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View Full Version : Phenom II's Overclocking Value


Hooch Tan
01-16-2009, 03:30 PM
<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/overclock-phenom-ii,2119-10.html' target='_blank'>http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews...ii,2119-10.html</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>"In light of a new competitive challenge&mdash;Intel&rsquo;s Core i7&mdash;AMD is revamping its Spider platform with a new processor and the addition of software able to tie all of the hardware together. As you no doubt already know from reading Bert&rsquo;s story, this latest effort is called Dragon. But we&rsquo;re not here to rehash the details of Phenom II. Rather, in light of significant enhancements to the CPU architecture&rsquo;s overclocking capabilities (and indeed, confirmation from AMD that all of the "magic" that went into its ACC [Advanced Clock Calibration] technology is now baked into Phenom II), we&rsquo;re eager to compare the value of AMD&rsquo;s fastest 45 nm chip to Intel&rsquo;s entry-level Core i7 920&mdash;the one most enthusiasts would be likely to eye as an overclocking contender."</em></p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/dht/auto/1232107968.usr20447.jpg" style="border: 0px solid #d2d2bb;" /></p><p>Tom's Hardware puts the newly released Phenom II through its paces with attention paid to the overclocking market.&nbsp; The results are hardly surprising with the Phenom II showing remarkable overclocking value.&nbsp; However, when compared against the Core i7, the decision between CPUs gets a bit muddier.&nbsp; The Core i7 represents leading edge technology with powerful performance, topping the Phenom II in overclockability.&nbsp; However, the Core i7 also means a large investment in purchasing new hardware.&nbsp; On the flip side, the Phenom II can be a drop in replacement, working with many existing AM2+ motherboards.&nbsp; Unless you're willing to drop some serious change for a new rig, the Phenom II is a sound upgrade path.</p>