Introduction

AMD has been the king of 64-bit computing for some time now and no matter what Intel has attempted to throw in front of them, AMD have hurdled over it. With the release of the new AMD AM2 Motherboards and processors AMD are now not only pushing the envelope on the 64-bit and Dual Core front, they are reducing the amount of energy and power that the processors take up, thus producing quieter and cooler PC's. The big question is, has the wait for the new AM2 processors and motherboards been worth it? Do we see any benefit from using DDR2 memory compared to the old DDR2 on the previous Socket 939 processors, read on and we'll find out. This review will also concentrate on the future impact the processor will have when used with Windows Vista, we'll be putting it through its paces on the newly released beta 2 version of the upcoming Microsoft operating system.

AMD's AM2 parts share the following common features:

• Manufactured in Fab 30 in Dresden, Germany on a 90 nm SOI process
• 940-pin micro-PGA AM2 packaging
• DDR2 memory controller supporting DDR2-667 for all chips and DDR2-800 for the X2 and FX
• Single HyperTransport channel for up to 8 GB/sec combined I/O
• Reduced power consumption, including new Energy Efficient models (details below)
• AMD Virtualization support (hardware virtualization on-chip)
• Redesigned 4-bolt heatsink mount for better stability
• Keyed ZIF socket to ensure only correct AM2 processor can be installed

The initial AM2 line-up consists of the following:

• Athlon 64 FX processor: FX-62
• Athlon 64 X2 processors: 5000+, 4800+, 4600+, 4400+, 4200+, 4000+, and 3800+
• Athlon 64 processors: 3800+, 3500+
• Sempron processors: 3600+, 3500+, 3400+, 3200+, and 3000+

Can you notice the 1 pin difference?