AMD Athlon X2 7850 Black Edition Review - PAGE 1

We have seen one week ago the amazing performance of the new AMD Phenom II X4 955 which was clocked at 3.2GHz. It beat the Intel Core 2 Quad architecture most of the time and in many cases it was able to outperform the lower-end Core i7 920. Considering the performance and the amazing price tag, I have seen debates on whether the X4 955 is a mid-range or high-end processor. I would classify it more as high-end, however What seemed to make unanimity though is that the Phenom II X3 710 and 720 belong to the mid-range.

But what does AMD offer in the lower-end market? The Athlon series has been present on the market since a long time ago, ten years to be exact. At the same time this year, Advanced Micro Devices reaches its 40 years of existence. That is definitely something to celebrate. To do so, it launches a new processor: The Athlon X2 7850. It is based on the 65nm K10 architecture codenamed 'Kuma' and comprises 2MB of L3 cache and is clocked at 2.8GHz, making it the fastest Athlon Kuma. Obviously it is a Black Edition so it also features an unlocked multiplier.

The Athlon X2 7850 has a suggested retail price of $69, and this is what Newegg now sells it for. This makes a really cheap solution for an HTPC and even a low-cost gaming rig. Here is a list of processors in that price range, taken from Newegg, with both K10 Athlons highlighted:

• AMD Athlon X2 7750 2.7GHz - $60
• AMD Athlon X2 5600 2.9GHz - $61
• Intel Celeron E1500 2.2GHz - $65
• AMD Athlon 64 X2 5800+ 3.0GHz - $67
• AMD Athlon X2 7850 2.8GHz - $69
• Intel Pentium E5200 2.5GHz - $70
• AMD  Phenom X3 8450 2.1GHz - $74
• Intel Pentium E5300 2.6GHz - $79

Clearly, the K10 Athlon has the power to win over its competitors. I feel the Intel E5300 might be close to it, but it is sold for a few bucks more! Furthermore, an entry-level motherboard without integrated graphics costs as low as $55 by the time I am writing this article.

Specifications