Final Words & Conclusion
The Verdict
The cool thing about new AMD processor releases is that they've set an upper ceiling pricing wise. The most expensive processor is roughly 250 USD. As such the new 965BE processor can be purchased for 245 USD (suggested price = even lower in etail) and the rest of the processors shift down in price. Face it -- 245 USD is just a very fair price and for the money, the Phenom II X4 965 makes a whole lot of sense to us.
The 965BE is impressive and plenty powerful enough for all current applications, a truly fast quad-core processor with a full 6MB of L3 cache and the highest clock frequency to date for a Phenom II: 3.4GHz. As such it is competing with the QX9770 and would pass Q9550 processor performance.
When paired with a proper graphics card your gaming experience will be grand, and your applications will all run fast and swiftly. In fact several PCs in my office have already been switched to Phenom II processors. It's a power consumption aware platform, plenty fast and face it... just really affordable.
Now, say 150 USD is already a little too much for you, you go for pure value and might want to step down to my personal favorite Phenom II processor, the X3 720 (135 USD). Gamers, typically, don't really need four cores (though the tide is slowly changing). That processor can be overclocked well over 3.0 GHz as well.
If 245 USD is just out of reach, you can also opt for the Phenom II X4 940 just as well and overclock it a little as we spotted it for a price of $189.99 already, or what about the X4 955BE at $209.99. An incredible deal really, these processors (BE edition) you'll have running at 3.4 GHz within seconds as well. But it's all relative you guys, because at 245 USD you can purchase the 965BE, and that one... well let's talk overclocking.
If you pop the 965BE into an AMD 790 based motherboard and apply some proper cooling then you'll likely pass 4.0 GHz. On a decent air cooler you will reach at the very least 3.80 GHz swiftly, within seconds, and it's that kind of flexibility and performance that with each and every Phenom II review I find to be so charming.
At this point in time we also think that the 965BE processor might be a good contender against some of Intel's upcoming Core i5 Lynnfield processors. The upper Core i5 range might be a little faster, we don't know for sure just yet. We surely look forward to being able to actually test and compare it all as it will definitely be very interesting.
So what will AMD's next step be you ask? Well, I do not expect a 3.6 GHz SKU to be honest. AMD will probably bring the six-core Istanbul processor to market, which would be a very interesting development to see. Who will be the first CPU manufacturer with a 6-core consumer processor? We'll keep an eye on developments closely.
Bottom line: Progress is what it is all about and AMD has certainly been making a lot of it in the last year or so, we feel the Phenom II X4 965BE is a truly lovely and fast quad-core processor for the budget minded overclockers and PC enthusiasts, you'll absolutely like what it brings to the table. It's a product that makes a lot of sense and as such comes very much recommended.
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