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CPUs

AMD Athlon 64 X2

Manufacturer:Price:
£37 - £128.65
Reviewer:Review Date:
James GorboldDec 2007
 OVERALL RATING
 
 
SCORE
Not Rated
 

Verdict: The 5000+ Black Edition is good for those on a tight budget.


The first Athlon 64 X2 may have been pipped to the post in the race to be the world's first dual-core x86 CPU by the Pentium Extreme Edition 840, but it was a far more desirable chip, thanks to a good combination of performance, overclocking potential and low heat output.

Midway through its life cycle, the Athlon 64 X2 series moved from Socket 939 to Socket AM2, gaining a new DDR2 memory controller in the process. Since then, this series of dual-core CPUs has remained relatively unchanged over the past two years. There are basically two types of Athlon 64 X2: those with 1MB of Level 2 cache per core, and those with 512KB per core, although some models are made using a 65nm manufacturing process while others use a 90nm process. Every model has 128KB of Level 1 cache per core, and supports 64-bit instructions, Enhanced Virus Protection and Cool n Quiet. There are currently 14 major models of Athlon 64 X2 from which to choose, and there are also some hard-to-find energy-efficient models that have a slightly lower TDP than the standard models.

AMD first introduced model numbers for its CPUs in an attempt to make it clear what you were buying, but the current naming system does precisely the opposite. Currently, there are four models of Athlon 64 X2 bearing the same name. For starters, there are two models known as the Athlon 64 X2 4000+. However, one is clocked at 2GHz and has 1MB of Level 2 cache per core, while the other is clocked at 2.1GHz and has 512KB of Level 2 cache per core. Given that many retailers don't explicitly state which model they're selling, this could lead you into buying the wrong CPU. The second example of confusing naming is the Athlon 64 X2 5000+ and the 5000+ Black Edition. Both CPUs are clocked at 2.6GHz and have 512KB of Level 2 cache, but the Black Edition model has a fully unlocked multiplier, which makes it easier to overclock. The other Black Edition model, the top-of-the-range 6400+, also has a fully unlocked multiplier. However, because the 6400+ Black Edition is made using a 90nm process, it can't be overclocked by more than a couple of hundred megahertz at best.

With two different sizes of Level 2 cache, and clock frequencies ranging from 1.9GHz to 3.2GHz, there's a huge variation in performance between the high-end and entry-level Athlon 64 X2 processors. For example, the most basic model, the 3600+, scored just 516 in our Media Benchmarks and really struggled to play Crysis smoothly, while the 6400+ Black Edition scored 904 and ran Crysis much faster.

As a result of Intel introducing the Core 2 Duo series of CPUs in mid-2006, the Athlon 64 X2 has taken something of a pounding. However, AMD has dramatically cut the price of the entire series; even the 6400+ Black Edition retails for a good deal less than £150. Unfortunately for AMD, Intel has even deeper pockets, and has responded by launching cheaper Core 2 Duo models, such as the bargaintastic E6750. This model retails for around £14 less than the 6400+ Black Edition, and is noticeably faster and a great overclocker too. Also, despite AMD making such a big noise about energy efficiency over the past year, we wouldn't describe any of the Athlon 64 X2s as being energy-efficient. A system with an Athlon 64 X2 3600+, for example, consumes the same amount of power as a system with a Core 2 Duo E6750 installed.

Although the mid-range models, such as the 5000+ Black Edition are quite competitive, Intel still has an answer in the shape of the similarly priced Core 2 Duo E4600, which is not only faster, but also more power-efficient and much more overclockable.


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