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AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition/Athlon II X2 250 Performance Preview June 01, 2009 Brandon Sandman Bell |
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Summary: Packing two processing cores, 6MB of L3 cache, an unlocked multiplier, and a 3.1GHz clock speed, AMD's Phenom II X2 550 Black is targeted towards enthusiasts looking to OC. Its $102 price tag is inexpensive too. But is it a worthy competitor to Core 2 Duo? AMD's also unleashing a new Athlon II CPU today. See how both new AMD CPUs perform against the competition from Intel inside!
 AMD Phenom II X2 550/Athlon II X2 250 Performance Preview | Page:: ( 1 / 11 ) |
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Now AMD is looking to shore up the bottom of their CPU lineup, introducing 45-nm parts with sub-$100 price tags. Launching today is AMD’s first Athlon II CPU, the Athlon II X2 250, and AMD’s first dual-core Phenom II part, the Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition.
The Athlon II X2 250 is AMD’s first in a wave of soon to be released Athlon II parts that are designed to take the value/mainstream mantle from today’s current Athlon X2 CPUs, many of which are increasingly based on AMD’s K10 Kuma core. Considering their Phenom roots, adapting these CPUs for the mainstream and value segment isn’t a very good way to build profits for AMD. The new Athlon II CPUs are purpose built, native 45-nm designs. This helps to keep die size nice and small for maximum profits for AMD.
The Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition is AMD’s latest processor for their high-end Dragon platform targeted towards enthusiasts. Think of it as the gamer’s choice from AMD when it comes to dual-core processing. As a Black Edition, the chip sports an unlocked clock multiplier for maximum flexibility when OC’ing, and thanks to its Agena-based roots, the chip is based on the exact same core used in more expensive quad and triple-core Phenom II processors, only AMD activates two cores. AMD even equips the processor with the full 6MB of L3 cache found on their flagship Phenom II X4 955. Priced at $102, the chip undercuts many of Intel’s popular dual-core Core 2 offerings by tens of dollars too.
If they keep up this pace, the 45-nm transition will be AMD’s fastest process ramp in the company’s history by our estimation.
Of course, the 45-nm process isn’t just good news for AMD’s bottom line. Besides sporting a smaller die and reduced power consumption, enthusiasts love the new process because AMD’s baked in improvements designed to improve the CPU’s frequency headroom. We’ve found that these chips scale further than anything AMD’s ever produced. In other words, AMD’s newest 45-nm chips overclock like mad.
With just two cores, theoretically AMD’s latest processors should scale even further. Intel’s dual-core processors scale dramatically higher than their quad-core processors. Does the same hold true for AMD? Let’s find out!
| The New AMD CPUs | Page:: ( 2 / 11 ) |
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The Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition
While quad-core CPUs have been on the market for years now, the software industry has been slow to adapt to the multithreaded computing world enabled by the latest four core processors. Nowhere is this statement more true than in the gaming industry. As hard as AMD and Intel have worked with game developers to enable more multithreaded games, the vast majority of games on the market today are at best only dual-threaded.
With this in mind AMD has offered their X3 line of triple core processors targeted at the gaming/enthusiast crowd that offer all the benefits of their highest Phenom processors only with one processing core disabled and running at a slightly slower clock speed. The original Phenom X3 8750 was limited to speeds of up to 2.4GHz in comparison to the fastest Phenom 9950, which was clocked at 2.6GHz, while AMD’s latest triple-core CPU, the Phenom II X3 720 runs at 2.8GHz; 400MHz slower than the Phenom II X4 955.
The Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition takes this same strategy down to dual-core processing for the first time.
As we mentioned on the previous page, the Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition is based on the exact same 45-nm Deneb core AMD uses in their latest Phenom II processors. The only difference is AMD activates two processing cores, leaving two cores disabled. Because it’s based on the same core as AMD’s other Phenom II parts, the same key architecture features carry over unchanged. The chip features 64KB of L1 cache per core for data and instructions (256KB L1 total) and 512KB of L2 cache per core for a grand total of 1MB of L2 cache active on the processor. The L3 cache carries over unchanged, with the Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition sporting 6MB of L3 cache shared amongst the processors two cores. Like all AM3 Phenom II CPUs, the chip also features a 2.0GHz memory controller.
Finally, the most important remaining spec for the Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition is its clock speed. AMD clocks the chip at 3.1GHz, which the chip featuring a 15.5x multiplier. Keep in mind that as a Black Edition CPU, the multiplier is unlocked and can be adjusted to whatever setting you wish when OC’ing AMD lists the max TDP for the Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition at 80W.
| Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition Specifications | |
| Core | Calisto |
| Clock Speed | 3.1GHz |
| L1 Cache Size | 64K of L1 instruction and 64K of L1 data cache per core (256KB total L1 per processor) |
| L2 Cache Size | 512KB of L2 data cache per core (1MB total L2 per processor) |
| L3 Cache Size | 6MB (shared) |
| Memory Controller Type | Integrated 128-bit wide memory controller *Black Edition processors support software selectable increases to memory controller, HyperTransport, DDR3 and CPU core frequency |
| Memory Controller Speed | 2.0GHz with Dual Dynamic PPower Management |
| Types of Memory Supported | Support for unregistered DIMMs up to PC2-8500 (DDR2-1066MHz) -AND- PC3-10600 (DDR3-1333MHz) |
| HyperTransport 3.0 Specification | One 16-bit/16-bit link @ up to 4.0GHz full duplex (2.0GHz x2) |
| Total Processor-to-System Bandwidth | Up to 37.3GB/s bandwidth [Up to 21.3 GB/s total bandwidth (DDR3-1333) + 16.0GB/s (HT3)] |
| Packaging | Socket AM3 938-pin organic micro pin grid array (micro-PGA) |
| Fab location | GLOBALFOUNDRIES Fab 1 Module 1 |
| Process Technology | 45-nanometer DSL SOI (silicon-on-insulator) technology |
| Approximate Die Size | 258 mm2 |
| Approximate Transistor count | ~758 million |
| Max Temp | 70 degrees Celsius |
| Core Voltage | 0.850-1.425V |
| Max TDP | 80W |
| Distributor Pricing (in quantities of 1,000) | $102 |
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Athlon II X2 250
Launching alongside the new Phenom II X2 550 is AMD’s first Athlon II CPU, the Athlon II X2 250. The Athlon II X2 250 features 256KB of L1 cache (64K instruction + 64K data per core) and 1MB of L2 cache per core (2MB total per processor), just like AMD's old Windsor cores. AMD’s 65-nm Athlon X2 CPUs based on their Brisbane core featured just 512KB of L2 per core for a grand total of 1MB of L2 cache.
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Despite the larger cache, die size is pretty similar to Brisbane 118 mm2, with the chip sporting a die size of 117.5m2 according to AMD. This is obviously due thanks to the chip’s new 45-nm manufacturing process. Transistor count is 234 million transistors.
Compared to the Athlon X2 7850, AMD’s previous flagship X2 part, the Athlon II X2 250 runs 200MHz faster at an even 3.0GHz, and sports a 2.0GHz HyperTransport link (versus 1.8GHz). The Athlon II X2 250 does lose the X2 7850’s 2MB L3 cache, but between the higher clock speed and larger L2 cache AMD expects the chip to perform better while running cooler. Max TDP is just 65W.
| Athlon II X2 250 Specifications | |
| Core | Regor |
| Clock Speed | 3.0GHz |
| L1 Cache Size | 64K of L1 instruction and 64K of L1 data cache per core (256KB total L1 per processor) |
| L2 Cache Size | 1MB of L2 data cache per core (2MB total L2 per processor) |
| L3 Cache Size | N/A |
| Memory Controller Type | Integrated 128-bit wide memory controller*Note: configurable for dual 64-bit channels for simultaneous read/writes |
| Memory Controller Speed | 2.0GHz with Dual Dynamic Power Management |
| Types of Memory Supported | Support for unregistered DIMMs up to PC2-6400 (DDR2-800MHz) -AND- PC3-8500 (DDR3-1066MHz) |
| HyperTransport 3.0 Specification | One 16-bit/16-bit link @ up to 4.0GHz full duplex (2.0GHz x2) |
| Total Processor-to-System Bandwidth | Up to 33.1GB/s bandwidth [Up to 17.1 GB/s total bandwidth (DDR3-1066) + 16.0GB/s (HT3)] |
| Packaging | Socket AM3 938-pin organic micro pin grid array (micro-PGA) |
| Fab location | GLOBALFOUNDRIES Fab 1 Module 1 |
| Process Technology | 45-nanometer DSL SOI (silicon-on-insulator) technology |
| Approximate Die Size | 117.5 mm2 |
| Approximate Transistor count | ~ 234 million |
| Max Temp | 74 degrees Celsius |
| Core Voltage | 0.85-1.425V |
| Max TDP | 65W |
| Distributor Pricing (in quantities of 1,000) | $87 |
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But these aren’t the only new CPUs on tap from AMD today. The company is also launching new triple and quad-core CPUs…
| More CPUs/Overclocking | Page:: ( 3 / 11 ) |
The Phenom II X4 905e is AMD’s first energy efficient Phenom II quad-core processor. Clocked at 2.5GHz, the chip ships with 512KB of L1 cache, 2MB of L2 cache (512KB of L2 cache per core), and the full 6MB of L3 cache found on AMD’s flagship Phenom II processors. Max TDP comes in at just 65W according to AMD. The chip is priced at $195.
For the triple-core crowd, AMD offers the Phenom II X3 705e. Like the 905e, the Phenom II X3 705 runs at 2.5GHz and sports the full 6MB of L3 cache found on faster Phenom II processors. AMD also lists a 65W TDP for this processor, which will be priced at $125.
Availability
AMD says that they’re stocking vendors with all of today’s newly announced processors as we speak. AMD expects retail availability within one week from today.
Picking a platform for testing: Gigabyte’s GA-MA770-UD3
As anyone who has shopped the AM3 market can tell you, there’s a dearth of inexpensive motherboard options out there. Most of the motherboards that have actually hit retail shelves so far are high-end $150+ 790FX motherboards. There are also a handful of 790GX motherboards out there as well, but they’re still selling for well over $100: we doubt many enthusiasts would be willing to spend $110+ or more on a motherboard to pair with their $102 Phenom II X2 550 or $87 Athlon II X2 250. It just doesn’t make sense to spend more money on your motherboard than your CPU, when it’s the CPU that’s going to play a bigger role in overall performance.
Fortunately an increasing number of motherboards based on AMD’s 770 chipset are beginning to hit the market. We chose to run our testing with one of the first, Gigabyte’s GA-MA770-UD3.
Priced at just $85 on Newegg right now, the GA-MA770-UD3 supports DDR3 memory speeds of up to 1600MHz, more than enough to get your feet wet when OC’ing your memory. Meanwhile HyperTransport options top out at up to 500MHz in 1MHz increments, giving you more than enough options in this department as well. As its UD3 designation implies, the GA-MA770-UD3 incorporates Gigabyte’s latest Ultra Durable 3 features, including 2-ounce copper PCB, all-solid Japanese capacitors, ferrite core chokes, and more.
Basically it’s a nice option if you’re looking for a motherboard that’s inexpensive, yet well featured, with very good performance and excellent stability. We ran into some stability issues running AMD’s Overdrive utility while OC’ed (the utility appeared to cause the system to crash from time to time), but other than that we didn’t encounter any issues during testing. Because of this issue though, we did elect to OC our processors the old-fashioned way: via BIOS. We’re such huge fans of AMD’s Overdrive utility we normally use it exclusively for all our overclocking endeavors.
Overclocking
With its unlocked clock multiplier, the CPU we were most interested in testing was AMD’s Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition. We were eager to see if we could get the chip to run 4.0GHz or more with complete stability.
While we had no problems getting the system to load Vista 64-bit at such high speeds, and could even run some apps at 4.02GHz, we couldn’t get complete stability with all of our apps at that speed. Even at 4.0GHz we couldn’t get everything to run completely stable. We even tried cranking the CPU voltage up to 1.61V, but to no avail. 3.9GHz (19.5x200) ran completely stable though. At this point, we called it a day assuming we’d narrow down a final stable speed somewhere between 3.9-3.99GHz. Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse the next day.
The next morning, the system wouldn’t even load Vista at 3.9GHz. Every time we tried to boot the OS, we were greeted with a BSOD shortly after loading the Vista splash screen. We tried everything in the book to get the OS to load, but nothing worked. Not even extreme voltages. This completely baffled us because the day prior we didn’t have any problems loading the OS until speeds approached 4.1GHz. We had just run looped Crysis runs at 3.9GHz for an hour the day prior. Now we couldn’t even get the OS to boot at that speed!
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So what speed did we settle on? 3.829GHz (18.5x207). Still not a bad OC, but considering where we’d been, it was pretty disappointing to say the least.
We don’t have a dramatic overclocking tale for the Athlon II X2 250 as we were forced to rely on its stock voltage when OC’ing. In addition, with its fixed multiplier, you’re forced to rely on the HyperTransport interface alone, which as any experienced AMD OC’er can tell you, doesn’t scale like the FSB used on Intel’s Core 2 Quad CPUs. Ultimately we maxed out at 3.39GHz (15.0x226).
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Here we think we were held back a little by voltage, but obviously the CPU isn’t going to OC like a processor with an unlocked multiplier will. BIOS updates to the GA-MA770-UD3 will hopefully bring more voltage options to Athlon II users in the future.
| System Setup | Page:: ( 4 / 11 ) |
Intel Core 2 Duo E7400
Intel Pentium E6300
ASUS P5Q3 Deluxe (P45)
4GB (4x1GB) OCZ DDR3 PC3-16000 Platinum @1066MHz
AMD Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition
AMD Phenom II X4 810
AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition
AMD Athlon II X2 250
Gigabyte GA-MA770-UD3 (770)
4GB (2x2GB) Corsair CM3X2G1600C9DHX @1066MHz
AMD Athlon X2 6000+
ASUS M3A78T (790GX)
4GB (4x1GB) OCZ DDR2 PC2-8500 Platinum @1066MHz
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 295
ForceWare 181.20
500GB Western Digital Caviar SE16
Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit w/Service Pack 1
Benchmarks
Lost Planet
World In Conflict
Crysis
Far Cry 2
| Media Encoding/Rendering Benchmarks | Page:: ( 5 / 11 ) |
Valve Particle Simulation Benchmark
| World In Conflict Performance | Page:: ( 6 / 11 ) |
World In Conflict – Direct3D
| Far Cry 2 | Page:: ( 7 / 11 ) |
Far Cry 2 – Direct3D
| Crysis | Page:: ( 8 / 11 ) |
Crysis – Direct3D
| Lost Planet | Page:: ( 9 / 11 ) |
Lost Planet – Direct3D
| Overclocking | Page:: ( 10 / 11 ) |
| Conclusion | Page:: ( 11 / 11 ) |
Armed with the same basic core used on AMD’s flagship Phenom II CPUs, AMD equips the Phenom II X2 550 Black with a very solid foundation to build on. From there its dual processing cores are clocked at 3.1GHz – just 100MHz shy of AMD’s fastest Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition processor. Again, this is another area where AMD could’ve made compromises, but didn’t.
All this adds up to AMD’s most powerful dual-core processor ever. In fact, the chip is competitive with AMD’s more powerful Phenom II X3 720 in some cases. It’s clocked 300MHz faster than the X3 720, allowing it to outrun the triple-core processor in benchmarks focused on sheer clock speed over the number of processing cores. Examples of this include Crysis and MP3 encoding with LAME. Even in multithreaded titles like World In Conflict and Far Cry 2 though the Phenom II X2 550 is performance competitive, running well within 10% of the triple-core AMD processor while costing 30% less. Lost Planet is the only clear cut title that gives the advantage to the Phenom II X3, and keep in mind here that we’re running one very specific benchmark sequence (the cave demo) in order to get these results. Most of the game isn’t skewed so overwhelmingly towards multithreading.
Against Intel’s Core 2 Duo E7400, the Phenom II X2 550 Black continues to excel. It outperformed the Intel processor in Lost Planet, Far Cry 2, and Crysis, falling behind only in World in Conflict testing. In our encoding/rendering tests, the results tilt in Intel’s favor, with the Intel CPU winning in Valve’s particle simulation benchmark, MP3 encoding, and DivX testing with VirtualDub once SSE4 is enabled. Only in Cinebench did the Phenom II X2 550 come out ahead, and there it’s by a slim margin of just 2%.
In terms of pricing though, the Phenom II X2 550 undercuts Intel’s Core 2 Duo E7400 by nearly $20, which in our opinion is enough to vault it ahead of the Intel CPU overall.
On the lower end of the dual-core spectrum, AMD’s Athlon II X2 250 faces off against the recently released Pentium E6300. In gaming tests, the Pentium E6300 narrowly loses to the AMD processor in Far Cry 2 at 800x600, but pulls even with the processor at higher resolutions. The E6300 also loses in Lost Planet, although it’s a narrow loss. The Pentium processor easily outruns the Athlon II in Crysis and WiC.
The E6300 and Athlon II X2 250 are pretty neck-and-neck in our media encoding and rendering tests, with the CPUs trading wins or finishing in a dead heat in the various apps we tested. The Athlon II CPU outran the E6300 by 9% in Valve’s particle simulation benchmark, but finished about 18% slower than the Intel processor in MP3 encoding tests. Testing in VirtualDub and Cinebench was basically tied, the chips are separated by less than 1% in Cinebench, while the AMD processor finished 9 seconds faster in VirtualDub, just outside the margin of error in this test.
With pricing so similar, it’s probably going to come down to personal preference for most consumers here, although we wouldn’t be surprised if overclocking favored the Intel processor (time for an overclocking showdown amongst these CPUs perhaps?).
AMD’s rapidly trickling down 45-nm technology from the top to the bottom of their CPU lineup. As today’s benchmarks show, AMD’s latest dual-core offerings are seriously competitive with the best Intel has to offer in this segment of the market. Enthusiasts are going to love the overclocking potential found in the Phenom II X2 550, and thanks to its Phenom II roots (namely its 6MB L3 cache), it’s a serious performer for about $100. It’s the best value overall in this segment of the CPU market today in our opinion.
If you’re absolutely positively sure you can’t scrape up the extra $15 to splurge on a Phenom II X2 550, the Athlon II X2 250 is a nice consolation prize, but here Intel’s Pentium E6300 is very competitive with AMD. Again, for enthusiasts it’s probably going to come down to OC’ing, and here we have a feeling Intel’s probably got the edge on AMD, but we just may have to revisit this topic with an OC’ing showdown in the near future…