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The previous flagship from AMD, the Phenom II X4 955, was clocked at 3.2GHz, which was already considered an increase from the previous previous top quad-core, the Phenom II 940. However, the 955 did not only bring that 200MHz to the table. Support for DDR3 was also added, all of that while keeping the same TDP.

The folks over at AMD managed to push the Phenom II's stock clock another 200MHz, bringing it to 3.4GHz. This time, it is labeled the Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition.

This time however, a minor increase in TDP was a must. Remember the previous Phenoms? The fastest of them, the 9950, originally had a TDP of 140W. That's what's happening with the Phenom II X4 965. Its stock core voltage is now up to 1.40V, from the 1.35V of the 955, and the 1.325V of the 940. It seems that the rumor was wrong about the TDP - for now -. The next core revision is currently in the works at AMD and most probably that is what would allow making 125W TDP Phenom II X4 965s, pretty much like the 125W Phenom X4 9950 that was made later on.

I was also saying in my news that "I would not be surprised if the Phenom II X4 965 had a bit more overclocking potential than the 940 and 955", which reached pretty much the same levels. Will I be right? Sincerely, if it does not offer more headroom, then anyone familiar with overclocking should just grab a 955 Black Edition, bump its core multiplier to x17, and I am sure it will be able to run it at that same 1.40V. For people that don't want to mess with overclocking and/or don't want to void their warranty however, the 965 will be the right processor. Otherwise, as I have just said, one could save a few bucks. Oh, while we're talking about money, let's take a look at what the pricing becomes today with the launch of this new processor:

• Intel Core 2 Quad Q9650 3.0GHz: $319.99
• Intel Core i7 920 2.66GHz: $279.99
• Intel Core 2 Duo E8600 3.33GHz: $269.99
• AMD Phenom II X4 965 BE 3.4GHz: $249.00
• Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 2.83GHz: $219.99
• AMD Phenom II X4 955 BE 3.2GHz: $199.99
• Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 3.16GHz: $189.99
• Intel Core 2 Quad Q9400 2.66GHz: $189.99
• AMD Phenom II X4 945 3.0Ghz: $169.99
• Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400 2.66GHz: $169.99

It's amazing. That 3.4GHz unlocked quad-core is cheaper than Intel's 3.33GHz locked dual-core. This means for a few bucks less, you have double the number of cores, unlocked multipliers and a tad higher frequency. We had also seen in the Phenom II 955 review that it dominated the Q9650, let alone the Q9550, so the performance per dollar should be amazingly good; its price is now down to $199. Furthermore, there will be some deals in the upcoming days that will make it even more attracting. The new Phenom II will be bundled with various motherboards, allowing discounts of $40 or more. There will also be some discounts on Corsair memory sticks and Radeon graphics cards when purchased along the X4 965, roughly doubling the savings.

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