Posted 08/13/09 at 08:30:00 AM by Paul Lilly

AMD today adds to its Phenom processor line with a new flagship part, the Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition. The new chip updates the company's Dragon platform, which combines a Phenom II CPU with an ATI Radeon 4870/4890 graphics card and 790GX-based motherboard.

We're told the silicon in the X4 965 BE is unchanged from the X4 955 BE, so you're essentially looking at a clockspeed bump with a slightly higher TDP. Specifically, the 45nm chip comes clocked at 3.4GHz and contains 6MB of L3 cache, and 8MB of total cache (2MB total L2 per processor). And because it's a 'Black Edition' part, the new CPU is unlocked.

AMD also tells us that its own internal testing has shown the X4 965 BE to be a better overclocker than the previous 955, which isn't always the case when releasing a faster-clocked processor built on the same architecture. We currently have one of these chips in our Lab, so look for our own performance impression in the very near future.

Best of all for the AMD faithful, AMD has set an MSRP of $245 for the 965, the same official MSRP the 955 previously held..

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Posted 04/23/09 at 09:00:00 AM by Paul Lilly

AMD faithful and bargain hunters alike have a pair of new toys to play with starting today, as AMD launches two new processors for its socket AM3 platform, the Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition and 945. Both parts boast compatibility with AM2+ (DDR2) and AM3 (DDR3) motherboards, while the Phenom II X4 955 BE supplants the AM2-based 940 as AMD's new flagship entry in its Phenom line.

Coinciding with the launch, AMD has also overhauled its Dragon Platform Technology, saying "every aspect of the platform has been improved and the overall value is impressive." And we'd have to agree, considering both new chips are being priced below $250.

Hit the jump to get all the nitty-gritty details on AMD's new AM3 processors and Dragon Platform refresh. 

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Posted 02/13/09 at 04:40:12 PM by Andy Salisbury

iBuyPower does their very best to sing the hymn of the bargain computer shopper, and this time they’ve managed to come out in tune. Their most recent verses are the Dragon Based Gamer HAF 91B and the Gamer Fire.

The HAF 91B will feature Phenom II X4 CPU 920 processor, 4GB DDR2, 500GB HDD, an ATI 512MB Radeon HD 3850, and will run you about $999. The Fire runs along the same lines, featuring a Phenom II X4 940 CPU, 750GB HDD, and the rest of the hardware essentially the same for $1,439.

If you’re looking for a new gaming rig on the cheap, don’t hesitate to check these two out. On paper, they look to be mighty steady choices.

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