One of the most interesting central processors in terms of technical specifications in 2008 is the AMD Phenom X3 8450. This chip was perfectly optimized for multithreaded software and had quite good overclocking potential. Among its other features, it is necessary to note the theoretical possibility of unlocking its idle computing unit and getting the premium class due to this manipulation.
Niche CPU. For what tasks its parameters will be enough
AMD Phenom X3 8450 at the time of its release was positioned as a mid-range solution. The top segment of the market was occupied by this manufacturer's 4-core models of the same name, which were directly opposed to Intel Cor 2Kvad. In the middle segment, AMD did not have a decent response to the more productive Cor 2 Duo. Among the budget decisions was the confrontation between the Septrons and Athlons (these are AMD decisions) on the one hand, and the Celerons and Pentiums from Intel on the other.
To fill the gap, these stripped-down versions of flagship chips were released. Such processor solutions are well suited for optimized multi-threaded application software. Also, this series of CPUs had excellent overclocking potential, which in some cases allowed to obtain a 30% increase in performance.
Equipment
This trinuclear semiconductor crystal had two types of configuration. The more modest of them consisted of a processor, warranty card, certificate of conformity, a sticker for the front panel of the PC system unit with the logo of the installed model of the central processor and manuals for using the CPU. Such a level of equipment of this silicon solution was of the greatest interest to computer specialists and enthusiasts. In this case, it was possible to choose an improved modification of the CPU cooling system and thereby increase its clock frequency in the future. This ultimately allowed to achieve a significant increase in productivity.
The second option was called “boxed”, in professional jargon - “boxing”. In addition to everything previously listed, it also included a cooling system and thermal grease. The complete cooler was designed to work in nominal mode, and there was no possibility of overclocking the processor in this case. This option is more suitable for ordinary users who do not like to experiment with the characteristics of a personal computer.
Socket for this processor solution
The “X3 8450 Hair Dryer” was a universal chip that could be installed in both the AM2 + socket and the AM3 socket. In the first case, this chip could work with RAM standard DDR2. And AM3 only supported DDR3. Given the positioning of the processor solution, it was most optimal to use this chip in conjunction with the latest standard motherboards.
Technological process
At the time of release, the “Fen X3 8450” was considered to be the most advanced technological process, which corresponded to the tolerance standards of 65 nm. It was in accordance with these requirements that this semiconductor crystal was manufactured. Compared to today's 14 nm, 65 nm are not impressive. It was the process that ultimately was the factor that contributed to the increased thermal package of this quad-core solution in comparison with its current counterparts.
Cache
The ambiguous situation was with the fast memory system integrated into the AMD Phenom X3 8450. The characteristics indicated a three-level cache, and this was an indisputable advantage of this model of the central processor. But only its last level was very "small", even by that time standards - only 2 MB of the total address space for CPU instructions and data programs.
The second level has already been divided into 3 equal parts of 512 KB (in total we get 1.5 MB), which were tied to a specific computing module. The lower level was also divided into 3 equal parts of 128Kb. Moreover, in the latter case, there was also a specialization regarding the type of information stored. Half of the first level cache (64 Kb) stored instructions of the central processing unit, and half - data. Its total volume was equal to 192 Kb.
Random access memory
As noted earlier, there were two types of random access memory - DDR2 and DDR3. The chip itself belonged to mid-range solutions. Because of this, it was preferable to use with him a more progressive type of RAM - DDR3. Also, in case of overclocking, this can provide an additional increase in the performance of the computer system as a whole.
Thermal package and temperature
The AMD Phenom X3 8450 processor boasts a 95 W thermal package. At the time of its sale, it was an excellent value. Now, after the advent of 14 nm processors of the latest generation with similar parameters and a thermal package of 65 W for a CPU with four computing modules (for example, “Cor AI5 6500”), 95 W looks like an overvalued value.
The emergency temperature for this silicon solution was an indicator of 70 degrees. In overclocking mode, in combination with an advanced cooling system and when starting up the most demanding tasks on the CPU, the chip temperature could vary from 55 to 65 degrees. But in the normal mode of operation and with a complete cooler, this chip could heat up to a temperature of 45-50 degrees when performing similar tasks.
Frequencies
The nominal frequency in the AMD Phenom X3 8450 was 2.1 GHz. The multiplier of the central processing unit in this case was fixed at a value of 10.5. Therefore, the only parameter that allowed to increase the performance of the system as a whole by overclocking the CPU in this situation is the system bus frequency . However, the value of the latter could be changed upward by increasing the frequency of the clock generator. It was the increase in the last parameter that led to the acceleration of the central processor.
Architecture
This chip was one of the first processors called TripleCore. AMD Phenom X3 8450, as noted earlier, included 3 computing modules based on the Tolimen architecture. Moreover, unlike the current layout of modern CPUs of this manufacturer, when 2 cores have common resources, in this case all resources were separate for each unit.
Overclocking and unlocking an idle compute module
With a high-quality motherboard and an improved cooling system, overclocking up to 3 GHz was not a big deal for AMD Phenom X3 8450. Overclocking had to be done on a PC that was necessarily equipped with a very powerful power supply unit (from 650 W or more) and faster DDR3 RAM (motherboard with processor socket "AM3" for computer enthusiasts).
The ambiguous situation in this case was with a blocked computing module on the CPU. In theory, this chip was based on a more advanced 4-core model from this manufacturer. The last, fourth module was blocked at the software level during the tests. That is, when revealing the slightest problems with any computing module, it simply turned off. With a “happy” combination of circumstances, you could turn it back on and get back to the AMD Phenom X3 8450 quad-core processor solution.
Unlocking the 4 cores could only be performed on some models of motherboards from manufacturers such as AsRok and Biostar. To do this, it was enough in the "BIOS" to enable the option ACC ("Advanced Klok Calibration"). In theory, this parameter allowed a more aggressive increase in the frequency of the chip. But in practice, its activation sometimes led to the inclusion of an unused computing unit. For other manufacturers, this element functioned as expected. If it was possible to unlock the fourth module in this CPU, then only the above two manufacturers.
Opinions of the owners. CPU cost
The main disadvantage of this CPU model is the low nominal frequency of 2.1 GHz. Even at the time of the release of this semiconductor solution, this value hardly allowed solving the most demanding tasks. The solution to this problem was overclocking the chip. But at the same time more serious requirements were put forward for the components of a computer system. This, in turn, led to a rise in the cost of PCs.
Among the advantages can be noted the relatively low cost of this CPU model. The second positive point is the high level of performance in applications optimized for multithreaded hardware. In some cases, you could even turn the AMD Phenom X3 8450 into a 4-core model. Unlocking this module could only be done on the motherboards of the two manufacturers previously mentioned.
Summary
With a competent approach, AMD Phenom X3 8450 could theoretically be turned into a processor of the premium segment with a high frequency. But such a solution could technically be implemented only by an advanced computer specialist. For ordinary users, more interesting were the more advanced chips with a 4-core layout for the most demanding cases, or 2-block chips, while reducing the requirements for PC hardware specifications.