Having launched the impressive hexa-core Phenom II X6 1090T processor a fortnight ago, AMD is today following up by introducing half-a-dozen new Athlon II parts targeting both mainstream and power-conscious users.
The new chips, available in dual-, triple- and quad-core flavours, arrive as incremental upgrades to existing parts and provide an increase in speed whilst retaining the familiar AM3 form factor.
| Processor | Clock speed | Cores | Process | Form factor | Total L2 cache | TDP | Price* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athlon II X4 640 | 3.0GHz | 4 | 45nm | AM3 | 2MB | 95 W | £101.80 |
| Athlon II X3 445 | 3.1GHz | 3 | 45nm | AM3 | 1.5MB | 95 W | £72.19 |
| Athlon II X2 260 | 3.2GHz | 2 | 45nm | AM3 | 2MB | 65 W | £63.76 |
| Athlon II X4 610e | 2.4GHz | 4 | 45nm | AM3 | 2MB | 45 W | £119.39 |
| Athlon II X3 415e | 2.5GHz | 3 | 45nm | AM3 | 1.5MB | 45 W | £85.08 |
| Athlon II X2 245e | 2.9GHz | 2 | 45nm | AM3 | 2MB | 45 W | £64.91 |
Of the six new chips, detailed in the above table, three are productised as energy-efficient parts - denoted by the "e" suffix - and carry a low 45W TDP at the expense of outright clock speed.
Those seeking a cheap-and-cheerful performance upgrade for £100 or less should like the look of the new Athlon II X4 640, X3 445 and X2 260. Backward compatible with socket AM2+, the processors provide a simple upgrade path for many existing users and arrive with a few crucial improvements.
Compared to their predecessors - the Athlon II X4 635, X3 440 and X2 255 - AMD's mainstream trio each offer a 100MHz increase in clock speed and, courtesy of a move to a C3 silicon stepping, all six chips now also support DDR3 memory at speeds of up to 1,333MHz.
Intel's £95 Core i3 530 is the immediate competition, but paired with a feature-packed 800-series chipset, AMD's Athlon II platform is a serious budget contender.
*As always, UK-based HEXUS.community forum members will benefit from the SCAN2HEXUS Free Shipping initiative, which will save you a further few pounds plus also top-notch, priority customer service and technical support backed up by the SCANcare@HEXUS forum.
