AMD kick started 2009 with guns blazing introducing their latest Phenom II X4 platform on early January. Although the launch was comprised of just two processors, that's all AMD needed to compete head to head with the Intel Core 2 Quad range. Today AMD is releasing two new processors, the Phenom II X4 955 and 945, which are based on the same “Deneb” architecture though with a few notable changes. The most prominent change is that these are AM3 processors, and therefore can be used with either DDR2 or DDR3 memory.

AM3 processors are also completely backwards compatible with AM2+ motherboards. The Phenom II X4 955 will remain affordable with a suggested initial retail value of $245. This new processor looks as having the potential to be the ultimate upgrade solution for AMD users, as it can be paired with AM2+ motherboards that were released as far back as 2007. Read the full article at: Please leave your feedback here. Disappointed I'm a little disappointed.

Though the processor does show an improvement over the older X4 procs, it still pales in comparison to the i7 procs. I was waiting to build my new PC for when this processor was released, and was hoping that it was a better competitor. Now, the price on this sucker is fantastic, but I'm seriously considering to go for the better performer. Intel, since the i7 920 isn't much more expensive. I was really pulling for AMD, because I've been a long time supporter, but the numbers just make sense to go Intel this time around. Better luck next time AMD. The Phenom II is not supposed to be compared to the i7, it competes with the current Core 2 range, notably the Penryn-based Core 2 Quads.

The Phenom II X4 955 was very similar in this respect, although gaming benchmarks can be somewhat misleading due to GPU limitations, the Phenom II X4 955 is a very competitive gaming processor.

And it is a better bargain compared to the i7 IMO, because of the larger variety of boards that are available. The chipset options are almost limitless, compared to only the X58 for the i7. You can actually grab a decent AM2+ board for under $100.

Show me an X58 board that costs that much. Sure, the i7s are much faster. But for gamers, GPUs are still the main factor that determines gaming performance. Pair a Phenom II X4 and a Core i7 with a GTX 295 285 each and you will see no noticeable performance difference between the two machines. At least I would not. AMD has always been an innovator, and will probably pull off something fantastic in the near future, especially with the money Abu Dhabi is pumping into GlobalFoundries. Well, maybe they should have thought about competing with i7, then.;P Point taken about the motherboard prices, but there are still a multitude of options available from Gigabyte, Asus, etc.

I'd rather get much better performance in a cpu and pay a little bit more for a motherboard, capable of handling tri-channel ddr3 memory (which you can pay about $80 for 3 sticks of 1600 @ NewEgg), when the i7 920 is about the same price as the ii x4 955. All the while, still having the option for an excellent gpu, which means AMD is left in the dirt.

Gaming is probably the most important thing for me in getting the best hardware, but it's not the only thing. I do a lot of word processing, work with Adobe PS 7 IL, and several other things, so better performance all around would be good for me. Idhu kadhala. Everyone has their preference. There's a reason why I've been waiting for 955 to come out, but the fact is. Intel is and has been outperforming AMD for quite some time, now. The last 2 pcs I've built have been with AMD procs, but companies are like anything else.