AMD Revs Quad Core With Phenom II X4 965

The quad-core processor battle between Intel and AMD remains the most exciting arena in PC technology, where consumers can get the latest stuff at what amounts to cut-rate prices. The newest entry is AMD's Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition. The 3.4-GHz quad-core chip, which modders are already overclocking to 3.9-GHz, goes for $245.I've been remiss in writing about this device; it's actually been out for a week now. But I wanted to share with you some PowerPoints AMD sent me.

In terms of specs, this 3.4-GHz chip has the fastest stock clock speed available today. Intel's Core i7-975 Extreme Edition is rated at 3.33 GHz. I don't like to get into a contest between Intel and AMD, since you end up comparing apples and oranges (processor spec sheets never line up one-for-one). However, clearly this new Phenom II offers phenomenal back for the buck, since it sells for $245, while the Core-i7-975 goes for $1,000.

Another money saving feature with the new Phenom 965 is that it's backward-compatible with DDR2 memory, while also supporting the faster DDR3 RAM that's emerging as the new standards. This means that, depending on what motherboard you're planning to use, you might save some money on the memory if you can go with the cheaper (albeit slower) DDR2.

OK, so check out more info on the feature set by clicking on the slide below to see four AMD PowerPoints. Also, OverclockersClub has an interesting review, posted here.

On the other side of the competitive coin, I'm still working on my Intel build project. Check out the first leg, where I unbox a Thermaltake liquid cooling system, in Build A Liquid-Cooled Intel Core i7 PC.

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Alex Wolfe is editor-in-chief of InformationWeek.com.