TomsHardware reviews AMD Athlon FX-62 and Athlon 64 X2 5000+ AM2 CPUs on ASUS's M2N32-SLI Deluxe nForce5 SLI motherboard
Enthusiasts have been on the edge of their seats for weeks waiting for AMD's new platform, ultimately christened "AM2". Speculation and theories have run rampant, and now everything's new. In addition to the processor itself, the socket, heatsink, chipset and memory have all been overhauled. In the wake of Socket 940, Socket 939 and 754, Socket AM2 is the fourth generation of the Hammer architecture, which made its market debut in 2002. AMD wasn't always this quick to change platforms - arch-rival Intel, often slammed for its frequent changes, made just two in the same time period.
There's a great variety of processors now available for Socket AM2: a total of 17 CPUs fill the very generous portfolio for the separate market segments turned out by Dresden's new Fab 36. Production is still based on the 90 nm process but is now on 300 mm wafers. Plans are afoot to introduce 65 nm by the end of the year.
So, what'll it be? A standard Athlon 64 X2, a Sempron for budget-constrained students, or the exclusive, noble and fine mystique of the Athlon 64 FX-62? Prices start at just under $70 for the Sempron 64 2800+, and range up to the Athlon 64 FX-62 for $1,200. The midrange for these processors is between $300 and $600. This pricing structure makes one thing fairly clear: the AMD generation has come of age, and pricewise, is on the same level as Intel. The previous pricing edge of up to 30 percent on AMD's part has completely evaporated. More than anything, it raises the question of who is now the performance-oriented public's favorite among the most powerful processor makers? It should be clear that, for the moment at least, it's the top model of the Athlon FX series. Since the appearance of the first Athlon 64 FX, AMD has taken the lead, with Intel's Pentium Extreme Edition hot on its heels...
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