A processor device that combines a sufficient level of speed and an excellent degree of energy efficiency is nothing more than an AMD Athlon II X4 640. The characteristics of this processor even at the moment allow you to run any existing software. And the cost is very modest. All this makes the hero of this review an excellent basis for mid-range computers.
Niche semiconductor chip. Possible configuration options
At the time this processor appeared on sale in 2009, the PC system units were divided as follows:
Office computers with a single-core processor. This market segment was occupied by Septron chips from AMD and Celeron chips from Intel . They had very modest parameters, low clock speeds and minimal cache size. As a result, their productivity was at a very low level, but it was enough to solve office problems. In addition to this, the cost in this case was also very low.
Computers of the middle class were based without fail on a 2-core processor. Also in this case, the frequencies increased, the cache increased, and the technical parameters of the semiconductor solution were much better. This led to an increase in the cost of computers. But the list of tasks to be solved on such a PC increased significantly.
Well, the most productive systems were based on 4-core CPU models. AMD Athlon II X4 640 belonged to this segment of the computer market. Its characteristics completely and completely correspond to this niche. This processor device at that time could solve any problems of complexity level. And even now, the presence of such a chip in the computer allows you to still run most of the existing software.
Since the appearance of this CPU in stores, a lot of time has passed by computer standards. Therefore, he moved from the segment of premium solutions to the niche of mid-range processors. There were two possible configuration options for this semiconductor product. One of them was called TRAY and included a CPU, warranty card, a sticker with the name of the processor model for the front panel and installation instructions. The second had the designation BOX and included, in addition to all of the above, also cooler and thermal grease.
Supported Socket Types
The characteristics of the AMD Athlon II X4 640 processor indicate that it should be installed in the AM3 socket. This is the main type of socket for this chip. But also it can be installed in AM2 + and AM3 +. It is the last processor socket that today still continues to be relevant among AMD's computer platforms. It is most optimal to assemble a system unit with this processor unit on its basis. In this case, the highest level of performance and current technical specifications will be obtained. All this will fully reveal the potential of this semiconductor crystal.
Production technology. Frequencies, heat pack and temperatures
The technological process for the production of a silicon crystal in this case was KND (silicon on dielectric). According to the specifications of the AMD Athlon II X4 640, it corresponded to 45 nm. The characteristics of the CPU indicated a working frequency of 3 GHz and it was not dynamically regulated. The thermal package of this product was 95 watts. The maximum temperature in this case was declared at 71 0 C. In practice, this value rarely went beyond 45-57 0 C.
Cache and RAM
Only the presence of 2 levels of cache can boast of AMD Athlon II X4 640. The processor because of this greatly loses in performance, but wins in energy efficiency. The total amount of volatile memory in the first level is 512 KB, and in the second - 2 MB. The RAM controller is dual-channel and can work both with DDR2, and with the most common DDR3 currently . For the first case, the recommended frequency value is 1066 MHz, and for the second - 1333 MHz.
Architectural features
The code name for this semiconductor solution is Propus , and it belongs to the family of 4-core processors or, as they are also called in the language of professionals, QUADCORE. The AMD Athlon II X4 640 is based on the K10 architecture and can even process 64-bit code.
Overclocking
Only the frequency of the system bus could increase the performance of the AMD Athlon II X4 640. Overclocking should be done on the system unit, which is equipped with an improved, reliable and high-quality cooling system, an advanced system board and power supply with an increased power value. Also, the PC case must have improved air circulation. Otherwise, the overclocking algorithm is standard for this class of devices. The frequencies of all computer components are reduced as much as possible, and the frequency of the system bus is discretely increased by one nearest value. Then we check the stability of the computer. If everything is in order, then continue to increase the frequency of the bus. We also draw on the frequencies of the other components of the computer, which should not go beyond the permissible limits. As soon as we reach the limit at which the PC stops working stably, we begin to increase the voltage on the processor. Then - the frequency. The maximum possible values of this parameter for such a chip are 3.5-3.7 GHz.
CPU price. Results in practice. Owner reviews
At the start of sales, the AMD Athlon II X4 640 processor was estimated by the manufacturer at $ 122. For a chip with such technical specifications, it was an excellent price. Now it can be purchased in new condition for 42 dollars, or 2700-2750 rubles. If you buy such a semiconductor product already in use, then the price will drop and amount to $ 35, or 2100-2250 rubles. The most important parameter of this CPU is that it has 4 processing cores implemented at the physical level. For this reason, all the latest gaming applications will go to a PC based on such a processor and a powerful discrete graphics subsystem. Even if not at the maximum settings, they will certainly start. And it is precisely on this that the owners of such computers focus their attention. The minus of this chip is only one - this is the lack of a 3rd level cache. This design feature of the processor device significantly reduces its performance. But, on the other hand, this allows you to reduce the thermal package of the product and increase its energy efficiency due to this.
Summary
The AMD Athlon II X4 640 is a successful processor product both for 2009 and currently. The characteristics of this chip (to be more precise, 4 real computing modules) allow this CPU to pass a very common check now for the necessary hardware resources to execute program code . Well, the possibility of overclocking the frequency of the system bus allows you to get a pretty solid performance boost. The indisputable minuses of this product, as was previously noted, can be attributed only to the lack of cache memory of the 3rd level. But such an engineering solution has significantly improved the energy efficiency of the CPU, which significantly compensates for this minus.