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AMD PHENOM II X4 955 3.2GHz + GA-MA790FXT-UD5P


We all know that AMD cannot compete against Intel's i7 architecture.  So why release this X4 955?  Well, the premise is that this CPU can deliver superb performance at an attractive price.  With i7s nearing $1000, this baby is closer to $250!  Four cores humming at 3.2GHz at such a low price?  Is there enough performance?  We shall find out.  Here is some info from AMD about the Phenom II architecture, and we've highlighted the really cool stuff:

Key Architectural Features - AMD Phenom™ II processors

The industry's first true Quad core x86 processor
 

  • True quad-core and triple-core designed from the ground up for better communication between cores.
    • BENEFIT: Cores can communicate on die rather than on package for better performance

AMD64 with Direct Connect Architecture
 

  • Helps improve system performance and efficiency by directly connecting the processors, the memory controller, and the I/O to the CPU.
  • Designed to enable simultaneous 32- and 64-bit computing
  • Integrated Memory Controller
  • BENEFITS:
    • Increases application performance by dramatically reducing memory latency
    • Scales memory bandwidth and performance to match compute needs
    • HyperTransport™ Technology provides up to 16.0GB/s peak bandwidth per processor—reducing I/O bottlenecks
    • Up to 37GB/s total delivered processor-to-system bandwidth (HyperTransport bus + memory bus)

AMD Balanced Smart Cache
 

  • Shared L3 cache (either 6MB or 4MB)
  • 512K L2 cache per core
    • BENEFIT: Shortened access times to the highly accessed data for better performance.

AMD Wide Floating Point Accelerator
 

  • 128-bit floating point unit (FPU)
  • High performance (128bit internal data path) floating point unit per core.
    • BENEFIT: Larger data paths and quicker floating point calculations for better performance.

HyperTransport™ technology
 

  • One 16-bit link at up to 4000MT/s
  • Up to 8.0GB/s HyperTransport™ I/O bandwidth; Up to 16GB/s in HyperTransport Generation 3.0 mode
  • Up to 37GB/s total delivered processor-to-system bandwidth (HyperTransport bus + memory bus)
    • BENEFIT: Quick access times to system I/O for better performance.

Integrated DRAM Controller with AMD Memory Optimizer Technology
 

  • A high-bandwidth, low-latency integrated memory controller
  • Supports PC2-8500 (DDR2-1066); PC2-6400 (DDR2-800), PC2-5300 (DDR2-667), PC2-4200 (DDR2-533) or PC2-3200 (DDR2-400) SDRAM unbuffered DIMMs – AM2+
  • Support for unregistered DIMMs up to PC2 8500(DDR2-1066MHz) and PC3 10600 (DDR3-1333MHz) – AM3
  • Up to 17.1GB/s memory bandwidth for DDR2 and up to 21GB/s memory bandwidth for DDR3
    • BENEFIT: Quick access to system memory for better performance.

AMD Virtualization™ (AMD-V™) With Rapid Virtualization Indexing
 

  • Silicon feature-set enhancements designed to improve the performance, reliability, and security of existing and future virtualization environments by allowing virtualized applications with direct and rapid access to their allocated memory.
    • BENEFIT: Helps virtualization software to run more securely and efficiently enabling a better experience when dealing with virtual systems

Cool'n'Quiet™ 3.0 technology
 

  • Enhanced power management features which automatically and instantaneously adjusts performance states and features based on processor performance requirements
  • For quieter operation and reduced power requirements
    • BENEFIT: Enables cooler and quieter platform designs by providing extremely efficient performance and energy usage.

AMD CoolCore™ Technology
 

  • Reduces processor energy consumption by turning off unused parts of the processor. For example, the memory controller can turn off the write logic when reading from memory, helping reduce system power.
  • Works automatically without the need for drivers or BIOS enablement.
  • Power can be switched on or off within a single clock cycle, saving energy with no impact to performance.
    • BENEFIT: Helps users get more efficient performance by dynamically activating or turning off parts of the processor.

Dual Dynamic Power Management™
 

  • Enables more granular power management capabilities to reduce processor energy consumption.
  • Separate power planes for cores and memory controller, for optimum power consumption and performance, creating more opportunities for power savings within the cores and memory controller.
    • BENEFIT: Helps improve platform efficiency by providing on demand memory performance while still allowing for decreased system power consumption

 

So here is our test system - our motherboard is Gigabyte's AWESOME new GA-MA790FXT-UD5P.  Here are the manufacturer's specifications:

GA-MA790FXT-UD5P (rev. 1.0)
 AMD 790FX + SB750 Chipset
  1. Ultra Durable 3 Technology with copper cooled quality for lower working temperature
  2. Revolution energy saving design with Easy Energy Saver technology
  3. Supports socket AM3 45nm AMD Phenom II series processors
  4. Advanced 8+2 power phase design for 45nm CPU highly efficiency support
  5. Dual Channel DDR3 1666+ for remarkable system performance
  6. 2 PCI-E 2.0 x16 interface with ATI CrossFireX support for ultimate graphics performance
  7. 2 Gigabit Ethernet LAN with Teaming functionality
  8. Power/reset/Clr CMOS onboard button for power users
  9. Blu-ray playback supported by high quality 106dB SNR ALC889A HD audio
  10. Supports Dolby Home Theater audio to enjoy a rich surround sound experience
  11. Patented DualBIOS with dual hardware BIOS protection
* DDR3 1666+ is supported with combination of AM3 processors and qualified memory modules, please refer "Memory Support List" for detail memory support information.  

 



 Specifications
CPU
  1. Support for Socket AM3 processors: AMD Phenom™ II X4 processor / AMD Phenom™ II X3 processor
Front Side Bus
  1. 5200 MT/s
Chipset
  1. North Bridge: AMD 790FX
  2. South Bridge: AMD SB750
Memory
  1. 4 x 1.5V DDR3 DIMM sockets supporting up to 16 GB of system memory (Note 1)
  2. Dual channel memory architecture
  3. Support for DDR3 1666(OC)/1333/1066 MHz memory modules
Audio
  1. Realtek ALC889A codec
  2. High Definition Audio
  3. 2/4/5.1/7.1-channel
  4. Support for S/PDIF In/Out
  5. Support for CD In
LAN
  1. 2 x Realtek 8111DL chip (10/100/1000 Mbit)
  2. Support for Teaming
Expansion Slots
  1. 2 x PCI Express x16 slots, running at x16 (The PCIEX16_1 and PCIEX16_2 slots support ATI CrossFireX technology, and conform to PCI Express 2.0 standard.)
  2. 3 x PCI Express x1 slots
  3. 2 x PCI slots
Storage Interface South Bridge:
 
  1. 1 x IDE connector supporting ATA-133/100/66/33 and up to 2 IDE devices
  2. 6 x SATA 3Gb/s connectors supporting up to 6 SATA 3Gb/s devices
  3. Support for SATA RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID5, RAID 10 and JBOD
GIGABYTE SATA2 chip:
 
  1. 2 x JM322 chips (Smart Backup):
    - 4 x SATA 3Gb/s connectors (GSATA2_0, GSATA2_1, GSATA2_2, GSATA2_3) supporting up to 4 SATA 3Gb/s devices (Note 3)
    - Support for SATA RAID 0, RAID 1 and JBOD
ITE 8720 chip:
 
  1. 1 x floppy disk drive connector supporting up to 1 floppy disk drive
IEEE 1394 T.I. TSB43AB23 chip
 
  1. Up to 3 IEEE 1394a ports (2 on the back panel, 1 via the IEEE 1394a bracket connected to the internal IEEE 1394a header)
USB Integrated in the South Bridge
 
  1. Up to 12 USB 2.0/1.1 ports (8 on the back panel, 4 via the USB brackets connected to the internal USB headers)
Internal I/O Connectors
  1. 1 x 24-pin ATX main power connector
  2. 1 x 8-pin ATX 12V power connector
  3. 1 x floppy disk drive connector
  4. 1 x IDE connector
  5. 10 x SATA 3Gb/s connectors
  6. 1 x CPU fan header
  7. 2 x system fan header
  8. 1 x power fan header
  9. 1 x North Bridge fan header
  10. 1 x front panel header
  11. 1 x front panel audio header
  12. 1 x CD In connector
  13. 1 x S/PDIF In/Out header
  14. 1 x IEEE 1394a header
  15. 2 x USB 2.0/1.1 headers
  16. 1 x serial port header
  17. 1 x parallel port header
  18. 1 x chassis intrusion header
  19. 1 x power LED header
  20. 1 x power switch
  21. 1 x reset switch
  22. 1 x clearing CMOS switch
Back Panel Connectors
  1. 1 x PS/2 keyboard port
  2. 1 x PS/2 mouse port
  3. 1 x optical S/PDIF Out connector
  4. 1 x coaxial S/PDIF out connector
  5. 2 x IEEE 1394a port
  6. 8 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports
  7. 2 x RJ-45 port
  8. 6 x audio jacks (Center/Subwoofer Speaker Out/Rear Speaker Out/Side Speaker Out/Line In/Line Out/Microphone)
I/O Controller
  1. ITE IT8720 chip
H/W Monitoring System voltage detection
 
  1. CPU/System temperature detection
  2. CPU/System fan speed detection
  3. CPU overheating warning
  4. CPU/System fan fail warning
  5. CPU/System fan speed control (Note 6)
BIOS
  1. 2 x 8 Mbit flash
  2. Use of licensed AWARD BIOS
  3. Support for DualBIOS™
  4. PnP 1.0a, DMI 2.0, SM BIOS 2.4, ACPI 1.0b
Unique Features
  1. Support for @BIOS
  2. Support for Q-Flash
  3. Support for Virtual Dual BIOS
  4. Support for Download Center
  5. Support for Xpress Install
  6. Support for Xpress Recovery2
  7. Support for EasyTune (Note 5)
  8. Support for Easy Energy Saver
  9. Support for Time Repair
  10. Support for Q-Share
Bundle Software
  1. Norton Internet Security (OEM version)
Operating System
  1. Support for Microsoft Windows Vista/ XP
Form Factor
  1. ATX Form Factor; 30.5cm x 24.4cm
Note (Note 1) Due to Windows Vista/XP 32-bit operating system limitation, when more than 4 GB of physical memory is installed, the actual memory size displayed will be less than 4 GB.
(Note 2) A JM322 chip supports two SATA 3Gb/s connectors, so the four SATA 3Gb/s connectors are divided into two pairs: GSATA2_0 and GSATA2_1 as one pair and GSATA2_2, GSATA2_3 as another pair.
(Refer to Chapter 2, “Integrated Peripherals” and Chapter 5, “Configuring SATA Hard Drive(s),“ for how to enable the Smart Backup function.)
(Note 3) Whether the CPU/system fan speed control function is supported will depend on the CPU/ system cooler you install.
(Note 4) Available functions in EasyTune may differ by motherboard model.
Remark
  1. Due to different Linux support condition provided by chipset vendors, please download Linux driver from chipset vendors' website or 3rd party website.
  2. Due to most hardware/software vendors no longer offer support for Win9X/ME. If some vendors still has Win9X/ME drivers available, we will publish on website.

Now we have some images of the motherboard:


Complete with cables, and sticker too!


Nice blue PCB color.  They should have put the other PCIe x1 on the right side of the 2nd PCIe x16


Rear panel has everything you can ever want. 


Furthermore, there is also a bracket included which gives you 2x eSATA ports and a 4-pin Molex power connector too.

 


Slot arrangement detail


On-board USB ports, 1394, and front-panel connector, all neatly and nicely labeled


CPU and memory slots surrounded by solid-looking heatpipe and heatsinks. 


A total of 10! SATA ports here, facing the correct direction!  Six are from the southbridge, and four from added controllers, all of which support RAID


Here's something really cool - on-board illuminated POWER, RESET, and CMOS RESET buttons.  The CMOS RESET is covered by a clear cover.

 

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