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Scaling Down AMD's Phenom II 1090T |
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Final Benchmarks, Overclocking and Conclusions
PassMark PerformanceTest 7.0
PassMark PerformanceTest is an award winning PC hardware benchmark utility that allows anyone to quickly assess the performance of their computer and compare it to a number of standard 'baseline' computer systems. These synthetic tests are focused on a few key CPU results as well as the final CPU Mark score given to the processor itself based on the cores enabled.
Score: Higher is Better.
Download Link: here.
SiSoftware Sandra 2010
SiSoftware's Sandra 2010 offers abundance of tests for CPU's, however we focused on a few core synthetic tests that cover peak processing power, multimedia and cryptography processing performance.
Score: Higher is Better.
Download Link: here.
Overclocking and Conclusions:
What processor analysis would be complete without a bit of overclocking? Thanks to the 1090T being a Black Edition, the multiplier is unlocked. This allows for easy overclocking with just a couple of adjustments.
From a stock frequency of 3.2GHz, the limit we were able to reach was 4.2GHz - however it was unstable and we weren't willing to push much over 1.55v, so we settled for 4.0GHz at 1.45v. While a 4.2GHz result may be attainable, watercooling might be a possible solution to allow better cooling and stability at higher voltages.
Looking back at the result we find six cores offering the fastest performance in comparison to quad and dual core configurations. Even games that aren't touted as being optimised for multi-core processors showed significant gains in average frames per second. Applications displayed substantial gains as they are less graphics-bound, and while there were one or two applications that didn't see more than a few seconds of difference, this can be attributed to the size of the benchmark project data or a lack of optimisations even though the latest versions were tested.
Synthetic tests show the true horsepower of each core configuration, boasting gains that are hard to replicate in any games or applications as yet. However the increasing use of multiple displays, various multi-tasking scenarios as well as the use of virtual environments allow the utilisation of more cores at the same time without the possibility of slow-downs and lack of processing power - even if one application isn't using all cores evenly.
Quad core and dual core configurations are likely to be the most commonly purchased processors today. Our results showed that dual core processors are really more of an entry level product even with higher clocks, whereas quad core processors look to be the standard that any new PC builder should consider due to more and more applications and games making use of more than two cores.
There is no doubt that there are performance benefits of six core processors in the scenarios tested, and while AMD's top six core processor may not be within all people's budgets, they do offer 1055T and 1075T variants that feature a lower price point and frequency.
All in all AMD's Phenom II X6 1090T offers mainstream enthusiasts a taste of true six core processing without the need for hyper threading and at a bargain price compared to other high-end CPUs. The analysis today showed the benefits from an extra two cores over its quad core counterpart, but what was the most significant surprise is how dual core processors now lag behind for the majority of tests.
Thanks to AMD Australia for providing the review sample.
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