Conclusion
So there you have it! Although we’re still waiting for DDR3-enabled socket AM3 boards to hit the shelves, we’d like to thank AMD for allowing us to provide you with a special sneak peek at two of these new processors on existing AM2+ hardware.
First and foremost, we’d have to say that AMD’s decision to support backwards compatibility is refreshingly polite. Owners of AM2+ systems have been given yet another drop-in upgrade path with a CPU they can take to a DDR3 platform when the time is right. It is really something that you can use an old AMD Athlon X2 processor from back in 2006 and a brand new Phenom II processor released in 2009 in the exact same motherboard. Intel needs to take notes here.
AMD’s improvements to the AM3 memory controller were definitely apparent in some of today’s DDR2 tests and we look forward to seeing how it performs with faster DDR3 memory. In our experience, the higher latencies associated with each iteration of DDR generation usually reduce the overall benefit, but we do believe there will be some measurable improvement.
In our mind, today’s biggest winner is AMD’s new X3 720 Black Edition. At $145, we would not hesitate for a second to recommend it over Intel’s E series dual core processors. With a healthy 2.8GHz operating frequency and the full 6MB of L3 cache on tap, it is a potent performer that even fast dual cores can’t compete with. Weighing in at a full $20 cheaper than the E8400’s pricepoint, the X3 720 is really a no-brainer.
In actuality, we should have been comparing the X3 720 to Intel’s new E7500 processor that also retails for $145 at the time of writing. Given that it has half the cache of the E8400 and a lower clock speed, it is clear that the X3 720 would command an even stronger lead here. Due to the price, performance and unlocked multiplier, we consider the X3 720 to offer tremendous value.
Regrettably we didn’t get much time to spend with these processors, so overclocking results were not included. We hope to be able to do some more thorough testing once we get some DDR3 boards in the lab, so stay tuned!
Articles RSS