Amd phenom ii x4 980 black edition: AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Review

IntroductionSYSMark 2007 & Adobe Photoshop PerformanceVideo Encoding Performance3D Rendering PerformanceFile Compression/Decompression PerformanceVisual Studio 2008: Compiler Performance, FLV Creation & Excel PerfGaming PerformancePower ConsumptionFinal Words

AMD has hardly kept quiet on the CPU front these past several months. At the beginning of the year AMD put the nail in Atom’s netbook coffin with the Brazos platform, and last month it announced the first shipments of Llano APUs to OEMs. Expect an official launch of Llano to follow sometime in the next two months.

AMD’s focus on the mainstream echoes to a certain extent its GPU strategy: focus on the bulk of the customers first, then address the smaller high end of the market. Despite an overly controlling stance on overclocking and issues with B2 stepping 6-series chipsets, Intel’s Sandy Bridge (Core ix-2xxx) dominates the high end. AMD will make a go for that market later this year with its Bulldozer architecture. It’s still too early for an accurate preview of Bulldozer performance, although the time for such a thing is quickly approaching.

Until Bulldozer’s unveiling, the Phenom II remains as AMD’s high end platform. Today, that very platform gets a little boost.

The Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition release marks a speed bump and a price drop for the quad-core Phenom II family. The 980 assumes the $195 price point, with everything else stepping down a notch in pricing:

CPU Specification Comparison
Processor	Clock Speed	Max Turbo	L2 Cache	L3 Cache	TDP	Price
AMD Phenom II X6 1100T	3. 3GHz	3.7GHz	3MB	6MB	125W	$239
AMD Phenom II X6 1090T	3.2GHz	3.6GHz	3MB	6MB	125W	$205
AMD Phenom II X6 1075T	3.0GHz	3.5GHz	3MB	6MB	125W	$195
AMD Phenom II X6 1065T	2. 9GHz	3.4GHz	3MB	6MB	125W	$185
AMD Phenom II X6 1055T	2.8GHz	3.3GHz	3MB	6MB	125W	$175
AMD Phenom II X4 980 BE	3.7GHz	N/A	2MB	6MB	125W	$185
AMD Phenom II X4 975 BE	3. 6GHz	N/A	2MB	6MB	125W	$175
AMD Phenom II X4 970 BE	3.5GHz	N/A	2MB	6MB	125W	$155
AMD Phenom II X4 965 BE	3.4GHz	N/A	2MB	6MB	125W	$135

Architecturally there are no surprises here. 2 die size and around 758M transistors. TDP remains at 125W and the chip should work in all Socket-AM3 motherboards.

Don’t expect any performance surprises here. The 980’s closest competitor is Intel’s Core i5 2400 a four core, four thread offering clocked at 3.1GHz by default with a 3.4GHz max turbo. Single threaded performance is clearly a win for the Core i5 2400:

Multithreaded performance ranges from equal between the two:

…to another win for the Core i5 2400:

Typically the Core i5 2400 wins across the board. Load power consumption is also an advantage:

The only advantage AMD offers is a fully unlocked CPU that can be overclocked as far as physics will allow. On our sample that meant 4.2GHz with the stock cooler. Given enough voltage hitting 4GHz+ on air isn’t a problem:

Unfortunately even while overclocked the Phenom II X4 980 can’t muster enough performance to put a stock Core i5 2400 to shame:

At 4. 2GHz the 980 is fast enough to equal the 2400 in our x264 test and perhaps slightly surpass it in a benchmark that favors AMD’s Phenom II architecture. But for the most part, even overclocked, the Phenom II X4 980 won’t be worth it over Sandy Bridge.

SYSMark 2007 & Adobe Photoshop Performance
IntroductionSYSMark 2007 & Adobe Photoshop PerformanceVideo Encoding Performance3D Rendering PerformanceFile Compression/Decompression PerformanceVisual Studio 2008: Compiler Performance, FLV Creation & Excel PerfGaming PerformancePower ConsumptionFinal Words

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AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Review

Written by

Antony Leather

July 13, 2011 | 12:45

Tags: #am3 #bulldozer #cheap-sandy-bridge-cpu #core-i3 #dual-core #lga1155 #llano #multiplier #overclocking #phenom #quad-core #sandy-bridge

Companies: #amd

1 — AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Revew2 — AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Test Setup3 — AMD Phenom II X4 980 BE Cinebench and WPrime Performance4 — AMD Phenom II X4 980 BE Image Editing and Video Encoding Performance5 — AMD Phenom II X4 980 BE Multi-Tasking and Overall Performance6 — AMD Phenom II X4 980 BE Gaming Performance7 — AMD Phenom II X4 980 BE Power Consumption8 — Performance Analysis, Overclocking and Conclusion

Manufacturer: AMD
UK price (as reviewed):£140. 16 (inc VAT)
US price (as reviewed):$189.99 (ex tax)

AMD has been firmly on the back foot since Intel released its Core microarchitecture in 2006. The venerable AMD64 architecture may have ruled the roost in its day, but AMD has yet to come up with a winning answer to any of Intel’s recent top-end CPUs.

Intel’s Sandy Bridge architecture has only compounded AMD’s position too. Not only is Intel winning the overall and clock-for-clock performance ratings, but the Core i5-2500K is also one of the most power-efficient CPUs we’ve seen. The competition isn’t likely to become any easier for AMD either, as Intel’s Ivy Bridge CPUs, with their Tri-Gate 3D transistors, look set to extend these performance improvements further in 2012.

Thankfully, AMD’s Llano architecture has shown that AMD’s new CPU technology can compete with Intel’s designs when it comes to building a cheap, power-efficient gaming machine or HTPC. However, until AMD releases its Bulldozer architecture later this year, the company’s Phenom II chips are all AMD has at the top end of the scale, the latest of which is the Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition.

With a frequency of 3.7GHz, this is AMD’s fastest quad-core CPU to date and, more importantly, it will be the last CPU to wear the Phenom badge. The 980 BE is also compatible with Socket AM2+ and AM3 motherboards, and features 6MB of shared Level 3 cache, plus 512KB of Level 2 cache per core – 2MB in total.

However, the chip also has a surprisingly low price. Retailing for around £140, the chip costs less than the original price of Intel’s Core i5-2500K and AMD’s 6-core Phenom, the 1100T BE when they were released.

Despite being made using a 45nm manufacturing process, the 980 BE’s TDP is a mere 125W according to AMD. This isn’t bad for a top-end quad-core chip, but it’s still 30W more than the 95W TDP of Intel’s 32nm i5-2500K. One of the most interesting features, though, is the 980 BE’s unlocked multiplier, as AMD’s recent CPUs have shown a lot of promise when it comes to overclocking.

Specifications

• Frequency 3.7GHz
• Core Deneb
• Manufacturing process 45nm
• Number of cores 4x physical
• Memory controller Dual-channel DDR2/DDR3
• Cache64KB + 64KB (each core), L2: 512KB (each core), L3: 6MB (shared)
• Packaging Socket AM3
• Thermal design power (TDP) 125W
• Features SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSE4a, AMD64, Cool n Quiet, 3.0, AMD-V, MMX

1 — AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Revew2 — AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Test Setup3 — AMD Phenom II X4 980 BE Cinebench and WPrime Performance4 — AMD Phenom II X4 980 BE Image Editing and Video Encoding Performance5 — AMD Phenom II X4 980 BE Multi-Tasking and Overall Performance6 — AMD Phenom II X4 980 BE Gaming Performance7 — AMD Phenom II X4 980 BE Power Consumption8 — Performance Analysis, Overclocking and Conclusion

AMD Phenom II X4 980 BE Processor Review

User Rating: / 11

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Author: Administrator

05/13/2011 12:41

Material index AMD Phenom II X4 9 Processor Review80 B. E. Overclocking and tests Conclusion Page 1 of 3 Specifications AMD never ceases to stir the imaginations of overclockers, gamers and PC users with new offerings. In January 2011, it looked like the end of the Phenom quad-core processor line-up came with the introduction of the AMD Phenom II X4 975 BE. Today, the eternal rival of Intel brought to the scene a new flagship in the already endless line of processors with four cores — AMD Phenom II X4 980 B.E. It is worth taking a look at the marvel of engineering thought, positioned by the manufacturer as the fastest processor in its market segment. If we abstract from the statements of the AMD marketing department, then the new processor is not such a miracle — we know the K10.5 Deneb core architecture, 45-nm process technology and the unlocked multiplier, traditional for the Black Edition series, coupled with dual-channel memory controllers and support HyperTransport 4 GT/s tires are nothing new. The clock frequency of operation is increased in this version to 3.7 GHz, which, of course, is somewhat ahead of processors from Intel. It is worth noting that the new product is not a direct competitor to Sandy Bridge processors, and does not pretend to be the leader, preferring to strengthen its position in mid-budget systems. In its price segment (and the cost is indicated by AMD within 195 USD) AMD Phenom II X4 980 BE has every chance to earn the demand and love of users who permanently build budget systems and dabble in overclocking. The same unlocked multiplier from Intel (we are talking about processors marked K) will cost enthusiasts more. So what do we have when we look at the Phenom II X4 980 BE. Firstly, the notorious 100 MHz core frequencies in excess of the usual 3.6 GHz, known from previous samples. Second, three levels of cache: 64 KB L1 instructions and 64 KB L1 cache per core (512 KB shared L1 per processor), 512 KB L2 cache per core (2 MB shared L2 per processor), 6 MB shared L3 cache. The new processor contains an integrated 128-bit memory controller with HyperTransport 3.0 bus support. The manufacturing process remained unchanged — 45-nm DSL SOI. However, AMD is distributing preliminary information about the imminent submission of a new technical process to the user’s court, but so far it is still the same old friend who has proven himself more than once. The maximum heat dissipation for the novelty is determined at 125 W, which, of course, disappoints many overclockers — a lot, compared to 73 W or 95W Intel flagships. The last thing that should please fans of saving on upgrades is full compatibility with processor sockets on AM2 + and AM3 motherboards. The ability to update the system «with little bloodshed» has always been a hallmark of AMD products. Preliminary conclusions about the features of the Phenom II X4 980 BE processor can be drawn already on the basis of the declared characteristics. We can talk about multitasking, which is natural for multi-core processors, about excellent opportunities for working with 3D graphics, provided by the HyperTransport 3.0 bus. The processor features include the technologies that its engineers have provided: AMD Memory Optimizer allows you to increase the performance of multi-threaded programs, AMD Digital Media Xpress 2.0 provides more realism and clarity of 3D graphics, AMD Virtualization allows you to virtualize software for more efficient and reliable launch, and Cool ‘n’ Quiet 3.0 technology controls the rotation speed of the CPU cooler, adjusting the noise level and cooling. Following the established traditions, it is worth mentioning the packaging in which the processor arrives at the end user. In fact, there is nothing to talk about here, because most people choose the OEM option — the lack of packaging does not affect the impression of processor performance in any way. Although some may wish to see the box, which, however, will not differ in any way from the packaging of previous versions of the Black Edition processors: black gloss, a minimum of information and a wonderful black and purple AMD Phenom II logo, immediately recognizable by overclockers. AMD’s original cooler is nothing special, and we know from experience that it’s one of the noisiest and least efficient air-cooling solutions out there. Previous — Next >> Did you like the news? Share with your friends!

Updated on 13.05.2011 14:05

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