AMD kick started 2009 with guns blazing introducing their latest Phenom II X4 platform on early January. Although the launch was comprised of just two processors, that's all AMD needed to compete head to head with the Intel Core 2 Quad range.Today AMD is releasing two new processors, the Phenom II X4 955 and 945, which are based on the same "Deneb" architecture though with a few notable changes. The most prominent change is that these are AM3 processors, and therefore can be used with either DDR2 or DDR3 memory. AM3 processors are also completely backwards compatible with AM2+ motherboards.
The Phenom II X4 955 will remain affordable with a suggested initial retail value of $245. This new processor looks as having the potential to be the ultimate upgrade solution for AMD users, as it can be paired with AM2+ motherboards that were released as far back as 2007.
View: AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition review
I've had to do the most painful thing of moving to Intel temporarily because it's the only thing that was readily available in trying to maintain a mid-to-high end PC and lets face it, Phenom 1s are just not worth it.
Can't wait till AMDs new chipset is out especially for AM3, not this modded 790, then all my efforts will go towards it.
All my Intel buddies are gloating *grumble, grumble*... :p
Agreed. I took a look at the article earlier and it's nothing special. The only interesting thing about it is that it's backwards compatible with AM2+ motherboards and DDR2 RAM.
They are more than a match for the current Core 2 Quad lineup at very competitive. No, they are not as good as the Core i7 line of processors, but they are 400-600$ less as pricey.
Good bang for buck. Upgradeable. Tried and trusted quality.
Because if someone already had an AM2+ board they wouldn't need to upgrade the MB, RAM, CPU and possible the power supply just to go with an i7.
Not everyone needs or wants the latest tech.
Did you even read the article? Phenom II 955 is faster then "Core 2 Quad architecture" in more then 95% of the tests.
And yeah, you'll never know. You don't function properly outside Intel world. Currently, and for the neat future, AMD has the best upgradability path. It's almost close to Core i7 920, and yet it's not limited to some 250$+ motherboard.
The price difference between i7s and Phenom IIs is quite simply not representative of their unremarkable performance advantage.
Right now, I'm running a Athlon X2 7750, so I'd imagine a huge performance gain when I finally do upgrade it. I just got this machine back in March, but I got it under $500 building it myself (XP Pro from MSDNAA). At least this will keep me with a reasonable machine for the next couple years.
+1 competition (this may sway intel to bring their prices down aka price war)
Hmph, if you guys only realized what made Intel what it is, oh well, to each their own...
My laptop right now has an AMD in it, as did my previous one. Your comment is worthless.
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