AMD puts out a cheap quad core chip
AMD HAS DEALT Intel a blow by releasing a quad core chip for less than $100.
According to the company the Athlon II X4 model 620 quad-core processor is designed for "system builders" who will be scratching together gear for Windows 7 machines.
Not surprisingly Microsoft has welcomed the cut-price chip as a good idea. Mike Ybarra, general manager of Windows Product Management at Microsoft, said that the mainstream desktop platform coupled with Windows 7 allowed a faster, higher performing experience at an attractive price.
What makes the Athlon II X4 special is not just the fact that it is as cheap as chips. It is actually quite a good chip for the price. Most of Intel's low end offerings are a bit "nothing to see here move on please" in comparison, and they're half again more expensive than AMD's lowest priced Athlon II X4 chip.
The Athlon II X4 can keep pace with more expensive processors like Intel's Q8200 and AMD's own Phenom IIs. The closest quad core that Intel has to match it is the Core 2 Quad Q8200, which will set you back $150.
The chip's main competition is from AMD itself. The new chip is just $20 cheaper than the Phenom II X3 triple core, which in most cases will be faster than the Athlon II X4 model 620. The Phenom II X3 is clocked 200MHz higher.
AMD claims that the Athlon II X4 is more energy efficient because it uses the latest 45nm manufacturing process. Until this year, AMD had been building its processors on a 65nm process.
The quad-core processor is used in combination with the 785G chipset, which integrates ATI Radeon HD 4200 graphics silicon. µ
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[sound of upgrading the renderfarm]
No clock speed then? Don't make me use a search engine...
I was picking components for a cheap but good AMD sys last couple of weeks so this is great and with new ATI cards coming out...should be able to save an extra £100 easy.
yeiii AMD... say what you will but Chipzilla cant beat em on price/performance ratios, and any self-respecting geek should be looking at that. Sure intels are faster but at 20-50% premium ..not worth it.
here is the newegg link
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103706
So, AMD, haven't seen much lately from you in the mobile space, any chance that a low voltage version of the Athlon X2 based on the Phenom II architecture will be hitting the market any time soon. I'd like to see a quad core, 1.6Ghz cpu for on the go, then up it to the 2.6 when plugged in, more than enough compute power for those that need it. combine with 785 mobile chipset and some ddr3 and I think you'd have the perfect portable workstation, and when you open up the external PCI-e port for anyone and everyone to use, who'd need a pc anymore...just get the power envelope in check...or since you'd like to innovate, some form of passive, but very effective cooling.
Athlon II X4 model 620 is running at 2.6 ghz and Anand could oc. it up to 3.2 ghz stable.
Athlon II X4 model 630 will be running at 2.8 ghz and is not worth the 20% price premium.
Most of the benchmarks show it is competing successfully with Core 2 Quad Q8200 and first gen. Phenoms.
And it is cheaper because it lacks L3 cache...
as in Zero, zip, nada. That is how they make it so cheap and that is why the perforomance will only be so-so.
Flaw Is Simple, Its' Low transistor rube. For Cheap Chip try Semperon 140 AM3, for $35 W/fan & ppd, it'll hold most systems down as well as ANY powerhouses, surprizingly.
New X4 has mere 300,000,000 transisitors, 1/3 that of Bigger Processors, due to L3 Cache Being removed COMPLETELY. Its Loss in itself. No Brainer, except it functions, yet AMD offers 720 X3 in easily upgradeable to X4 unit with Unclocked multiplier for mere $twenty$ more. FAR BETTER DEAL. Turn 13 multiplier into 18+ & Be GOD, Opps, mean be glad.
Its Good Price War, it isn't much to write home about, yet in those low end chips are good number of winners, this ones just bit less on inside.
This X4 was first Sported to public as $80 cpu, so lame engineers & money hungry pundits have made it less than expected, as 4 Mb Cache was also advertised in launch, which there is none of. So Go Figure, maybe AMD giving them away.
DRASHEK
First off I think that AMD Have good budget quad core, even though it doesn't L3 cache who cares! this just gives Intel something to think about. I am not an intel fanboy nor AMD all I know this is good for people who can't afford top cpu's. I have always gone the budget path because their is always someting better that comes out just after I have upgraded
P.S I work as a computer techie, so whatever you buy it will always outdate the day after you upgrade.....
Why pay for Windows or Office? Ubuntu and OpenOffice ftw.