CPU Showdown: AMD vs. Intel

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The troubled economy is taking its toll on businesses in every field and, with computer sales slowing, the inventories of many component manufacturers are becoming more and more stagnant. Even the two leaders in the CPU market -- Advanced Micro Devices and Intel -- are feeling the pain. With both AMD and Intel recently announcing facility closings, layoffs in the thousands and price cuts, one can only wonder what next steps these two companies will take to turn the tide.

Bucking trends of the past, today's customers are considering older, less expensive processors instead of the latest and greatest. And, while AMD and Intel are adjusting their market strategies to accommodate this shift, the (seemingly) age-old processor war continues, with both companies releasing a new round of CPUs over the past few months.

The CRN Test Center has spent time with AMD's Phenom II X4 940 Black Edition and Intel's Core i7-965 Extreme Edition, both the high-end iteration of each company's most recent processor lines. We found that they each meet their goals for a specific audience, although that doesn't necessarily mean they have the same target in mind.

The Phenom II X4 is AMD's first line of CPUs built with 45nm technology. Upon launch, there are two quad-core processors: the 3.0GHz X4 940 Black Edition and the 2.8GHz X4 920. The 3.0GHz X4 940's Black Edition moniker signifies its unlocked multiplier.

Part of the platform formerly code-named Nehalem, Intel's next-generation lineup includes the high-end 3.2GHz Core i7-965, named Extreme Edition to signify an unlocked multiplier, as well as a Performance version and a Mainstream version (respectively, the Core i7-940 and the Core i7-920). Considered by some to have the most significant new architectural changes since the Pentium Pro, the Core i7's micro-architecture eventually will include variants for server and mobile applications.

Also part of the Nehalem platform, Intel released the new X58 chipset. Taking a page from AMD's past playbooks, the Core-i7 processors have integrated memory controllers. Because of this, the X58 does not have a memory interface. Unfortunately, it also means a new socket profile, this time called Socket B (aka LGA1366).

As a consequence of all these changes, anyone wanting to use a new Core-i7 will have to purchase a new X58 motherboard as well. Also, the integrated memory controller has support for three channels of DDR3 1066 memory but can only handle memory rated up to 1.6 V. As Intel warns, memory rated above 1.6 V can damage the processor. For this reason, new memory will have to be obtained, too.

The X58 chipset incorporates QuickPath Interconnect (QPI), Intel's latest system interconnect design, which increases bandwidth and lowers latency. Additional features include high-definition audio, Matrix Storage Technology with support for RAID 0, 1, 5 and 10, and a PCI Express Interface with support for dual x16 and up to quad x8 graphic card configurations, or any combination in between.

Meanwhile, AMD's Phenom II is considered the heart of the company's new Dragon platform. In addition to the processor, Dragon consists of ATI Radeon HD 4800 series graphics (AMD acquired ATI in 2006), AMD 7-series chipsets and AMD software. The goal of Dragon is to enable computers for high-definition gaming, video processing and entertainment, at an affordable price.

Major feature enhancements of the Phenom II include 8 MB of total cache (Level 2 and Level 3), and additional power states that provide a lower power idle and lower power consumption under moderate load when used with the company's Cool'n'Quiet 3.0 Technology (which is enabled via the BIOS).

In addition, keeping the AM2+ form factor, the new processors are backward-compatible with most current motherboards, although a BIOS update most likely will be needed.

Even before building a system with either processor, it is clear that they -- as well as the platforms they anchor -- have different objectives. Core-i7 and Nehalem are focused on performance at any cost, while Phenom II and Dragon are designed around price and power conservation. With that in mind, our findings during testing were pretty much as we expected.

Although other manufacturers have since created motherboards designed to take full advantage of the Core-i7 and the X58, our testing was done on Intel's own DX58SO Extreme Series, also known as the "Smackover" motherboard.

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