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With the launch of the Phenom II X4 940 Black
Edition in January, and the AM3 variants known as the X3 720 BE and
the X4 810, we new it was only a matter of time before we saw a
proper release for an AM3 variant of the X4 Black Edition. Lo
and behold, AMD has actually launched not only one, but two new AM3
quad cores, now known as the X4 945 and X4 955 Black Editions.
These two chips are essentially the same, with the 945 clocking in
at the same frequency as the X4 940 (3.0 GHz), and the 955
increasing that to 3.2GHz. Today at the Club, we are looking
at the X4 955 variant, and I can't wait to throw it on the Torture
Rack!
| Specs |
 |
AMD X4 945 Black
Edition |
AMD X4 955 Black
Edition |
Click thumbnail for larger image
|
| MSRP |
$225 |
$245 |
| Model Number |
X4 945 BE |
X4 955 BE |
| Processor Frequency |
3.0GHz |
3.2GHz |
| L3 Cache Size |
6MB L3 |
6MB L3 |
| Nominal Voltage |
0.850-1.5V |
0.875-1.5V |
| Common AM3 Specs |
| L1 Cache Sizes: |
64K of L1 instruction and
64K of L1 data cache per core (512KB total L1 per processor) |
| L2 Cache Sizes: |
512KB of L2 data cache per
core (2MB total L2 per processor) |
| L3 Cache Size: |
6MB (shared)
See above |
| Memory Controller
Type: |
Integrated 128-bit wide
memory controller * |
| Memory Controller
Speed: |
Up to 2.0GHz with Dual
Dynamic Power Management (all current AM3 processors) |
| Types of Memory
Supported: |
Support for unregistered
DIMMs up to PC2 8500 (DDR2-1066MHz) -AND- PC3
(DDR3-1333MHz)** |
| HyperTransport 3.0
Link: |
One 16-bit/16-bit link @ up
to 4.0GHz full duplex (2.0GHz x2) |
| Total Processor
Bandwidth: |
Up to 33.1 GB/s total
bandwidth |
| Packaging: |
Socket AM3 938-pin organic
micro pin grid array (micro-PGA) |
| Fab location: |
Global Foundaries Fab 1
Module 1 (Formerly AMD Fab 36 in Dresden, Germany) |
| Process Technology: |
45-nanometer DSL SOI
(silicon-on-insulator) technology |
| Approximate
Transistor count: |
~ 758 million (45nm) |
| Approximate Die
Size: |
258 mm2 (45nm) |
| Max Ambient Case
Temp / X4 CPUs: |
62o Celsius |
| Nominal Voltage: |
0.850-1.5V |
| Max TDP: |
125 Watts |
|
*Note: MC configurable for dual
64-bit channels for simultaneous read/writes
**Note: for DDR3-1333, AM3 boards will support
1-DIMM-per-channel @ 1333MHz
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As we can see from the above specs, the X4 945
and X4 955 share nearly identical specs with the X4 940, with the
only difference being that the 945 and 955 support both the AM2+ and
AM3 socket, while the X4 940 only supports AM2+. It should be
interesting to see what the extra bandwidth of DDR3 may have to
offer us.
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