Reviews - AMD Athlon II X4 620 and 630: introducing the budget quad-core CPUs

[scaryjim]

I am also tempted, but are the mobo's for AM3 DDR3 only? reason is I have 8GB DDR2 sitting here gathering dust and id rather build a cheap VM box.

The vast majority of AM3 mobos are DDR3, but don't forget that all AM3 processors are backwardly compatible to AM2 motherboards (most AM2 mobos should at most need a BIOS flash) which will all be DDR2 - so you can buy a cheap AM2 mobo and drop your Athlon II X4 right in

[GavinAshford]

In case anyone is interested in the 45w versions or the triple core ones, it seems they'll be released on 22nd Oct to co-inside with Windows 7 - link.

[baius]

Clearly, AMD's aim is to facilitate system builders and enthusiasts into specifying low-cost PCs with quad-core CPU processing. It makes implicit sense for either Athlon II X4 chip to be paired with the 785G chipset, released in August 2009 and toting DX10.1 integrated graphics and either DDR2 or DDR3 compatibility.

As a pair, then, Athlon II X4 620 and a decent 785G should cost less than £150.

You've highlighted something very interesting here. 780g/785g are compelling motherboard solutions. I haven't seen any Intel motherboards compare to these, especially for IGP performance; and you won't get a processor and a decent motherboard based on Intel for £150.

I'm currently planning an ITX build, and am not sure whether to go with

• X4 620 and 780g, or
• Q8200 and nVidia 9400

(+ Silverstone SG05b, 2.5" 320gb HDD, 4gb RAM, BR Drive, Dual S2 Tuner)

nVidia 9400 (for C2D, not i7) is good against 780g, but at a (far) higher price.

[simonw]

I'm currently planning an ITX build, and am not sure whether to go with

• X4 620 and 780g, or
• Q8200 and nVidia 9400

I should mention that the X4 620 is a 95w cpu, the 780G ITX boards such as the J&W MINIX 780G only recommend using 65w or lower cpus (95w does work but you run the risk of overheating). So if you want quad-core, you may want to wait for the upcoming 45w versions.

[paulie111]

I am also tempted, but are the mobo's for AM3 DDR3 only? reason is I have 8GB DDR2 sitting here gathering dust and id rather build a cheap VM box.

the am3 cpu's work on am2 boards which are ddr2

[baius]

I should mention that the X4 620 is a 95w cpu, the 780G ITX boards such as the J&W MINIX 780G only recommend using 65w or lower cpus (95w does work but you run the risk of overheating). So if you want quad-core, you may want to wait for the upcoming 45w versions.

That's worthwhile advice; thanks.

[baius]

http://www.jwele.com/motherboard_detail.php?419#_spec

Interesting:

Socket AM3/AM2+/AM2 for AMD Phenom™ II */ AMD Phenom™* / AMD Athlon™ II / AMD Athlon™ 64 X2 / AMD Athlon™ 64 / AMD Sempron™ processors (*Please note: Although this motherboard may support processors up to maximum 95W TDP, we STRONGLY recommend users to use processor of 65W or less for HTPC application since most mini-ITX/ HTPC casing and low-profile coolers have limited heat dissipation capability which would affect stability of the whole system under long-term usage.)

I've ordered an 85w Phenom II (Dual Core) to go with this. From your advice, and the webpage quoted from above, I'm not sure if I've done the right thing. Any thoughts?

(The ITX case ordered: SG05b. This seems to have adequate venting. Only one fan, but should allow me to use AMD standard heatsink and fan. Any thoughts?)

[simonw]

I've ordered an 85w Phenom II (Dual Core) to go with this. From your advice, and the webpage quoted from above, I'm not sure if I've done the right thing. Any thoughts?

(The ITX case ordered: SG05b. This seems to have adequate venting. Only one fan, but should allow me to use AMD standard heatsink and fan. Any thoughts?)

Tricky to answer, but from reading various reviews, the power consumption of the Phenom II X2 550 is not too much higher than the 65W rated Athlon II X2 250, about an extra 12-18 watts higher on full load. So you may be okay.

[simonw]

On second thoughts, the J&W CPU Support List does not show the Phenom II X2 550. If it was me, I probably would not risk it, but I guess you are covered by the warranty should anything go wrong.

[baius]

The J&W board is still on Pre Order with Scan, so I'm inclined to cancel the order. It was a bit of an impusle buy, anyway. (Tuts at self.)

I would like to try out ITX but don't need to, if you get my drift.

Thanks guys.