Meet the Kuma
Meet the Kuma
We'll start off first with a rundown of the processor technology and architecture. KUMA is the ASIC codename / family development name for series Athlon X2 7000 dual-core processors.
KUMA is detectably based on AMD's K10 architecture, meaning that they are 65nm based products based off the original Phenom processor architecture die and now can be be considered the among the highest performing AMD dual-core processors to date, though we'd really like to see AMD hit 3.0 ~ 3.2 GHz with their dual-core processors based on Phenom II architecture.
But let's rack up the processor line in order to get a better perspective of differences and positioning:
| Model | Frequency | L2 Cache | L3 Cache | Packaging | TDP | Technology |
| 955 | 3.2 GHZ | 2MB | 6MB | AM3 | 125W | 45nm SOI |
| 945 | 3.0 GHz | 2MB | 6MB | AM3 | 125W | 45nm SOI |
| 940 | 3.0 GHz | 2MB | 6MB | AM2+ | 125W | 45nm SOI |
| 920 | 2.8 GHz | 2MB | 6MB | AM2+ | 125W | 45nm SOI |
| 910 | 2.6 GHz | 2MB | 6MB | AM3 | 95W | 45nm SOI |
| 810 | 2.6 GHz | 2MB | 4MB | AM3 | 95W | 45nm SOI |
| 805 | 2.5 GHz | 2MB | 4MB | AM3 | 95W | 45nm SOI |
| 720 | 2.8 GHz | 1,5MB | 6MB | AM3 | 95W | 45nm SOI |
| 710 | 2.6 GHz | 1,5MB | 6MB | AM3 | 95W | 45nm SOI |
| 9950 | 2.6 GHz | 2MB | 2MB | AM2+ | 125W | 65nm SOI |
| 9850 | 2.5 GHz | 2MB | 2MB | AM2+ | 125W | 65nm SOI |
| 9750 | 2.4 GHz | 2MB | 2MB | AM2+ | 95W | 65nm SOI |
| 9650 | 2.3 GHz | 2MB | 2MB | AM2+ | 95W | 65nm SOI |
| 9350e | 2.0 GHz | 2MB | 2MB | AM2+ | 65W | 65nm SOI |
| 9150e | 1.8 GHz | 2MB | 2MB | AM2+ | 65W | 65nm SOI |
| 7850 | 2.8 GHz | 1MB | 2MB | AM2+ | 95W | 65nm SOI |
| 7750 | 2.7 GHz | 1MB | 2MB | AM2+ | 95W | 65nm SOI |
| 7550 | 2.5 GHz | 1MB | 2MB | AM2+ | 95W | 65nm SOI |
| 6000 | 3.1 GHz | 1MB | N/A | AM2 | 89W | 65nm SOI |
| 5800 | 3.0 GHz | 1MB | N/A | AM2 | 89W | 65nm SOI |
| 5600 | 2.9 GHz | 1MB | N/A | AM2 | 65W | 65nm SOI |
| 5400 | 2.8 GHz | 1MB | N/A | AM2 | 65W | 65nm SOI |
| 5200 | 2.7 GHz | 1MB | N/A | AM2 | 65W | 65nm SOI |
That shown, AMD Athlon X2 7850 is to be clocked at 2.8GHz. The processor will have 512KB L2 cache per core and an additional 2 MB L3 cache. This product TDP of 95 watts.
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. 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 65 nm 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. Series 7000 CPUs feature a 95W TDP and this particular 7850BE processor should be priced under 79
The processor package remains unchanged, and features the 940-pin AM2+ design, which is fully backward-compatible with the AM2 socket.
The series 7000 processors use a broader 3600 MT/s HyperTransport interface, and makes use of a DDR2 memory controllers that supports PC2-8500 (1066 MHz) DDR2 memorystandard, again you are bound to a Socket AM2+ motherboard with AMD 780 or 790 chipset. This processor will not fit into Socket AM3 motherboards with DDR3 support, please be aware of that.
The Athlon X2 7850 comes with the clock speed of 2.80 GHz, and has it's multiplier maxed out at 14x. The 'BE' Black edition will have it's multiplier and voltages unlocked.
| Number | Stepping | Frequency | L2-Cache | L3 cache | HTx2 | Multi 1 | VCore | TDP | Socket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athlon X2 7550 | B3 | 2500 MHz | 2 x 512 KB | 2 MB | 1800 MHz | 11.5x | 1.2 - 1.25V | 95W | AM2+ |
| Athlon X2 7750 | B3 | 2700 MHz | 2 x 512 KB | 2 MB | 1800 MHz | 13.5x | 1.2 - 1.25 V | 95W | AM2+ |
| Athlon X2 7750 BE | B3 | 2700 MHz | 2 x 512 KB | 2 MB | 1800 MHz | 13.5x | 1.2 - 1.25 V | 95W | AM2+ |
| Athlon X2 7850 BE | B3 | 2800 MHz | 2 x 512 KB | 2 MB | 1800 MHz | 14x | 1.2 - 1.25 V | 95W | AM2+ |
Small architectural note, the new K10 architecture also has 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.
Again: this "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 had some overclocking in mind.
