AMD rolls out four new AM3 chips. Energy efficiency and dual-core to the fore

It appears as if AMD is using the COMPUTEX trade show as a means of disseminating information on a bunch of new products.

Today sees the launch of four new desktop chips that add to the company's dual-, triple-, and quad-core offerings. A table will show you how they fit in.

Processors	Cores	Architecture	Process	Form factor	Clock speed	L2 cache (total)	L3 cache	Memory-controller speed (up to)	Voltage	TDP	etailer pricing
AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition	4	K10	45nm	AM3	3.2GHz	2MB	6MB	2.0GHz	0.875-1.5V	125W	£188
AMD Phenom II X4 945	4	K10	45nm	AM3	3.0GHz	2MB	6MB	2.0GHz	0.875-1.5V	125W	£179
AMD Phenom II X4 910	4	K10	45nm	AM3	2.6GHz	2MB	6MB	2.0GHz	0.875-1.425V	95W	N/A
AMD Phenom II X4 905e	4	K10	45nm	AM3	2.5GHz	2MB	6MB	2.0GHz	0.825-1.25V	65W	£150
AMD Phenom II X4 810	4	K10	45nm	AM3	2.6GHz	2MB	4MB	2.0GHz	0.875-1.425V	95W	£137
AMD Phenom II X4 805	4	K10	45nm	AM3	2.5GHz	2MB	4MB	2.0GHz	0.875-1.425V	95W	N/A
AMD Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition	3	K10	45nm	AM3	2.8GHz	1.5MB	6MB	2.0GHz	0.85-1.425V	95W	£110
AMD Phenom II 710	3	K10	45nm	AM3	2.6GHz	1.5MB	6MB	2.0GHz	0.875-1.425V	95W	£99
AMD Phenom II X3 705e	3	K10	45nm	AM3	2.5GHz	1.5MB	6MB	2.0GHz	0.825-1.25V	65W	£102

AMD Phenom II 940 Black Edition	4	K10	45nm	AM2+	3.0GHz	2MB	6MB	1.8GHz+	0.875-1.5V	125W	£149
AMD Phenom II 920	4	K10	45nm	AM2+	2.8GHz	2MB	6MB	1.8GHz+	0.875-1.5V	125W	£145

AMD Phenom X4 9950 Black Edition	4	K10	65nm	AM2+	2.6GHz	2MB	2MB	2.0GHz	1.05-1.3V	125W	£117
AMD Phenom X4 9850 BE	4	K10	65nm	AM2+	2.5GHz	2MB	2MB	2.0GHz	1.05-1.3V	125W	£110

AMD Phenom X2 550 Black Edition	2	K10	45nm	AM3	3.1GHz	1MB	6MB	2.0GHz	0.85-1.42V	80W	£80
AMD Athlon X2 7850 Black Edition	2	K10	65nm	AM2+	2.8GHz	1MB	2MB	1.8GHz	1.2-1.25V	95W	£53
AMD Athlon X2 7750 Black Edition	2	K10	65nm	AM2+	2.7GHz	1MB	2MB	1.8GHz	1.2-1.25V	95W	£46
AMD Athlon X2 7550	2	K10	65nm	AM2+	2.5GHz	1MB	2MB	1.8GHz	1.2-1.25V	95W	£43
AMD Athlon II X2 250	2	K10	45nm	AM3	3.0GHz	2MB	N/A	2.0GHz	0.85-1.42V	65W	£60

AMD Athlon X2 6400+ BE	2	K8	65nm	AM2	3.2GHz	2MB	N/A	1GHz	1.35-1.4V	125W	£65
AMD Athlon X2 6000+	2	K8	65nm	AM2	3.1GHz	1MB	N/A	1GHz	1.1-1.4V	89W	£59

What we see is that the triple- and quad-core chips are both energy-efficient models, denoted by the 'e' suffix. Ostensibly the same as the other Phenom II AM3 chips, they have an ACP of just 65W, compared to 95W/125W for the regular models.

At the time of writing, the quad-core variant, 905e, was etailing for around £150, whilst the same chip, albeit with three active cores, came in at around £100, providing better value. Overclocking on both should be good, given the TDP and voltage characteristics.

The other two chips are both dual core and, this time, Phenom-derived. The Phenom II X2 550 BE clocks in at 3.1GHz and has the full 6MB of L3 cache, albeit only 1MB of L2 (512KB per core). It's currently up on etail for around £80. The Athlon II X2 250, on the other hand, does away with L3 cache altogether but adds 1MB of per-core L2 cache. Clocked in at 3.0GHz, its pricing is yet to be determined. Take a look at our review to see how it stacks up.