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A
Closer Look:::...
The
introduction of Socket939 was an imprtant step in that it
now means the Athlon FX doesn't require registered memory
in order to operate. This in turn means that integrated
power-saving features like Cool & Quiet, which has been
present since the Athlon64 was introduced, can now be fully
implemented on FX systems, provided thay have the relevant
BIOS and OS support.
The
FX55:
The
fact that the 4000+ features a 128bit memory controller
and 1MB cache means that the only difference netween it
and the FX55 is that the FX55 runs 200MHz faster.
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FX55,
Top View
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Bottom View (Both)
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The
4000+:
2.4GHz,
128-bit dual channel memory, 1MB cache, sound familiar?
This is basically the same as the FX53 which will now presumably
be phased out, or more accurately re-labeled as a 4000+.
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4000+,
Top View
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Testing
was performed using MSI's K8T Neo 2 fitted with 2x512MB
of Corsair XMS3200 (2-2-2-5).
The graphics card was a Crucial X800 Pro and the following
driver settings were used:
Admittedly
this configuration won't win any benchmarking competitions
but it's typical of a real "working" system, which
is what we're concerned with.
I
really like the heat sink that was supplied by the way,
despite being aluminium rather than copper. I'm not sure
if this is destined to become the stock OEM cooler but the
quad heatpipe design worked really well during testing.
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The
Cooler
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In
a sense, AMD are very cleverly recycling their processors
and transferring high end parts into their mainstream inventory.
The clever part is that rather than keep the same model
number and hack off those who paid the initial monster price,
they're re-introducing them as new models with new ratings.
Hats off the their marketing department on that one. It's
only the geeks who pay too much attention to the specs who'll
ever notice that this week's 4000+ was last week's top-of-the-range
FX53.
Okay,
time to load up a few benchmarks and see if these new standard
barers can cut it.
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