LATEST TECHNOLOGY PHENOM II X4 975 BLACK EDITION APRIL 2012

Introduction

If you have no time to test yourself, or you do not feel quite sure that they are able to choose the right processor for their next computer, designed specifically for the game, drop the question. We make it easy for you to task by giving a simple list of the best gaming CPU, on the market.

Updates for 14, April 2012

March was a relatively quiet month in terms of new processors. Also observed little change in prices. Let's start with AMD.

We have found in selling Phenom II X4 975 Black Edition for $ 140, is $ 20 cheaper than last month. Adherents with motherboards AMD Socket AM2 + or AM3 and less powerful processors are likely to be interested in this model with an unlocked multiplier, given that the Phenom II, we think, even for long hold on the market. CPU frequency of 3.6 GHz, which is quite a lot, but today Phenom II does not receive a recommendation, it takes more than a cheap Core i3-2120, perfect for games. If you have a motherboard with an interface Socket AM3 +, you should note that the price of the FX-8120 has fallen to $ 10 up to $ 190. Not surprisingly, the FX line of gamers bought up bad. Despite this, the reduction in the cost of making the model more attractive for users running multi-threaded applications.

News from Intel a bit. The price for the Core i7-3820 fell to $ 10 and now stands at $ 310, but it does not make it more desirable than ever before. Core i5-2550K is now on sale for $ 220, it's just $ 10 more expensive Core i5-2500K. The difference in the frequency of 100 MHz is quite significant, but the price too. In addition, overclockers will want to spend the extra $ 10 for an opportunity to get a higher rate after the crackdown.

In the past month have nothing more to discuss. But on the horizon one can see two new architectures: Intel Ivy Bridge and AMD Trinity. If you are unfamiliar with their announcements, below we give a brief summary.

Intel Ivy Bridge - is reduced to 22 nm chip Sandy Bridge 32 nm, which is currently used for interfaces LGA 1155, 1356 and 2011. The new architecture will be more attention paid to the graphical component, although this would entail a significant increase in operating frequency. The new desktop processors on the Ivy Bridge should be compatible with all motherboards sixth series after the appropriate firmware update. This is great news for users who are tired of the appearance of more and more interfaces, Intel, which are not combined with previous platforms. As we have said, the architecture of Ivy Bridge has had to appear, but the premiere was delayed for several weeks, reportedly in order to sell the remaining processors Sandy Bridge. According to representatives of Intel, the new design will be very soon, and in fact, we already have a few chips Ivy Bridge in one of our laboratories.

The upcoming APU Trinity architecture from AMD is also a confluence of computing and graphics capabilities. However, we expect that the experience of AMD in the graphics area will affect the balance of the performance of the chip in favor of the gamers. Will AMD to provide enough performance to let the user is guaranteed to use only one chip to play Trinity, entry-level? It looks like it will be a major issue. We can argue that today's APU does not have sufficient flexibility in comparison with the CPU and discrete graphics.

The architecture of the Trinity will be used the next generation of computing the kernel named Piledriver, which is expected to fix all the shortcomings of Bulldozer. The graphics engine will also use a more efficient architecture. Let's hope that these efforts will improve and computing, and graphical capabilities. Unfortunately, as expected, APU-based Trinity will require a new interface Socket FM2, and FM1 existing platforms for them will not work. Initially, the successor to Prime Minister Llano expected in March, but recently we learned that day the same delayed.

Despite delays, we have reason to believe that the wait is long: HP has recently released information about the upcoming series notebooks using the new processors from AMD and Intel.

A few notes about our recommendations

This list is intended for players who want to get the best option for their money. If you're not playing games, then the CPU from this list may not be suitable for your needs.

The criteria by which the list are: price / performance. We recognize that there are other factors that affect the CPU, for example, the price of platform or overclocking CPU, but are not going to complicate things by adding to the list price of motherboards. And now our recommendations are based on the basic clock speed, performance and pricing.

The cost varies daily. In this paper, we can not offer you the most recent and accurate information on prices, but are able to list some good chips, buying that, you probably will not regret about the money spent.

This list is based on the best prices in the shops. In other countries, or in a store retail price, is likely to vary. Of course, we introduced you to the retail price of the new CPU. Used CPU or OEM-products (products from the supplier / manufacturer of OEM, OEM-manufacturer), available at retail, we have made to the table.