Athlon 64 X2 Preview @ [H]

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Looks good - except for the price. Do you know when they will be available to purchase?
 
Great work!!! I love it!!!!
Thanks and keep up the good work :D

Edit: I dont agree with the multitasking comments at the end of the preview. Besides this the preview was short and to the point and told me what I wanted to know.
 
Obi_Kwiet said:
Well, the last place Intel ruled in has been taken over by AMD. pwnt.
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Umm no. Intel still rules in market share, total sales, etc - far more important than winning benchmarks by a few percentage points.

The cheapest X2 is $500, compared to $240 for the entry level Pentium D 2.8GHz. Intel definitely has a big advantage here.
 
Notice that you are seeing two identical K8 cores that are basically connected through a HyperTransport bus.
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no it's not. if you look at the diagram just before that picture of the core, it clearly shows that the cores would communicate via the SRI, not HT link ;)

hopefully i won't have to edit this for more nitpicks, it looks pretty good so far :cool:


one more thing

If you are a hardcore gamer looking at moving to dual core computing, you would likely be foolish to consider anything else but the AMD Athlon 64 X2 processing platform. Our single threaded gaming benchmarks clearly show that the Athlon 64 X2 is a better performer in the gaming arena. If you are a benchmark junkie, the X2 is the obvious choice.
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i agree with this, but there's one slight problem in the logic. bench junkies do one thing at a time: bench.
very few multithreaded apps, and never more than one bench at a time.
also, i didn't see any comments on oc'ing, but i'm sure an oc'ed X2 would put out a lot of heat. same with a pentiumD. if you're truly looking to bench, the FX line is still the way to go, imo. :D
(note that the above statement disregards the first statement of the quote. if dual core is a requirement for other things, consider my argument void)
 
EnderW said:
far more important than winning benchmarks by a few percentage points.
Click to expand...

Umm no, not when it comes to more bang for your buck. I'd rather have a better CPU at a better price than a slower CPU at a higher price.
 
I would have liked to see the single core game benchies mixed in as well just for shits and giggles.
 
I took the Northwood plunge from a great PIII O/C and an AMD AthlonXP 1600+ and I never looked back to an AMD CPU. This didn't mean that I didn't like AMD CPU's,especially at their price/value point, but like Kyle, I was simply floored by HyperThreading. At first I thought it yet another Intel marketing gimmick.

However, after building solid AMD-based mid-range systems for clients and friends, I find myself going back to my trusty Northwood every time. Sure, the AMD CPU's smack my own in gaming, but the fact that while running a CPU-intensive app or game while trying to do something as easy as web page / database administration and experincing very noticible (and annoying slow-down) on AMD systems, I just can't justify currently "upgrading" to an AMD system.

So it was that I was left with little options. I could purchase an A64 and get great gaming performance, but forget running two MMO's in tandem, much less constantly (and smoothly) switching tasks between MMO's and databases. Forget editing sound/video and running graphics-intensive filters within a reasonable amount of time and with little frustration.

Or I could go with Prescott... ugh, such a downgrade from the great Northwood core and I would have to invest money in a motherboard that was actually slower than my 875P? BAH!

So this article comes as saver for me. I'm looking at the 4400+ with a lot of interest and while I won't pay the near $600, I'm hoping my Northwood system can hold for just long enough for prices to come down to something a bit more reasonable. I'm psyched! Not only can I have gaming performance, multitasking performance and effecient thermal technologies features within one CPU, but I can also "upgrade" using one of the current S939 motherboards/technology?

What is not to like?!?! Thank you AMD! I only hope that once the actual products start hitting the market, that prices will go down to something a bit more reasonable. Thanks [H], great preview! :D

- James
 
Jaxor said:
Umm no, not when it comes to more bang for your buck. I'd rather have a better CPU at a better price than a slower CPU at a higher price.
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Maybe you missed the part where the entry level Intel DC chip costs less then half its AMD counterpart.

Market share leads to money, and that's all any of these companies care about. Intel is still the 500 lb gorilla and they're kicking AMD's ass in terms of gross profit.

Anyone buying the EE is a dumbass - $1000 for any CPU, especially one that gets beaten by cheaper chips from both sides.
 
James54321 said:
I only hope that once the actual products start hitting the market, that prices will go down to something a bit more reasonable. Thanks [H], great preview! :D

- James
Click to expand...

They will, as the market for a given product expands, the prices generally come down.
just takes a little time....I hope :)
 
James54321 said:
...So it was that I was left with little options. I could purchase an A64 and get great gaming performance, but forget running two MMO's in tandem, much less constantly (and smoothly) switching tasks between MMO's and databases. Forget editing sound/video and running graphics-intensive filters within a reasonable amount of time and with little frustration...

- James
Click to expand...

WHY

realy why does one need to run TWO MMOs at once >.> FFXI just by it self sucks my life away and theres no way i could play 2 at the same time
 
Looking at the review it looks like its time to upgrade....again :eek:
 
What I got mostly from this preview was that fact that in some area's (Take the CS:S/wDivX Encode for example and CS:S/wWMV Encode) with the second core the A64 more than doubled performance. That's freak amazingy, and I cant believe that was not mentioned. Then look at the Intel chip, it didnt even get near double the performance with another core. This makes me worry about dual core P4's, not looking good really IMO.
 
Kyle, have you guys taken the time to try your hand in OC'ing, or did AMD give a thumbs down on that?
 
(cf)Eclipse said:
Kyle, have you guys taken the time to try your hand in OC'ing, or did AMD give a thumbs down on that?
Click to expand...
I like how you think ;)
3.0GHz X2 would be nice.
 
and with the power draw figures given by anandtech, it doesn't look like heat will be a significant problem :eek:
 
(cf)Eclipse said:
and with the power draw figures given by anandtech, it doesn't look like heat will be a significant problem :eek:
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Exactly. I could use the XP-120 I already have.
 
Is this a typo?

Max Icc (processor current): 80A
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I noticed this while committing this article to memory!

Are there any disadvantages? Are there games and benchies that actually run slower than their single core counterpart at the same clock freq?
 
EnderW said:
Looks good - except for the price. Do you know when they will be available to purchase?
Click to expand...

I don't think I am allowed to comment on that, but it would probably be a lie anyway. ;)
 
I'm giving this processor some serious thought, but I'm concerned most about memory capacity. What is the max amount of memory you can pair with this processor? If I'm getting the MSI Platinum, is the max amount 4 gig or will the bios flash allow 8 gigs (2 gigs per slot)?

If I want this ammount of memory, will I have to move up to a workstation board/opteron solution?
 
(cf)Eclipse said:
Kyle, have you guys taken the time to try your hand in OC'ing, or did AMD give a thumbs down on that?
Click to expand...

Just did not have time.
 
NumbLock said:
Is this a typo?
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no. 110w output
1.35v to 1.40v

watts = volts * amps

so 110w / 1.35v = 81a as the worst case scenario.
it seems that the cores rated for 1.35v will run a smidge cooler as a maximum than the ones at 1.4v do from that


edit: i can understand the time limit :(
will there be another chance in the not so distant future for another article with oc'ing results for X2 in it? :D
 
(cf)Eclipse said:
and with the power draw figures given by anandtech, it doesn't look like heat will be a significant problem :eek:
Click to expand...


No not at all, power consumption was not even a point to talk about, but we did mention it in The Bottom Line.
 
NumbLock said:
Is this a typo?



I noticed this while committing this article to memory!

Are there any disadvantages? Are there games and benchies that actually run slower than their single core counterpart at the same clock freq?
Click to expand...

AMD has done a LOT of efficiency tuning with this core. I could not find anywhere that is was inferior to a single core lastest gen K8.
 
Sheff said:
I'm giving this processor some serious thought, but I'm concerned most about memory capacity. What is the max amount of memory you can pair with this processor? If I'm getting the MSI Platinum, is the max amount 4 gig or will the bios flash allow 8 gigs (2 gigs per slot)?

If I want this ammount of memory, will I have to move up to a workstation board/opteron solution?
Click to expand...


Quuite frankly, I think you would still have issues with four stick of double sided ram. The memory controller on the Athlon 64 on supports 3 double sided sticks, to put it in nontechnical terms. We have talked about this in some of our latest motherboard reviews.
 
I have been up for 18 hours with 3 hours of sleep since Friday. You guys can nitpick it to death, but the conclusions are not going to change. :)

If you think you see a typo, specifically outline what it is and mail it to kyle@hardocp.com. I am out of town and will be back in Dallas Wed morning where I can spend some time with it.

Thanks!!!
 
James54321 said:
I took the Northwood plunge from a great PIII O/C and an AMD AthlonXP 1600+ and I never looked back to an AMD CPU. This didn't mean that I didn't like AMD CPU's,especially at their price/value point, but like Kyle, I was simply floored by HyperThreading. At first I thought it yet another Intel marketing gimmick.

However, after building solid AMD-based mid-range systems for clients and friends, I find myself going back to my trusty Northwood every time. Sure, the AMD CPU's smack my own in gaming, but the fact that while running a CPU-intensive app or game while trying to do something as easy as web page / database administration and experincing very noticible (and annoying slow-down) on AMD systems, I just can't justify currently "upgrading" to an AMD system.

So it was that I was left with little options. I could purchase an A64 and get great gaming performance, but forget running two MMO's in tandem, much less constantly (and smoothly) switching tasks between MMO's and databases. Forget editing sound/video and running graphics-intensive filters within a reasonable amount of time and with little frustration.

Or I could go with Prescott... ugh, such a downgrade from the great Northwood core and I would have to invest money in a motherboard that was actually slower than my 875P? BAH!

So this article comes as saver for me. I'm looking at the 4400+ with a lot of interest and while I won't pay the near $600, I'm hoping my Northwood system can hold for just long enough for prices to come down to something a bit more reasonable. I'm psyched! Not only can I have gaming performance, multitasking performance and effecient thermal technologies features within one CPU, but I can also "upgrade" using one of the current S939 motherboards/technology?

What is not to like?!?! Thank you AMD! I only hope that once the actual products start hitting the market, that prices will go down to something a bit more reasonable. Thanks [H], great preview! :D

- James
Click to expand...


Sounds like you needed Hare.
There are ways to tweak your OS so it multitasks better and Hare is just one of the simple ways to go about it.
 
I'm definitely going to have to find a way to save up some money for one of these. I've been wanting a modern dually system for a good long time and this looks to beat the majority of dually systems for end user type of use hands down. For my use and my preferences, it isn't going to get any better than this for a while.

I can't wait to see some overclocking results with these things, also.

 
Are these processors more closely related to the Venice or Turion? With power consumption being so low, it wouldn't surprise me if the dual-core was two Turions.

If they are similar to Turions, this brings up another question, will they overclock well?
 
Thanks Kyle and the hardocp team! I have been waiting on a few key technologies this being the last one. You have shown what I thought was going to happen, that being that the Athlon X2 was going to close the multitasking gap and show how solid the Athlon 64 technology really is.

My current system is a Athlon XP possessor base system and has done me very well. and now I can go to my next upgrade to a Athlon X2 base system!

Thanks again [H]
 
Bah... I was so sure of getting a Fx-57, Now I just dont know... X2, FX choices choices.... :confused: :)

Good preview :)
 
Kyle Sir, You and your team rock. A stellar review as always.

Anyway for a Marine like me to Win / Purchase that? Or is that like against the rules? :cool:
 
serbiaNem said:
Are these processors more closely related to the Venice or Turion? With power consumption being so low, it wouldn't surprise me if the dual-core was two Turions.
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i have a feeling it'll be a mix of the two, as turion doesn't need to do quite as high speeds as X2, and the 1.35v model = 35w, that's a 70w dual core. amd seems to have spec'ed these for 110w, which would imply it's very closely related to the normal desktop cores
 
Also Kyle,

I have a important question. You had before mentioned that you went back to a Pentium 4 processor (due to hyperthreading) primarily because of your Multitasking workload. Do you find that you may be getting the best of both worlds and are you concedering switching back to AMD with this X2?
 
EnderW said:
Umm no. Intel still rules in market share, total sales, etc - far more important than winning benchmarks by a few percentage points.

The cheapest X2 is $500, compared to $240 for the entry level Pentium D 2.8GHz. Intel definitely has a big advantage here.
Click to expand...

I think a cheap intel system with that 820 is not so cheap add the high priced DDR2 and expensive DC mobos.
I think it will be the same price... around $800 for 4200 + 939 board + 1gig DDR.. As an 820 setup. Nevermind the AMD setup will beat 820 like a red headed step child.
 
NEVERLIFT said:
I think a cheap intel system with that 820 is not so cheap add the high priced DDR2 and expensive DC mobos.
I think it will be the same price... around $800 for 4200 + 939 board + 1gig DDR.. As an 820 setup. Nevermind the AMD setup will beat 820 like a red headed step child.
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Your f@nboyism is annoying.
If you call a 26% price difference around $800, then yes.

P4D 840 - $240
ASUS Mobo - $200
Geil DDR2 667 1GB- $150
Total - $590

AMD64X2 - $540
ASUS Mobo - $140
Giel DDR 400 1GB- $85
Total - $765

My beef with the X2 is the steep entry point. Even with higher cost ram and motherboards, Intel has a better entry point. You pay more for the "same" performance with intel, but it costs a less to get in the game.
 
Dew said:
Your f@nboyism is annoying.
If you call a 26% price difference around $800, then yes.

P4D 840 - $240
ASUS Mobo - $200
Geil DDR2 667 1GB- $150
Total - $590

AMD64X2 - $540
ASUS Mobo - $140
Giel DDR 400 1GB- $85
Total - $765

My beef with the X2 is the steep entry point. Even with higher cost ram and motherboards, Intel has a better entry point. You pay more for the "same" performance with intel, but it costs a less to get in the game.
Click to expand...
There are s939 mobo's for less than $100 that are very good, take the CHAINTECH VNF4/Ultra Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra which is $92 and comes with a $10 rebate and Corsair has their 1gig for $79 and you see that price is $700.

On the same hand you seem like an intel faboy.... the cheapest I see any DDR2533 1gig 2x 512 at Newegg is $99 and the DDR2800 is $255, and the Asus mobo for DDR2533 is $150 while the DDR2800 is $329.00 so depending on the speed of the ram you want it can leave you with a lower price and very slow DDR2533 memory. So $824 at Newegg gets you the best Asus mobo and 1gig DDR2800 memory with alot slower P4 cpu than the AMD 64 x2.

I think I prefer the $700 64 x2 ;)
 
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