• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Hardware Secrets

Hardware Secrets

Uncomplicating the complicated

  • Case
  • Cooling
  • Memory
  • Mobile
    • Laptops
    • Smartphones
    • Tablets
  • Motherboard
  • Networking
  • Other
    • Audio
    • Cameras
    • Consumer Electronics
    • Desktops
    • Museum
    • Software
    • Tradeshows & Events
  • Peripherals
    • Headset
    • Keyboard
    • Mouse
    • Printers
  • Power
  • Storage
  • Video

Phenom II X4 840 CPU Review

Let’s check the performance of the new Phenom II X4 840 CPU (3.2 GHz), a quad-core model offered for only USD 100.

Home » Phenom II X4 840 CPU Review

Introduction

Contents

  • 1. Introduction
  • 2. How We Tested
  • 3. PCMark Vantage
  • 4. VirtualDub + DivX
  • 5. Photoshop CS4
  • 6. After Effects CS5
  • 7. WinZip
  • 8. iTunes
  • 9. Cinebench 11.5
  • 10. Call of Duty 4
  • 11. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty
  • 12. Far Cry 2
  • 13. Lost Planet 2
  • 14. 3DMark 11 Professional
  • 15. Overclocking
  • 16. Conclusions

The new Phenom II X4 840 (3.2 GHz), is a very affordable quad-core CPU. In fact, it is the best CPU on the USD 100 price range. Let’s see why.

At USD 100, the main competitor to the Phenom II X4 840 (3.2 GHz) is the Pentium E6800 (3.33 GHz), a dual-core CPU using the socket LGA775. The cheapest Core i3, the 530, is quoted at USD 120, thus being 20% more expensive than the Phenom II X4 840 and not being its direct competitor. We are going to compare the new Phenom II X4 840 (3.2 GHz) to the Athlon II X4 635 (2.9 GHz), since both are in the same price range.

In the tables below you can see a brief comparison between the CPUs we included in our review. AMD CPUs do not support SSE4 instructions (they have a proprietary instruction set called SSE4a, which is not the same thing as SSE4).

CPU Cores Internal Clock Base Clock Core Technology TDP Socket Price
Phenom II X4 840 4 3.2 GHz 200 MHz Propus 45 nm 95 W AM3 USD 100
Athlon II X4 635 4 2.9 GHz 200 MHz Propus 45 nm 95 W AM3 USD 98
Pentium E6800 2 3.33 GHz 266 MHz Wolfdale 45 nm 65 W 775 USD 100

TDP stands for Thermal Design Power which advises the user of the maximum amount of heat the CPU can dissipate. The CPU cooler must be capable of dissipating at least this amount of heat.

CPU L1 Cache L2 Cache L3 Cache Memory Support Memory Channels
Phenom II X4 840 64 KB + 64 KB per core 512 KB per core None Up to DDR3-1333 Two
Athlon II X4 635 64 KB + 64 KB per core 512 KB per core None Up to DDR3-1333 Two
Pentium E6800 32 KB + 32 KB per core 2 MB total None * *

(*) The memory controller is not integrated in the CPU and thus these parameters depend on the chipset/motherboard. In our case, the motherboard we used supported only DDR2 memory up to DDR2-800 (officially), under dual-channel architecture.

AMD CPUs talk to the external world (i.e. the chipset) thru a bus called HyperTransport. For a detailed explanation how this bus works, please read our The HyperTransport Bus Used by AMD Processors tutorial. The Pentium E6800 talks to the external world through a front-side bus (FSB) running at 266 MHz (1,066 MHz QDR).

In our tests, we used motherboards with integrated video. We used a motherboard based on the AMD 880G chipset with the AMD processors, and a motherboard based on the Intel G45 chipset with the Intel processors. We wanted to keep both systems around the same price range, and this is why we didn’t use a motherboard with a “stronger” chipset (e.g., AMD 890GX) with the AMD CPUs. In our gaming tests, we measured the performance of the integrated video and also installed an entry-level DirectX 11 video card (GeForce GT 430), so you will be able to compare the performance of the CPUs when a “real” video card is installed.

Continue: How We Tested

CPU Reviews

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

As a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, this site may earn from qualifying purchases. We may also earn commissions on purchases from other retail websites.

How to Avoid Scams on Facebook Marketplace Once and For All

Social media scams generate more than 770 million US dollars in losses in the US alone, and it’s … [Read More...] about How to Avoid Scams on Facebook Marketplace Once and For All

AMD EPYC from Zen1 to Zen4. How it will change the CPU market?

AMD, together with Intel, is one of the major processor manufacturers known in today's market. … [Read More...] about AMD EPYC from Zen1 to Zen4. How it will change the CPU market?

Valorant Phoenix Tips & Tricks You Have to Know

The Phoenix character in Valorant is one of the most amazing to play. Being aggressive, Phoenix will … [Read More...] about Valorant Phoenix Tips & Tricks You Have to Know

Footer

For Performance

  • About
  • Contact
  • Articles
  • Editorials
  • First Look
  • Reviews
  • Tutorials
  • Privacy

Everything you need to know

  • Everything You Need to Know About the Dual-, Triple-, and Quad-Channel Memory Architectures
  • What You Should Know About the SPDIF Connection (2022 Guide)
  • Everything You Need to Know About the Intel Virtualization Technology
  • Everything You Need to Know About the CPU Power Management

Copyright © 2023 · All rights reserved - Hardwaresecrets.com
About Us · Privacy Policy · Contact