HardwareGeeks.com - New Athlon II and Phenom II processors

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Posted by: Michael on Mon, Jun 01st, 2009

Today AMD announced two new dual core chips, the AMD Athlon II X2 250 and the AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition Processor the faster dual core CPU from AMD at 3.1 Ghz. With the addition of the newest Phenom, the dragon platform now has Dual, Tri and Quad core CPUs.

I have had a chance to play with both chips for the past two days, and while I won’t have a review until the week of the 9th I can tell you right now that the Athlon II X2 250 is the coolest running CPU I have used in the longest of time if it isn’t the coolest of all times.

More details on the CPUs.

AMD Athlon II X2 Processor Details
• The AMD Athlon II X2 250 performs exceptionally well when combined with AMD chipsets and integrated graphics solutions to create an all-AMD platform. Platforms featuring all-AMD technology can deliver up to twice the graphics performance of those with Intel integrated graphics.¹
• Windows® 7 is optimized for multi-core processors like AMD Athlon™ II processors to give consumers an amazingly fast, simple and engaging PC experience.** For example, Windows 7 is tuned to make the most of the these new processors’ power management features, such as AMD PowerNow!™ 3.0 technology. AMD power management technologies, in combination with Windows 7, can help OEMs and partners to build exceptionally green, cool and quiet PCs.
• Based on AMD’s acclaimed 45nm process technology, the AMD Athlon II dual-core processor has a TDP of 65W and can slash power consumption by up to 50 percent when doing basic tasks, up to 40 percent when running heavy workloads and up to 50 percent when at idle.²

AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition Details
• AMD Black Edition processors, like the AMD Phenom™ II X2 550, help users to take control and unleash the maximum potential of Dragon platform technology’s unprecedented performance tuning capabilities.* The same massive headroom that set world records in recent months is at users’ finger tips, offering impressive performance at a price the competition can’t beat.³
• Users can also maximize their overclocking experience by utilizing the new features and capabilities of AMD OverDrive™ 3.0, designed to enable quick and effective tuning of their PC experience for optimal performance.*
• With dual-, triple- or quad-core processors, AMD provides platform level solutions at multiple price points, each of which exceeds expectations for virtually any user.

I hope to have a review up next week, so check back soon.