AMD Phenom II X6 1075T & X4 970 Review - PAGE 1

The Deneb flagship is getting replaced after a few months with a new one: the Phenom II X4 970 Black Edition. This processor isn't merely the same die clocked 100MHz further. Even though the X4 965 C3 can already easily run at 3.5GHz on stock voltage, the new flagship is said to have a better overclocking potential and run a bit cooler. It isn't the fruit of a new stepping though, but merely an amelioration in the manufacturing process.

In fact, GlobalFoundries uses Automated Precision Manufacturing (APM), which consists of monitoring the health of microprocessors in production by first collecting data from the toolsets, and then analyzing it in real-time. APM automatically and consistently modifies the processing recipe used at each tool according to the previously collected data to minimize defects and ensure that the resulting products operate according to targeted specifications.

So what will this bear? According to Neoseeker's testing, the hexa-core Thuban dies clock better than the Deneb ones. Will the manufacturing ameliorations allow the quad-cores to match the hexa-cores?

To make room for the new Phenom II X4 970 Black Edition, AMD has recently cut prices further, which at the same time retains competitiveness against Intel. The previous Deneb flagship, the Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition, has been brought down to $165, whereas the new flagship will sell for its previous price.

As for the Phenom II X6 1075T, its price fits right in between the X6 1055T and the flagship X6 1090T Black Edition, as does its frequency; clocked at an even 3GHz, it sells for $250.

Specifications

Pricing

All the recent price cuts and new models in the upper-end range can be summarized in the following table. The lower-end spectrum is covered in detail in the article about the Phenom II X2 260 Black Edition and Athlon II X4 645.

One will notice that AMD still doesn't have much to offer in the high-end range. All of its three hexa-cores are priced to compete against processors with fewer cores and lower frequency since the performance clock-for-clock isn't quite comparable.

The new Phenom II X4 970 Black Edition, at $189, takes care of the dual and quad-core Intel Core i5s that are all clocked slower. The X4 965, now retailing for a low $166, and the other slower clocked Denebs are still pitted against the remaining Intel Core 2 architecture CPUs.