AMD Introduces New Athlon II and Phemom II processors

Bringing its acclaimed 45nm technology to new high-volume processor designs, AMD today announced two new dual-core desktop processors. Building on 10 years of AMD Athlon processor innovation, the new 45nm AMD Athlon II X2 250 processor gives mainstream consumers exceptional performance, efficiency and value. For enthusiasts and overclockers, AMD also announces the AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition processor, the first ever dual-core AMD Phenom II CPU.* With this latest addition to the AMD Phenom II processor family, users can now experience the power of AMD platform technology, codenamed “Dragon,” with dual-, triple- and quad-core configurations.

AMD Athlon II X2 Processor Details

• The AMD Athlon II X2 250 performs exceptionally well when combined with AMD chipsets and integrated graphics solutions to create an all-AMD platform. Platforms featuring all-AMD technology can deliver up to twice the graphics performance of those with Intel integrated graphics.^¹
• Windows® 7 is optimized for multi-core processors like AMD Athlon II processors to give consumers an amazingly fast, simple and engaging PC experience.** For example, Windows 7 is tuned to make the most of these new processors’ power management features, such as AMD PowerNow! 3.0 technology. AMD power management technologies, in combination with Windows 7, can help OEMs and partners to build exceptionally green, cool and quiet PCs.
• Based on AMD’s acclaimed 45nm process technology, the AMD Athlon II dual-core processor has a TDP of 65W and can slash power consumption by up to 50 percent when doing basic tasks, up to 40 percent when running heavy workloads and up to 50 percent when at idle.

AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition Details

• AMD Black Edition processors, like the AMD Phenom II X2 550, help users to take control and unleash the maximum potential of Dragon platform technology’s unprecedented performance tuning capabilities.* The same massive headroom that set world records in recent months is at users’ finger tips, offering impressive performance at a price the competition can’t beat.^³
• Users can also maximize their overclocking experience by utilizing the new features and capabilities of AMD OverDrive 3.0, designed to enable quick and effective tuning of their PC experience for optimal performance.*
• With dual-, triple- or quad-core processors, AMD provides platform level solutions at multiple price points, each of which exceeds expectations for virtually any user.

¹ Results based on testing at AMD performance labs; results are normalized to the Intel Platform; AMD Platform configuration: Intel configuration: Intel Core 2 Duo 5400 processor; Motherboard: DG45ID; Graphics: G45 Express; Memory: 4GB Corsair CM2X2048-8500C5D; Operating System: Windows Vista® 64 Ultimate; AMD configuration: AMD Athlon II 250 processor; Motherboard: M4A78T-E; Graphics: ATI Radeon HD 3300 integrated graphics; Memory: 4GB Corsair TR3XG1600C8D; Operating System: Windows Vista® 64 Ultimate.; Unreal Tournament 3, Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance and Company of Heroes are measured in Frames Per Second when using built-in demos and levels.; 3DMark Vantage Entry Score. Results are measured in Marks.

² Results based on testing at AMD performance labs; results are normalized to the AMD Athlon X2 7850; AMD Athlon - configuration: AMD Athlon X2 7850 processor; Motherboard: GA-MA790GP; Graphics: ATI Radeon HD 3330 integrated graphics; Memory: 4GB Corsair CM2X2048-8500C5D; Operating System: Windows Vista® 64 Ultimate. INTEL configuration: Intel processor; Motherboard: DG45ID; Graphics: G45 Express; Memory: 4GB Corsair CM2X2048-8500C5D; Operating System: Windows Vista® 64 Ultimate; AMD Athlon II configuration: AMD Processor; Motherboard: M4A78T-E; Graphics: ATI Radeon HD 3300 integrated graphics; Memory: 4GB Corsair TR3XG1600C8D; Operating System: Windows Vista® 64 Ultimate.; SYSMark O7 Preview Version Patch 4. Results are measured in Marks; MainConcept encoder converts DoubleDutch.mpeg (114MB) to an H.264 format captured data is elapsed time in seconds.; Photoshop Elements applies 5 auto-filters on 48 1600x1066 jpg-files and measures elapsed-time-in-seconds; Windows Movie Maker renders a photo slide show as an AVI from a dataset of 97 1600x1066 JPEG images. Captured data is elapsed time in seconds.

³ Based on comparison of 65nm AMD Phenom X4 9950 125W to 45nm AMD Phenom II X4 940 125W. System Configuration: AMD internal reference motherboard (Shiner); CHIPSET: RS780 / SB700 Chipset; BIOS: MS9A04- 4; MEMORY: DDR2-800 2X1024MB; O/S: Windows® Vista® SP-1; Other: C1E enabled, L3PwrSavEn enabled.

*AMD warranty does not cover damage caused by overclocking, even when enabled via AMD OverDrive software.

** Requires a Windows 7-capable system.

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