AMD Phenom II X4 940 & 920 Processors

The Market Segment:

Let's be realistic here, even though performance has been boosted the Phenom II is still mostly a die shrink, it's not a new processor generation. That being said, it isn't going to be a Core i7 killer, system pricing isn't even in the same ballpark. From the pricing (and performance) of these new Phenom II processors, AMD has appropriately targeted the mainstream market and average enthusiast. I don't want to spoil the whole review, but AMD has priced these processors pretty well against similarly performing Intel counterparts. Intel processors closest in price and performance to the Phenom II X4 940 would be the Q9400 / Q9450. Likewise for the Phenom II X4 920, the closest Intel competition in price would be the Q9300 / Q8300.

AMD Phenom II X4 940 and 920 Processor Technical Specifications:

• Processor Frequency:
  • X4 940 Black Edition = 3.0GHz
  • X4 920 = 2.8GHz
• L1 Cache Sizes: 64K of L1 instruction and 64K of L1 data cache per core (512KB total L1 per processor)
• L2 Cache Sizes: 512KB of L2 data cache per core (2MB total L2 per processor)
• L3 Cache Size: 6MB (shared between cores)
• Memory Controller Type: Integrated 128-bit wide memory controller*
• Memory Controller Speed: Up to 1.8GHz with Dual Dynamic Power Management
• Types of Memory Supported: Support for unregistered DIMMs up to PC2 8500 (DDR2-1066MHz)
• Memory Bandwidth: Up to 17.1GB
• HyperTransport 3.0 Link: One 16-bit/16-bit link @ up to 3.6GHz full duplex (1.8GHz x2)
• HyperTransport 3.0 Bandwidth: Up to 14.4GB/s
• Total Processor Bandwidth: Up to 31.5 GB/s total bandwidth
• Packaging: Socket AM2+ 940-pin organic micro pin grid array (micro-PGA)
• Fab location: Fab 36 wafer fabrication facilities in Dresden, Germany
• Process Technology: 45-nanometer DSL SOI (silicon-on-insulator) technology
• Approximate Transistor count: ~ 758 million (45nm)
• Approximate Die Size: 258 mm˛ (45nm)
• Max Ambient Case Temp: 62° Celsius
• Nominal Voltage: 0.875 - 1.5 Volts
• Max TDP: 125 Watts
• Code Name: Deneb

*Note: Configurable for dual 64-bit channels for simultaneous read/writes

CPU-Z Info:

This screen shot is with everything set at default. The voltage is a little higher than what I was expecting / hoping initially. But with the ability to run much higher voltages and still keep cool temps, after a while I stopped worrying about it.