AMD Phenom X4 9750 Quad Core CPU Review

Conclusion

As with most things in life its better to get the bad news over and done with first, and in the case of the Phenom 9750 it is pretty bad. With all the various tests and benchmarks we threw at it, the Phenom did not perform especially well in any area. It didn't matter what we looked at; whether it be thermal load, game performance, or even efficiency the Phenoms lagged behind the Q6600, and when we included the Q9450 things get down right grim. Sure there were a few highlights along the way but they were more glimpses of the future and only underscored how much work and revision the K10 architecture needs if it is to compete on an even footing with Intel.

The good news is that the K10 Quads have pushed AMD back into the game and we can now actually consider them seriously again in some cases. The Phenom line really is a wonderful, if unrefined piece of kit. Unfortunately, a lot of people get caught up in the marketing mumbo jumbo and forget that even a quad that can’t beat Intel’s is more than Joe and Jane SixPack will ever need (or at least need for the next two years). After working and using this processor for a few weeks now, its numbers really do belie how good it is at day to day tasks. That being said needing a high end cooler does ruin the effect somewhat, but the 9750 is still a wonderful processor that you should take a second look at if you are looking for a mid-range AMD system.

This leads us to what we think AMD needs to do. AMD needs to regroup and do exactly like their ATI division is doing: concentrate on the mid end and forget about the high end. Now we are not saying give up on the high end but rather not worry about being top dog for right now. Being the top dog may be great for company morale and we're sure it warms the cockles off their fans' hearts, but it doesn’t do much for the bottom line. The middle of the road is where the big bucks are, as most consumers buy mid-grade computers and are happy as clams with them. Basically, they need to cut costs which will in turn yield more savings for the consumers. If they are able to deliver a competitive quad core which costs less than the Q6600, they will be half way there. Unfortunately, at this time the Phenom just feels like a rushed product that is suffering from some flaws which should have been caught early in tha game.

Besides the above, the biggest thing they have to do is get on the manufacturer's cases and push them to put out decent motherboards which can handle the high end Phenoms in the $100 - $150 range. As it stands, choosing a motherboard that supports a Phenom is a bit of a bewildering process which only serves to turn many customers to the Intel camp.

This to us is the short term stop loss maneuvers that need to happen. The next thing they have to do is get the efficiency and thermal loads under control, and get some all round refinement to the K10 happening ASAP. If AMD can do this then they can recapture a good portion of the HTPC, Silent PC and gaming PC crowd. These are the consumers who want cool-running CPUs which leave lots of juice for all the bangs and whistles (like quad-fire / quad SLI, or loads of hard drives) yet can still crunch massive amounts of data when need be. This will also make air cooling w/ reasonable core temps more possible as no one really wants to watercool a chip in the mid range market (unless that is your hobby).

All in all, it seems like AMD does have a fighting chance in the quad core arena but they will have to move fast to make up for lost ground. The Phenom X4 9750 seems to be a good second step after the lackluster B2 chips but it is far from a solid performer and is still seriously lacking in several other key areas. Rumors speak of new, cooler running Phenom’s coming out soon so maybe, just maybe we are unto something and we can look forward to a real two horse race again in 2009. But until then, the fact is that AMD seems to be two steps or more behind Intel while not offering anything new in the way of value.


Pros:
- Quad core AMD!
- More than enough power for the average computer user
- Reasonable price
- Shows that the K10 architecture has true potential


Cons:
- Subpar performance when compared to Intel Quads
- HOT running
- Requires a good board (or else bad things happen!)
- Not as efficient as the Intel Quads
- K10 needs refinement
- Latency Issues