techreport.com — At long last, AMD has begun shipping CPUs made on a 65nm fab process, and The Tech Report has tested a pair of them for power consumption and clock frequency headroom. They've also measured energy use use per task, an actual measure of CPU energy efficiency, with direct comparsions to Intel's Core 2 Duo.
Dec 20, 2006 View in Crawl 4
compismyrxDec 20, 2006
It looks like the 65nm X2's will give the Core 2 Duo's a run for their money.
Closed AccountDec 20, 2006
So, will these chips will have a new socket?(I like AMD, I use AMD, I recommend AMD, but AMD's habit of changing socket at least once per year is wearing a little thin)
noseemeDec 20, 2006
Only took f**king forever.
billyblazeDec 20, 2006
Actually, you will be able to use an AM3 processor in an AM2 socket with DDR2 memory. Pretty much the only thing you won't be able to do is use an AM2 processor in an AM3 motherboard. If AMD sticks with this sort of compatibility in the future, it won't be that bad. Most people upgrade their CPU first, or everything at once, both of which are allowed.<a class="user" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socket_AM3">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socket_AM3</a>
sgndaveDec 20, 2006
To the actual user, all that really matters is the overall power consumption. Whether one processor or the other is more efficient makes no difference if one has a power-hungry motherboard and the other takes very little power. Comparing the CPUs in a vacuum only matters to computer architects (think Ph.D). What matters for the buyer is how much power is actually taken once they get the thing put together.
happyscrappyDec 20, 2006
The motherboard/chipset is a big power difference.SgnDave:I'm not saying you're wrong about what matters to people. However, that's not what the summary states. Additionally, if you know the motherboard is part of the power equation and you're going to rate the systems on it, it behooves you to find some motherboards which are optimized for power, and not for having 45 SATA ports. They didn't do any of this, and thus their tests don't help you choose a total system power usage, only between two examples.
obkenobiDec 21, 2006
[quote]Socket Change = RAM Technology Change (e.g., AM3 = DDR3).Since the memory controller is on the CPU, you don't want to try to control your DDR2 RAM with a DDR3 CPU.Get over it.[/quote]AM3 CPUs will work in DDR2 AM2 boards. You have spread FUD and must repent.
phabio76Dec 24, 2006
am3 socket?