45nm X3s, too
A question of cache, and pricingTo complicate matters further, the quad-core Phenom II AM3s will be available in either full-fat 6MB L3 cache - as seen on Phenom II AM2s - or with 4MB. That's how the 2.6GHz X4 910 and 810 are separated, with the latter, being a retail model, featuring 4MB of L3. Initial pricing puts the X4 810 at around £145 ($175), and, really, considering the Phenom II X4 920's £160 asking price, we'd stump up the extra for more clock-speed and cache, albeit limited to DDR2.
The X3 Phenom IIs - 720 Black Edition and 710 - are priced against a gaggle of older quad-core processors, but they look a little better due to higher clock-speeds and a healthy dollop (6MB) of L3 cache.
We like the fact that AM3s run cooler, with a maximum TDP of 95W, and look forward to AMD releasing a greater number of energy-efficient processors in the near future.
Pre-benchmark summary
AMD's initial release of a quintet of AM3 Phenom II processors is interesting insofar as clock-speeds for the three quad-core parts are slower than presently-available AM2+ CPUs. AMD's also introducing a mixed-cache line-up, with two of the three X4-class CPUs having only 4MB of L3 cache, bridging the gap between Phenom I and II.
Rounding it off, a couple of X3 CPUs make the 45nm AM3 grade, and they keep the entire 6MB of L3. It's all a little confusing, so we expect to see a bunch of older parts EOL'd before too long.
The question is, we suppose, how do the new DDR3-compatible CPUs stack up against AMD's existing offerings, and, probably more importantly, what's the value proposition like when compared against Intel's current line-up?
