New Overclocking Star: AMD Phenom II X4 920 Review

It is no secret that previous Phenom X4 processor generation didn’t really overclock that well at all. Therefore, overclockers used to prefer Intel processors for the most part. However, the recently launched new Phenom II X4 manufactured with 45nm process may change this state of things. Read more in our article!

The recent launch of the new quad-core Phenom II X4 processor family created a real commotion not only the among AMD fans but also in the rest of the computer community. Not only AMD fan forums, but also some reputable technical publications sounded extremely excited about the new 45nm processors from Stars (K10) family. They pronounced the arrival of a new milestone product and resumed aggressive competition between AMD and Intel. In the meanwhile, a sensible view of Phenom II X4 features doesn’t really give us a lot of reasons to be that optimistic. Our recent extensive performance tests of these new processors showed that they can only be regarded as an alternative to the cheapest quad-core Intel CPUs and only with a certain proviso. Of course, compared with the old Phenom X4 CPUs, the frequency potential of the new 45nm cores in the new Phenom II X4 helped significantly increase their performance and improve their power consumption and heat dissipation characteristics. However, it was still not enough for AMD Phenom II processors to look as an indisputably better choice against the background of Intel Core 2 Quad. The only thing we can state with certainty is that Phenom II X4 processors are comparable only with quad-core Intel Core 2 Quad from the inexpensive Q8000 series.

Trying to make their new products more attractive, AMD stresses their good overclocking potential. It is true, during our test session we checked out Phenom II X4 940 from the Black Edition series that featured an unlocked clock frequency multiplier.

AMD sent us their top model – Phenom II X4 940 Black Edition – for our first article devoted to new Phenom II X4 processor family. This CPU works at 3.0 GHz nominal frequency and features an unlock clock frequency multiplier. The second model is the junior model in the family – Phenom II X4 920. It is designed to work at lower nominal clock speed of 2.8 GHz. As for other characteristics, it is not very much different from the top model, which is actually not surprising at all, as both Phenom II X4 CPUs are based on the same 45nm Deneb core and are designed for Socket AM2+ intrustructure.

Like Phenom II X4 940, Phenom II X4 920 uses the same frequency for its built-in North Bridge - 1.8 GHz, and supports the same memory types including DDR2-1067 SDRAM. The typical heat dissipation of both these processors is also the same and is set at 125 W. So, Phenom II X4 920 selling for $30 less than its elder brother does in fact yield only in one parameter to the 940 model: it has lower nominal clock frequency.

Read more at xbitlabs.com

Contact us to check prices and availability of AMD products

Visit ASBIS B2B Marketplace