AMD 45nm CPU naming scheme changed

AMD will begin to optimize their naming scheme for their 45nm CPU: they will keep Phenom X4/X3 brand, but numbers after it will have five digits.

Sources mentioned that the name of two 45nm CPU this year will be Phenom X4 20550 and Phenom X4 20350, with their AM2+ and DDR2 support, these two 45nm Deneb CPU are only available for a short period (last order at 09Q2), for AM2+ mobo users to update AMD’s latest CPU.

In 2009 Q1 and Q2, all Deneb CPU will shift to AM3, supports DDR3. also in 09Q1 Propus will show up, they will become Phenom X4 16×00. 45nm triple core CPU Heka and Rana will become Phenom X3 14×00 and Phenom X3 12×00.

Later on, in Q2, AMD is expecting to introduce a 3.0 GHz Phenom X4 and three Phenom X3s codename Heka. The processors' prices have yet to be determined but hopefully they'll be low enough to heat up the CPU price war with Intel.

First Black Edition Phenom X3 CPUs from AMD

AMD is updating its CPU offering with new triple-core Phenoms designed for high-performance. The new CPUs will not be able to compete with Intel's newly released high-end processors.


AMD plans to release its biggest-performance triple-core Phenom yet, with the introduction of the Phenom X3 8850 model. The new CPU will be manufactured on a 65nm process technology, as AMD is yet to unveil its very first 45nm-built Phenom CPU. The upcoming processor will be designed to support AM2+ platforms, and will come with a 2.5GHz core speed. Other technical details include a TDP level of 95W and 2MB of L3 cache.

The Phenom X3 8850 will become the first triple-core Phenom processor to be part of the company's Black Edition series. The X3 8850 will obviously have an unlocked multiplier, which means it stands great chances of soon becoming a favorite product with overclocking enthusiasts. Unfortunately, there is no word yet on pricing for it.

AMD's Phenom X3 8000 Series: Two Cores vs Three Cores

AMD's Phenom X3 8000

AMD has been pretty active on the CPU front lately, last month we saw the Phenom re-launch with the B3-stepping 50-series quad-core processors and today AMD is unveiling its 50-series triple-core parts.

	Cores	Stepping	Clock Speed	TDP	L2 Cache	L3 Cache	1 Ku Price
AMD Phenom X4 9850	4	B3	2.5GHz	125W	2MB	2MB	$235
AMD Phenom X4 9750	4	B3	2.4GHz	125W	2MB	2MB	$215
AMD Phenom X4 9550	4	B3	2.2GHz	95W	2MB	2MB	$209
AMD Phenom X3 8750	3	B3	2.4GHz	95W	1.5MB	2MB	$195
AMD Phenom X3 8650	3	B3	2.3GHz	95W	1.5MB	2MB	$165
AMD Phenom X3 8450	3	B3	2.1GHz	95W	1.5MB	2MB	$145

Note that all three of the triple-core parts are 50-series CPUs, meaning they are based on the B3 stepping and do not suffer from the TLB erratum that plagued the early Phenom processors. AMD continues to ship B2 stepping CPUs, but most of them are to OEMs that aren't as concerned with the performance hit associated with the software TLB fix.

Pricing is also pretty interesting, as the top end Phenom X3 8750 is only $20 cheaper than the quad-core Phenom X4 9750 despite running at the same clock speed. The X3 8650 and 8450 are far more interesting as both of them are priced closer to $150.

There's now some overlap between AMD's triple-core Phenom and dual-core Athlon X2 offerings in terms of price, have a look:

	Cores	Clock Speed	TDP	L2 Cache	L3 Cache	1 Ku Price
AMD Phenom X3 8750	3	2.4GHz	95W	1.5MB	2MB	$195
AMD Phenom X3 8650	3	2.3GHz	95W	1.5MB	2MB	$165
AMD Phenom X3 8450	3	2.1GHz	95W	1.5MB	2MB	$145
AMD Athlon X2 6400+	2	3.2GHz	125W	2MB	0MB	$178
AMD Athlon X2 6000+	2	3.0GHz	125W	2MB	0MB	$167
AMD Athlon X2 5600+	2	2.8GHz	89W	2MB	0MB	$146

The Athlon X2s still hold a tremendous clock speed advantage, but Phenom can do more work per clock. It will be interesting to see if three Phenom cores at 2.1GHz are a better buy than two Athlon X2 cores at 2.8GHz.

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