AMD Phenom II X6 1100T Black Edition Review

AMD already refreshed their lines of desktop Athlon II and Phenom II families a few times in 2010. Now just in time for the Christmas Holidays AMD introduces the latest additions with the flagship 6-core Phenom II 1100T Black Edition CPU.  Recently PCWizkid reviewed AMD's fasted Quad core CPU the Phenom II X4 970, and earlier this year we did the review on AMD's other 6-Core CPU's the hexa-core 1090T and the Phenom II X6 1075T.  Today review the new flagship CPU, the Phenom II x6 1100T BE which comes in at a default 3.3Ghz clock speed supporting Turbo mode up to 3.7Ghz.

Specifications

Phenom II™ X6 1100T Black Edition Processor Specifications:
Model Number & Core Frequency: X6 1100T / 3.7GHz (Turbo) / 3.3GHz (Base)
OPN: HDE00ZFBK6DGR
L1 Cache Sizes: 64K of L1 instruction and 64K of L1 data cache per core (768KB total L1 per processor)
L2 Cache Sizes: 512KB of L2 data cache per core (3MB total L2 per processor)
L3 Cache Size: 6MB (shared)
Total Cache (L2+L3): 9MB
Memory Controller Type: Integrated 128-bit wide memory controller *
Memory Controller Speed: Up to 2.0GHz with Dual Dynamic Power Management
Types of Memory Supported: Unregistered DIMMs up to PC2-8500 (DDR2-1066MHz) -AND- PC3-10600 (DDR3-1333MHz)
HyperTransport 3.0 Specification: One 16-bit/16-bit link @ up to 4.0GHz full duplex (2.0GHz x2)
Total Processor-to-System Bandwidth: Up to 37.3GB/s total bandwidth [Up to 21.3 GB/s memory bandwidth (DDR3-1333) + 16.0GB/s (HT3)]
Up to 33.1GB/s total bandwidth [Up to 17.1 GB/s memory bandwidth (DDR2-1066) + 16.0GB/s (HT3)]
Packaging: Socket AM3 938-pin organic micro pin grid array (micro-PGA)
Fab location: GLOBALFOUNDARIES Fab 1 module 1 in Dresden, Germany (formerly AMD Fab 36)
Process Technology: 45-nanometer DSL SOI (silicon-on-insulator) technology
Approximate Die Size: 346mm2
Approximate Transistor count: ~904 million
Max TDP: 125 Watts
AMD Codename: “Thuban”
*Note: configurable for dual 64-bit channels for simultaneous read/writes

PCWizKid's Test System

- Jetway HA12 890FX Motherboard
- Diamond ATI Radeon HD5850 Graphics Card
- 4GB DDR3 Kingston HyperX CL9 2000Mhz Memory
- EverCool Terminator CPU cooler
- Lian-Li PC-8FI Mid Tower Case
- RaidMax Monster 1000W Power Supply
- Kingston V Series 128GB SSD Drive
- Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit
- Ambient Room Temperature 20C (+/- 1C)


Video Review


Conclusion

As seen in PCWizkid's video review the AMD Phenom II x6 1100T BE has terrific temperatures while delivering higher performance including exceptional overclocking to 4.1Ghz.  The solid results in many ways such demonstrated how multi-threaded performance and sheer value can be obtained for AMD's 6-Core CPUs.  Enabling the Turbo mode in this processor gives it an automatic boost to 3.7Ghz at a cost of about $265 which is cheaper than Intel's quad core i7 870 at $279 USD.   While I was able to overclock this CPU like to 4.1Ghz with AIR Cooling there is no real need to, it performs just fine AS IS.  Positioned at the top of the 6-Core lineup of Phenom X6's the 1100T is essentailly a small speed increase from the previous 1090T and essentially the same on all other specs.  PCWizKid is liking however how AMD is keeping its high end desktop CPU's at or below the 125Watts mark when it comes to power requirements, this makes it ideal for today's energy saving PC Enthusiasts.  Again AMD is giving the consumer every possible combination of their lineup of CPU's to cater to everyone's needs and budget.