AMD Athlon X2 7750 BE review

So then, KUMA is the codename / family development name for these all new dual-core processors. I say new here, but really these puppies have been delayed for a long time now. It's been a long journey for AMD for sure.

It had been claimed Kuma would debut and labeled as Phenom X2, joining the tri-core Phenom X3 and the quad-core Phenom X4. All other Phenoms (K10 parts) have the X extension as well, so it would be logical to name Kuma that way too, AMD however opted to call them Athlon X2. The specs for AMD’s dual-core Kuma "Phenom X2" (see, that sounds better doesn't it) processors are pretty simple to understand.

KUMA is obviously based on AMD's K10 architecture, meaning that they are 65nm based products. Though AMD is still playing catch-up with Intel, these are to be considered the highest performing AMD dual-core processors to date.

That being said, AMD Athlon X2 7550 is to be clocked at 2.5GHz. The processor will have 512KB L2 cache per core and an additional 2MB L3 cache. This product has a TDP of 95 watts. The second is to be the Athlon X2 7750 clocked at a higher clock speed of 2.7GHz, also with the same cache sizes and 95 watt TDP (peak processor wattage).

The AMD Athlon series 7000 processors will be compatible with AM2+ boards and have support for DDR2 DIMMs up to 1066 MHz. The cache is divided into 512KB for each core, summing 1024KB, while an additional 2MB L3 cache will be shared between the cores. All series 7000 CPUs feature a 95W TDP and should be priced at just under €90.

Each of these parts are based on 65nm architecture, the processor has roughly 450 million transistors. The processors are manufactured in AMD's Dresden plant and make use of AMD's 65nm SOI-fabrication.

Now this is interesting: the 95W TDP & 450 million transistors also raises a question, could these be quad-core processors with two cores disabled? The specs are certainly the same.

Anyway, these series 7000 processors use a broader 3600 MT/s HyperTransport interface, and feature DDR2 memory controllers that support the PC2-8500 (1066 MHz) standard. As for the models, the Athlon X2 7550 with a clock frequency of 2.50 GHz has an FSB multiplier of 12.5x. The Athlon X2 7750 comes with a clock speed of 2.70 GHz, and has it's multiplier maxed out at 13.5x. Then there is the 'BE' Black Edition which will have it's multiplier unlocked.

Next to the new K10 architecture we also notice a few new enhancements and instruction sets. 128-bit SSE per clock cycle, a new instruction set under SSE4A which was also released in the Barcelona cores (Phenom). The chips also come with an integrated dual-channel/128-bit DDR2 memory controller and support speeds up to the DDR2-1066 specification. The processor package remains unchanged, and features the 940-pin AM2+ design, which is fully backward-compatible with the AM2 socket.

Again: the "Black Edition" we are testing today has an unlocked multiplier, which is more interesting for tweakers. In the stores it might be a tenner more expensive, but that's definitely worth it if you have some overclocking in mind.