than competitive against the background of analogs from Intel. As regards the technological capabilities of the AMD Phenom II X4 line of chips, the characteristics of the microcircuits and the standards they support allow us to conclude that AMD has brought to the market fully advanced solutions that can be considered one of the most advanced in the corresponding segment of microcircuits. Processors related to the X4 line are equally optimal both for solving ordinary user tasks and for launching demanding computer games.