AMD Undercuts Intel With Six-Core Phenom IIs

EconolineCrush writes "As Slashdot readers are no doubt aware, Intel's latest 'Gulftown' Core i7-980X is an absolute beast of a CPU. But its six cores don't come cheap; the 980X sells for over a grand, which is more than it would cost to build an entire system based on one of AMD's new six-core CPUs. The Phenom II X6 line starts at just $200 and includes a new Turbo capability that can opportunistically raise the clock speed of up to three cores when the others are idle. Although not as fast as the 980X, the new X6s are quick enough to offer compelling value versus even like-priced Intel CPUs. And the kicker: the X6s will work in a good number of older Socket AM2+ and AM3 motherboards with only a BIOS update."

Comments

re AMD

[freddieb]

We all should hope AMD does well. I use AMD chips in about 90% of my systems. Value is the main reason. Intel makes excellent products however you invariably have to upgrade the motherboard to use a new chip. AMD has been kinder in this regard recently. I go with a middle of the pack system anyhow and I really appreciate the value AMD provides.

Value for money vs FanboiGasms

[w0mprat]

On a price performance basis AMDs Phenom IIs have consistenly been a better buy for some time now. To the point it's hard to suggest anyone buying intel at all, unless money is no object. (I don't know why I bought Intel anyway :S). Honest hardware review sites (that aren't far up the ass of vendors) are at the point of recommend AMD CPUs on a price/performance basis.

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/best-gaming-cpu,review-31857.html

It seems Intel doesn't get even a "honorable mention" until page 3. At $120 price point, Core i3 gets a look in. Oh, they also don't recommend anything above about $160 to quote Tom's: "Best gaming CPU for $190: None".

To add further insult, money saved from AMD motherboards being cheaper (in particular SLI/xfire AMD boards are a good whack cheaper) will let you put money towards more storage, a SSD or a step up in CPU speed.

Re:Holy crap this is old.

[dimeglio]

Although not as fast as the 980X, the the new X6s are quick enough to offer compelling value versus even like-priced Intel CPUs. And the kicker: the X6s will work in a good number of older Socket AM2+ and AM3 motherboards with only a BIOS update.

So doubly pointless

Indeed as this is the "the" new X6s.

I still like the underdog and hope they do well. The latest and greatest is often overkill.

for less than $1000,why not get a 12-core Opteron?

[strstr]

For less than the price of Intel's top desktop chip, you can get an uber-1337 AMD Opteron with 12-cores. Beat that, Intel...

Prices start at $750.

Re:ECC Support

[DigiShaman]

ECC support is disabled on all non-Xeon chips. There isn't a technical reason, it was purposeful market segmentation.

Per Intel FAQ

Does either the Intel® Core i7 processor or the Intel® Core i5 processor family support Error Correction Code (ECC) memory?
Neither family of desktop processors supports ECC memory. Typically ECC memory is used on servers and workstations rather than on desktop platforms. This is due to the price premium and extremely low likelihood of a data error occurring even on memory not utilizing ECC.

Knowing this before hand, that's why opted to build a new AMD based computer that has ECC enabled. The parts I used includes current prices below from Newegg.com and Crucial.com

Motherboard: Asus Crosshair III Formula = $199
CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition = $159
RAM: Crucial 4GB kit (2GBx2) ECC DDR3-1333 (P/N: CT2KIT25672BA1339) = $149

Total (minus shipping) = $507

It's damn cheap for a fast performing ECC workstation.