AMD's Phenom II X4 TWKR + Overclock

Two AMD Phenom II X4 42 Black Edition TWKR (whew, that's a mouthful) CPUs, side by side. This is a picture that you'll likely not see anywhere else. After all, these are pretty rare chips. The TWKR-edition CPUs are currently the most sought-after and coveted AMD processors in the world, at least if you're a hardcore overclocker. Ever since pictures of the TWKR CPUs were leaked a few weeks back, enthusiasts everywhere have been buzzing about them. What hidden superpower do these chips have? What makes these processors so special? Tom's Hardware, along with Team IRONMODS, will put these two chips to the test to see what really makes them tick. But first, here's a bit of background on these unique offerings.


According to AMD, there are approximately 100 TWKR processors in the world. These chips were created especially for the extreme overclocking community to operate beyond the specification of typical production-level processors. What makes these chips special is the fact that they are considered “high leakage” parts. In this context, high leakage means that the processors "leak" more current than a normal Phenom II CPU and consequently run hotter, which actually turns out to be a positive for the overclocking crowd (even if it means they're more likely to die an early death). They can take on more voltage and generally tend to scale higher when cooled with extreme methods, such as liquid nitrogen or liquid helium.

So, how fast can these processors go? It turns out that AMD's binning, which filters out these high leakages parts, works in favor of the extreme overclocker. Pushing approximately 1.75 V to the CPU, we were able to hit 6.4 GHz. Could the processor hit even higher frequencies? We are pretty sure it could with even more voltage and better cooling. We did not try more than 1.75 V on this chip for fear that we'd cut its already-destined-to-be-short life even shorter, or even kill it on the bench. We have a lot more tests that still need to be run and a dead CPU doesn't perform well.


Is it possible that your retail Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition processor might perform as well or better than one of these TWKR chips? The simple answer is, yes. The chances are fairly slim, though. With the TWKR, extreme overclockers know that the chip they have in their hand has all the attributes of an exceptional performer.


The speed that can be achieved by one of these processors is neither guaranteed nor predictable. Just like retail processors, the overclocking headroom on each chip will vary. At its default settings, the TWKR boots at 2 GHz (10 x 200 MHz). Under more traditional cooling methods (air, water, phase change, and cascade), the TWKR will probably perform similar to retail Phenom II Black Edition offerings. Indeed, the Phenom II X4 42 BE TWKR is designed to shine under extreme sub-zero cooling with LN2 and LHe.



Tomshardware!

Making sense of Intel's Core i3, Core i5, and Core i7 brands

Intel has announced a new brand structure that, over time, promises to do away with a complex structure of too many product names with "a simplified family of Core processors spanning multiple levels".

That's the theory, but we're already a little confused by Intel's plans going forward. Judging by a post by Intel communications manager Bill Calder on the Intel Technology Blog, it seems as though the semiconductor giant is taking a leaf out of NVIDIA's book by attempting to unify its core product line with a common nomenclature, i.e. Core i#.

However, looking forward, Bill's information doesn't quite paint a crystal clear picture of what will happen in years to come. We know that the much-loved Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Quad brands will one day go the way of the Dodo, but the new brands coming in - Core i3 and Core i5 - aren't exactly made clear. What are they? Well, we know now that the Core i5 moniker will be used by upcoming Lynnfield parts, but the rest remains largely a mystery.

With Intel leaving the door agape for conjecture, here's what we think might be the future line up of Intel's flagship brand. Please keep in mind that this is merely hearsay, and we're simply doing our best to put two and two together.


Full Story

AMD Ships 'Istanbul' Six-Core Opteron Server CPU

The new six-core AMD Opteron (codenamed "Istanbul") is shipping out to OEM customers today, and the chip should be available to consumers by the end of this month. Hailed as the world’s first six-core server processor with Direct Connect Architecture for two-, four- and eight-socket servers, this chip has up to 34 percent more performance-per-watt over the previous generation quad-core processors in the exact same platform. Over the next few weeks, systems will begin to creep out from Cray, Dell, HP, IBM and Sun Microsystems, and support from motherboard and infrastructure partners will follow suit. Also of note, HE, SE and EE versions of the six-core AMD Opteron processor are planned for the second half of 2009.

Hothardware

ATi CrossfireX Vs Nvidia 3-Way SLi

The Ultimate Benchmark between ATI and Nvidia's Premium enthusiast configurations !!





Link to youtube

AMD Phenom II TWKR Hit 7GHz

AMD Phenom II TWKR must have been one of the most discussed processors recently, and the high-leakage chip has hit 7GHz in an AMD-backed overclocking festival.


The OCer used DFI LP UT790FXB-M3eH motherboard equipped with digital PWM, and cooled down the processor with Liquid Nitrogen and Liquid Helium. The processor reached 7000.4MHz, but the result hasn’t been officially certified by CPU-Z for now.

Expreview

Corsair launches the fastest DDR3 memory modules

Corsair recently announced the launch of the new Dominator GT line of the fastest DDR3 memory modules for Intel Core i7 based systems. The new memory modules is based on Corsair’s patent pending Dual-path Heat eXchange (DHX) technology and comes in 3-up 6GB kit running at 2000MHz.

These high speed memory modules will offer high performance gaming experience to the high-end gamers. The DHX technology also includes heat sink and removable cooling fins that allow for multiple cooling options including water cooling. For more information on dominator GT line of memory modules, visit the official website of Corsair.
Link

Breathing New Life into the ATI 4XXX Lineup

The full review

There is no denying that the 4XXX series cards and specifically the 4870 saved ATI while at the same time giving Nvidia a kick in the gut. The 4XXX cards were released at just the right time to catch Nvidia without the ability to provide immediate competition and also at such a low price point. All that performance came at a price or rather at a temperature. The 4XXX cards ran hot and demanded a lot of power.

Today AMD/ATI seeks to breath new life into the 4XXX lineup with the release of the 4890 and 4770 cards squarely aimed at taking a chuck out of the vast majority of the video card market. Most users, while interested in the ultra high performance cards will end up buying a mid ranged card which impacts their wallet less. It should come as a relief to many consumers then that the new 4890 comes with a price tag of $249 or $229 after MIR (mail in rebate). At this price point you can expect two results:

ATI will gain further foothold and share in both the high end and mid range markets.
Nvidia will move to quickly reduce the price of its GTX 280 and new GTX 295 cards.
Both of these reactions are good for you and me as they mean we will be gaming on better equipment at a lower cost. Fans of both Nvidia and ATI should embrace this release as good news, but does the 4890 have what it takes to de-thrown the 280 let alone the monster 295 Nvidia cards and is that even what the 4890 is aimed at?

AMD Phenom II X4 Sets 3DMark06 World Record in Finland!

Team Finland strikes again setting the 3DMark06 World Record under Liquid Nitrogen cooling. This is the sequel to the acclaimed "Experiment" where Team Finland set the 3DMark05 World Record in January 2009. Dragon technology combining AMD Phenom II processors and ATI Radeon HD 4800 series graphics raises the bar - again.

Coldfins