AMD Releases Speed-Bumped Phenom II 965 BE

AMD has today launched their fastest-ever processor, the Phenom II 965 Black Edition, clocked at what’s currently the highest stock-clocked frequency today: 3.40GHz. As you’d expect, the TDP would have to be high to reach this, and it is, at 140W TDP – bumped from the 125W of its predecessor, the 955, which we reviewed a couple of months ago.

As you could imagine, the latest chip is AMD’s fastest, but it still doesn’t manage to compete head-to-head with Intel’s Core i7, but that’s to be expected. Plus, in that comparison, there are noticeable price differences, so AMD is really trying to target the enthusiast who doesn’t want to spend $500 on just a processor and motherboard, and they’re doing a fair job of that.

Launching the processor at this time is no doubt a great idea, though, as Intel’s Core i5 is released next month and threatens to steal whatever thunder AMD currently has right from underneath them. Like most newly-launched products though, especially processors, it’s doubtful the pricing is going to be ideal from the get go, so AMD may enjoy longer success with the 965, because after all, pricing matters. Especially right now.

As you’ve probably noticed, our site hasn’t been updated for a while, and it’s due to a number of various factors I won’t get into here. We have indeed received this processor from AMD, and hope to get an article up for it as soon as possible. Please bear with me… I have a lot to fix and straighten up around here.

Credit: The Tech Report

Although the X4 965’s power requirements are on the extreme side, its pricing and performance are not. AMD tells us the 965 will list for $245, the same price rung that the 955 Black Edition occupied previously. That puts the 965 in more or less direct competition with the Core 2 Quad Q9550, which lists at $266 but is selling for as little as $220 at major online vendors like Newegg.