AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition

Rob Williams · 05-29-2009, 05:36 PM

For each component that can go into a PC, there are usually countless models to choose from, and the CPU scheme of things is no different. For those looking to spend around $250, the options are AMD's Phenom II X4 955 and Intel's Core 2 Quad Q9550. AMD is confident that their product delivers a better value, so let's check to see if that's the case.

You can read our full article here and discuss it here!

Doomsday · 05-31-2009, 06:46 AM

nice review! this processor is really good for its price! would it have overclocked better on air with the Cooler Master V8 or Thermalright Ultra 120 ?!?

Rob Williams · 05-31-2009, 02:13 PM

To be honest, I'm not sure. I haven't used other coolers on the AMD, but I'm doubtful the V1 from Thermaltake is much of a slouch. The general room temperature I deal with isn't ideal, but I've had no problem before getting Intel processors to 4GHz and beyond, so I'm not sure what's up. I couldn't push it much past 3.5GHz even without stressing. Could be that I got a weak sample (which would actually be a good thing).

It shouldn't be much longer before I get into a new place and rid that problem. I'd like to find another solution past water, but with warm room temps, water-cooling isn't going to help much. And with cooling more exotic than water, the results might be a little skewed compared to what a regular user would be using. It's a tough situation, but I hope to not have to deal with ridiculous room temps much longer.

06-01-2009, 09:57 PM

I run an AMD 955 and it works well.. Though. Under windows 64bit I have run into issues with overclocking. The most stable i could get it was approx 3.8Ghz (Though i am running at 3.7Ghz right now) but I just could not get it stable no matter what voltage I ran it at. Did it run hot. Not at all. I run a swiftech H20 120 water cooler. Temps at idle are 36deg and at load, i have not passed 51deg (Celcius).

It does everything I want it to do, it was cheaper than going the i7 intel and its my first AMD system in 6 years and it was worth the wait. Also i run this on a Gigabyte AM2+ mainboard with DDR2 memory.

05-29-2009, 05:36 PM	#1
Rob Williams Editor-in-Chief Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Atlantic Canada Posts: 13,246	AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition For each component that can go into a PC, there are usually countless models to choose from, and the CPU scheme of things is no different. For those looking to spend around $250, the options are AMD's Phenom II X4 955 and Intel's Core 2 Quad Q9550. AMD is confident that their product delivers a better value, so let's check to see if that's the case. You can read our full article here and discuss it here! __________________ Intel Core i7-990X EE @ 3.43GHz, GIGABYTE X58A-UD5, Kingston 12GB DDR3-1333, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 2GB Kingston HyperX 3K 240GB SSD, WD VR 1TB, WD 2TB, Seagate 2TB, LG BD-ROM, ASUS DVD-RW, Corsair 1000HX, Corsair H60 Cooler Corsair 800D, Dell 2408WFP 24", ASUS Xonar Essence STX, Gentoo (KDE 4.10, 3.7 Kernel) "Take care to get what you like, or you will be forced to like what you get!" - H.P. Baxxter <Toad772> I don't always drink alcohol, but when I do, I take it too far.

05-31-2009, 06:46 AM	#2
Doomsday Tech Junkie Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: KHI, PAK Posts: 1,539	nice review! this processor is really good for its price! would it have overclocked better on air with the Cooler Master V8 or Thermalright Ultra 120 ?!? __________________ PSU: Corsair AX850 - Case: Cooler Master HAF X - CPU:Core i7-2600k - Cooler: Cooler Master V6 GT - Motherboard: Asus Z68 Maximus IV Extreme Z - Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8 GB-1600Mhz - GPU: AMD MSI R6970 Lightning - HDD: WD Caviar Black 1TB, Seagate 2TB Barracuda Green - SSD: Intel 520 Series 120GB - K/B: Razer Lycosa Mirror - Mouse: Logitech G700 - MouseMat: Steel Series 4HD - LCD: Samsung 2333SW 23" - Speakers: Creative Inspire M4500 4.1 - Headset: Logitech G35 7.1 "Do not look at a man's prayers nor his fasts, rather, measure him by how well he deals with others, the compassion he shows his fellow man, his wisdom and his integrity" - Umar Ibn Al-Khattab

05-31-2009, 02:13 PM	#3
Rob Williams Editor-in-Chief Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Atlantic Canada Posts: 13,246	To be honest, I'm not sure. I haven't used other coolers on the AMD, but I'm doubtful the V1 from Thermaltake is much of a slouch. The general room temperature I deal with isn't ideal, but I've had no problem before getting Intel processors to 4GHz and beyond, so I'm not sure what's up. I couldn't push it much past 3.5GHz even without stressing. Could be that I got a weak sample (which would actually be a good thing). It shouldn't be much longer before I get into a new place and rid that problem. I'd like to find another solution past water, but with warm room temps, water-cooling isn't going to help much. And with cooling more exotic than water, the results might be a little skewed compared to what a regular user would be using. It's a tough situation, but I hope to not have to deal with ridiculous room temps much longer. __________________ Intel Core i7-990X EE @ 3.43GHz, GIGABYTE X58A-UD5, Kingston 12GB DDR3-1333, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 2GB Kingston HyperX 3K 240GB SSD, WD VR 1TB, WD 2TB, Seagate 2TB, LG BD-ROM, ASUS DVD-RW, Corsair 1000HX, Corsair H60 Cooler Corsair 800D, Dell 2408WFP 24", ASUS Xonar Essence STX, Gentoo (KDE 4.10, 3.7 Kernel) "Take care to get what you like, or you will be forced to like what you get!" - H.P. Baxxter <Toad772> I don't always drink alcohol, but when I do, I take it too far.

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06-01-2009, 09:57 PM	#4
Unregistered Guest Poster Posts: n/a	I run an AMD 955 and it works well.. Though. Under windows 64bit I have run into issues with overclocking. The most stable i could get it was approx 3.8Ghz (Though i am running at 3.7Ghz right now) but I just could not get it stable no matter what voltage I ran it at. Did it run hot. Not at all. I run a swiftech H20 120 water cooler. Temps at idle are 36deg and at load, i have not passed 51deg (Celcius). It does everything I want it to do, it was cheaper than going the i7 intel and its my first AMD system in 6 years and it was worth the wait. Also i run this on a Gigabyte AM2+ mainboard with DDR2 memory.