Can AMD'S 65 nm Core Fight Back?

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Athlon 64 X2 Model Overview

The following table includes all current Athlon 64 X2 processor models that are available for AMD's Socket AM2. Be sure to check the model number (right column) if you want to purchase a specific processor.

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Model	Frequency	L2 Cache	Core	Multiplier	Voltage	TDP	Released	Model Number
Athlon 64 X2 3600+	2.0 GHz	2 x 256 kB	Windsor 90 nm	x10	1.20-1.25 V	65 W	May 2006	ADO3600IAA4CU
Athlon 64 X2 3800+	2.0 GHz	2 x 512 kB	Windsor 90 nm	x10	1.30-1.35 V	89 W	May 2006	ADA3800IAA5CU
Athlon 64 X2 3800+	2.0 GHz	2 x 512 kB	Windsor 90 nm	x10	1.20-1.25 V	65 W	May 2006	ADO3800IAA5CU
Athlon 64 X2 3800+	2.0 GHz	2 x 512 kB	Windsor 90 nm	x10	1.025-1.075 V	35 W	May 2006	ADD3800IAA5CU & ADD3800IAT5CU
Athlon 64 X2 4000+	2.0 GHz	2 x 1024 kB	Windsor 90 nm	x10	1.30-1.35 V	89 W	May 2006	ADA4000IAA6CS
Athlon 64 X2 4000+	2.0 GHz	2 x 1024 kB	Windsor 90 nm	x10	1.20-1.25 V	65 W	May 2006	ADO4000IAA6CS
Athlon 64 X2 4000+	2.1 GHz	2 x 512 kB	Brisbane 65 nm	x10.5	1.25V-1.35V	65 W	Dec 2006	ADO4000IAA5DD
Athlon 64 X2 4200+	2.2 GHz	2 x 512 kB	Windsor 90 nm	x11	1.30-1.35 V	89 W	May 2006	ADA4200IAA5CU
Athlon 64 X2 4200+	2.2 GHz	2 x 512 kB	Windsor 90 nm	x11	1.20-1.25 V	65 W	May 2006	ADO4200IAA5CU
Athlon 64 X2 4400+	2.2 GHz	2 x 1024 kB	Windsor 90 nm	x11	1.30-1.35 V	89 W	May 2006	ADA4400IAA6CS
Athlon 64 X2 4400+	2.2 GHz	2 x 1024 kB	Windsor 90 nm	x11	1.20-1.25 V	65 W	May 2006	ADO4400IAA6CS
Athlon 64 X2 4400+	2.3 GHz	2 x 512 kB	Brisbane 65 nm	x11.5	1.25V-1.35V	65 W	Dec 2006	ADO4400IAA5DD
Athlon 64 X2 4600+	2.4 GHz	2 x 512 kB	Windsor 90 nm	x12	1.30-1.35 V	89 W	May 2006	ADA4600IAA5CU
Athlon 64 X2 4600+	2.4 GHz	2 x 512 kB	Windsor 90 nm	x12	1.20-1.25 V	65 W	May 2006	ADO4600IAA5CU
Athlon 64 X2 4800+	2.4 GHz	2 x 1024 kB	Windsor 90 nm	x12	1.30-1.35 V	89 W	May 2006	ADA4800IAA6CS
Athlon 64 X2 4800+	2.4 GHz	2 x 1024 kB	Windsor 90 nm	x12	1.20-1.25 V	65 W	May 2006	ADO4800IAA6CS
Athlon 64 X2 4800+	2.5 GHz	2 x 512 kB	Brisbane 65 nm	x12.5	1.25V-1.35V	65 W	Dec 2006	ADO4800IAA5DD
Athlon 64 X2 5000+	2.6 GHz	2 x 512 kB	Windsor 90 nm	x13	1.30-1.35 V	89 W	May 2006	ADA5000IAA5CS & ADA5000IAA5CU
Athlon 64 X2 5000+	2.6 GHz	2 x 512 kB	Brisbane 65 nm	x13	1.25V-1.35V	65 W	Dec 2006	ADO5000IAA5DD
Athlon 64 X2 5200+	2.6 GHz	2 x 1024 kB	Windsor 90 nm	x13	1.30-1.35 V	89 W	Sept 2006	ADA5200IAA6CS
Athlon 64 X2 5400+	2.8 GHz	2 x 512 kB	Windsor 90 nm	x14	1.30-1.35 V	89 W	Dec 2006	ADA5400IAA5CZ
Athlon 64 X2 5600+	2.8 GHz	2 x 1024 kB	Windsor 90 nm	x14	1.30-1.35 V	89 W	Dec 2006	ADA5600IAA6CZ

Of course we wanted to see if the new 65 nm processor offers a better overclocking margin than the 90 nm chips. To make a long story short: as of early January, they do not. We were able to run our test sample with a 3.0 GHz clock speed and increased 231 MHz HyperTransport base clock. Having started at 2.6 GHz, this equals a clock speed increase of approximately 15%. Compared to Intel's Core 2 Duo processor, which users report running at far beyond the 3.0 GHz mark, we had expected a bit more - especially since the fastest version of the 90 nm Windsor core (Athlon 64 FX-74) also runs at 3.0 GHz.

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We didn't spend a lot of time tweaking and fine-tuning the system, and there might be some room for a few megahertz of additional clock speed, but since this is AMD's first-generation 65 nm processor we expect upcoming products and steppings to do clearly better. From an overclocking point of view, it doesn't make a lot of sense to upgrade to the latest processor type right away anyhow, unless you're specifically looking to save some energy. As our test results show, Brisbane is clearly more efficient than Windsor.

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Patrick Schmid was the editor-in-chief for Tom's Hardware from 2005 to 2006. He wrote numerous articles on a wide range of hardware topics, including storage, CPUs, and system builds.