News about PC & Mac/PC components/Processors:
Review: Intel Core i7 990X Extreme Edition
Monstrous. We think that’s a fairly apt term for a processor like the Intel Core i7 990X Extreme Edition.
It’s vast, and possibly a little vulgar, in terms of sheer size, performance and importantly cost.
Review: AMD Phenom II X4 975 BE
Another day, another minor variation on a familiar theme from AMD. By now you’ll know our equally familiar refrain regarding the circa-2003 origins of AMD’s performance PC processors, up to and including the latest Thuban sixcore models. But if AMD’s underlying CPU architecture is ancient, even the latest derivatives are getting on a bit.
Review: AMD Phenom II X6 1100T BE
This new hex-core chip is symptomatic of AMD’s current predicament: that its most expensive PC processors sell for barely one-third the price of Intel’s.
And that’s not a situation the new AMD Phenom II X6 1100T Black Edition is going to change – despite the fact that it’s officially AMD’s fastest and most expensive chip.
With a retail sticker around £215, the AMD Phenom II X6 1100T Black Edition is priced on a par with the very cheapest of Intel’s Core i7 processors such as the Intel Core i7 870. Nevertheless, it serves up six execution cores to the 870′s four. Six-core Intel CPUs are far more expensive, starting around £700.
Review: AMD Athlon II X3 450
The harsh truth about the AMD Athlon II X3 450 is that it only exists because AMD is currently struggling to compete with Intel for raw processor performance. That may change in 2011 when AMD rolls out its hotly anticipated new processor architecture, known as Bulldozer.
Review: Intel Core i7-2600K
Note: This Intel Core i7-2600K review also reviews the Sandy Bridge architecture as a whole, as well as the mid-range Intel Core i5-2500K processor.
Ready or not, here they come. Intel is rolling out a thoroughly overhauled range of PC processors based on its new Sandy Bridge microarchitecture. Our first taste of the new chips comes in the form of the Intel Core i5-2500K and Intel Core i7-2600K desktop CPUs.
Review: Intel Core i5-2500K
Note: This Intel Core i5-2500K review also reviews the Sandy Bridge architecture as a whole, as well as the high-end Intel Core i7-2600K processor.
Ready or not, here they come. Intel is rolling out a thoroughly overhauled range of PC processors based on its new Sandy Bridge microarchitecture. Our first taste of the new chips comes in the form of the Intel Core i5-2500K and Intel Core i7-2600K desktop CPUs.
Review: AMD Athlon II X4 645
A quad-core chip on the cheap is a compelling concept. The new 3.1GHz AMD Athlon II X4 645 is certainly a quad-core chip, but is it cheap enough at £95?
For sure, there are more affordable Athlon II X4s on offer. The 2.6GHz 620 model can be had for around £65. Moving up a gear, seriously high performance quad-core processors from both AMD and Intel sell for less than £150.
Review: AMD Phenom II X4 970 Black Edition
By now, we were hoping to able to get our hands on AMD’s new Bulldozer archtecture processors, but there’s still no sign of them, so instead we back with the familiar Phenom II theme. Give it up for the new AMD Phenom II X4 970 Black Edition.
Review: AMD Phenom II X6 1075T
AMD’s six-core Thuban processor has been a TechRadar favourite since launch back in April. But with just two Phenom II X6 models on offer, it wasn’t exactly the widest range of chips.
Review: AMD Phenom II X2 560 Black Edition
AMD has been prolific lately and the next in its line to fall under our spotlight is the dual-core Phenom II X2 560 Black Edition.
As a result of its labours, AMD certainly has a lot of flavours of processor on the market these days, but as a gamer on a budget do you really need anything with more than two cores yet? There’s still a dearth of multithreaded titles out there really taking advantage of the hex-core marvels AMD has recently launched, so you could be forgiven for sacrificing cores for cash.
Review: AMD Phenom II X6 1090T Black Edition
Welcome back AMD, we’ve missed you. With the launch of the Phenom II X6 1090T Black Edition a few months ago, AMD signalled a revival of its CPU business. The 1090T is based on Thuban, a new six-core chip and easily the best processor design from AMD in years.
Review: AMD Phenom II X6 1055T
Remember when AMD launched its first quad-core processor in 2007? We can, because back then it seemed like AMD was months from keeling over stone dead. Today, the company is in much finer fettle. For proof, look no further than the new AMD Phenom II X6 1055T.
Review: AMD Phenom II X4 905E
How much are you willing to pay for improved power consumption and lower thermals? If you’re a home cinema addict, reduced noise and smaller form factors are certainly desirable. For a price, the AMD Phenom II X4 905E promises to make all that possible.
Review: AMD Athlon II X4 610E
Performance computing and environmental sympathy aren’t exactly bum chums. After all, high end chips tend to be power hungry. But what if there was a low-power version of AMD’s quad-core processor architecture that gave you the same performance without the gas guzzling?
Review: Intel Core i5 760
Speedier performance for more or less the same money is always welcome. That’s exactly what you get from the new Intel Core i5 760. In almost every regard, it’s identical to the existing Core i5 750 processor.
It’s therefore a quad-core chip based on Intel’s 45nm Nehalem processor architecture. What it does offer, however, is a speed bump from 2.66GHz to 2.8GHz. Not exactly a spectacular explosion in performance, we admit. But then Intel is only asking for an extra fiver.
Review: Intel Core i7 970
Six cores, 12 threads, one billion transistors and a whole lotta processing power. That’s the Intel Core i7 970. It’s a fabulous technological achievement. But can it really be worth nearly £700?
Admittedly, the Core i7 970 is a bit cheaper than Intel’s top six-core chip, the Core i7 980X. But it’s still a tough ask given that AMD will sell you its own six-core Phenom II X6 1055T CPU for around one third the price. What the AMD chip doesn’t give you, however, is the very latest technology. The Core i7 970 sports literally the most advanced PC processor die on the planet.
Review: AMD Phenom II X4 965 BE
It’s about time AMD released a properly new processor architecture. Until that happens, it’s stuck with execution cores that largely date back to 2003. With that in mind, can the AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition really be a plausible performance processor?
Review: AMD Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition
Feeling lucky today, punk? We reckon that’s the question you need to ask yourself before taking a punt on the AMD Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition.
Based on AMD’s flagship Deneb processor die, the 720 has the full 6MB compliment of L3 cache. It also runs at a reasonable 2.8GHz frequency. As a Black Edition chip, it even has an unlocked CPU multiplier for easy overclocking. Not bad for a chip priced well under £100.
Review: AMD Athlon II X3 435
When AMD first rolled out a triple-core chip, it smelt like a desperate move by a company struggling to stay relevant in the face of Intel running rampant. What, therefore, should you make of the latest cut-price tripler, the AMD Athlon II X3 435?
Review: AMD Athlon II X4 620
Remember when a quad-core PC processor seemed exotic, if not downright decadent? We can. It was only a couple of years ago. Today, the AMD Athlon II X4 620 is yours for under £70. By Grapthar’s Hammer, what a savings.
Review: AMD Athlon II X2 250
Is £50 enough to buy adequate PC processor performance? One way to find out is to take a punt on the AMD Athlon II X2 250. On paper, it looks promising enough thanks to specifications that would have qualified as high end just a few years ago.
Review: Intel Core i7 980X
Want the finest CPU money can buy? Look no further than the Intel Core i7 980X. It’s the undisputed world heavyweight champ among chips. Just remember you’ll need a lot of it. The money, that is.
But what a processor you get in return. The Core I7 980X is, of course, a six-core beast. But this is six-cores Intel style, so that’s two threads per core and a dozen of those little green graphs when you fire up task manager. That’s unparalleled, er, parallelism in a PC processor.
Review: AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition
You can now buy PC processors with as many as six cores and support for up to 12 software threads in parallel. With that in mind, why would anyone want the dual-core AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition?
Actually, the theory behind this chip makes reasonable sense. Certain types of software benefit more from high clockspeeds and a big dollop of cache memory than lots of processor cores. Games are one good example. The 550 runs at a healthy 3.1GHz lick and packs 6MB of L3 cache memory. It’s also a Black Edition processor and that usually means easy access to even higher clocks. Why pay more for multi-core?
Review: Intel Core i5 655K
In this modern age of multi-core CPUs, can dual-core really cut it in an enthusiast chip? Intel obviously thinks so. How else to explain the Core i5 665K?
One of a pair of new K Series processors aimed at overclocking addicts, the Intel Core i5 665K’s stand out feature is an unlocked CPU multiplier. Previously only found on ultra expensive Intel Extreme Edition models, an unlocked multiplier allows for CPU overclocking without stressing other parts of the system.
Review: Intel Core i7 875K
Intel’s quad-core Core i7 870 is a great all rounder. Short of a six-core monster machine, it’s a hard to imagine what can beat it. However, for overclocking enthusiasts it does lack one key feature: an unlocked CPU multiplier.
Review: Intel Core i5 661
Giving a dual-core processor performance to rival many quad-core chips is quite an achievement. Intel has managed just that with the Core i5 661. Problem is, it also costs as much as many quad-core processors.
The challenges for the dual-core Core i5 661 begin with Intel’s own Core i5 750 and 760 chips. Both are cheaper than the 661 but pack a pair of extra cores. That’s a fundamental advantage that even the Core i5 661′s clever HyperThreading technology will struggle to overcome.
Review: Intel Core i5 750
Late last summer, Intel rolled out the Core i5 750 based on Lynnfield, its mainstream Nehalem-class CPU. It became an instant favourite. Sure, it was short of a feature or three compared to Intel’s finest, including HyperThreading. But for the money, there was nothing to touch it.
Review: Intel Core i7 875K
The Extreme Edition processors from Intel always have been and always will be overpriced irrelevancies. What else can you say about a series that typically cost upwards of £800?
The problem isn’t just pricing, either. In outright performance terms, Extreme Edition chips are often no more than 15 to 20 per cent faster than CPUs costing a third or less the price. Value for money they most certainly ain’t.
Review: Intel Core i5 655K
The Extreme Edition CPUs from Intel are the real performance daddies of the desktop world. Costing over £800 for a little slab of silicon though they really should be. So what is it about these Extreme chips that makes them so damned fast? It’s the unlocked multipliers that allow the extreme tweakers to overclock the nuts off these processors.
