Following the rumours a couple of weeks ago, AMD has quietly launched its Phenom II 42 TWKR Black Edition processor for the overclocking community.
Apparently, there are a 'small number' of limited edition TWKR processors that will never be for sale. By small number, AMD really means a 'very small number'.
"There are less than 100 of these [TWKR processors] that I know of," said an AMD spokesperson.
When asked why AMD was doing this, the spokesperson said: "AMD wanted to give the hardcore enthusiasts/overclockers some love. There has been a lot of support and AMD wanted to give back with parts that have characteristics that are specifically attractive to overclockers: [they] can handle more voltage and scale really well under extreme conditions (LN2 and LHe)."
Out of the box, the chip runs at 2GHz but is fully unlocked - it won't be running at its stock speed for very long in the hands of the world's top overclockers. They apparently "demonstrate the sound engineering and superior process technology that is in each AMD Phenom II processor," according to an article on Legit Reviews.
In short, it's nothing but an exercise in marketing... and it may work for AMD.
These CPUs are designed to be heavily overclocked and are more receptive to higher voltages - AMD's hope is that they'll break a few benchmarking records. They'll overclock approximately 200MHz higher than a Phenom II X4 955 under extreme temperature conditions - you can read more here if you're interested.
One question we have to ask is: what is the validity of a world record recorded with a processor that nobody can buy? We can't help but feel this is getting a little ridiculous. Discuss in the forums.
Apparently, there are a 'small number' of limited edition TWKR processors that will never be for sale. By small number, AMD really means a 'very small number'.
"There are less than 100 of these [TWKR processors] that I know of," said an AMD spokesperson.
When asked why AMD was doing this, the spokesperson said: "AMD wanted to give the hardcore enthusiasts/overclockers some love. There has been a lot of support and AMD wanted to give back with parts that have characteristics that are specifically attractive to overclockers: [they] can handle more voltage and scale really well under extreme conditions (LN2 and LHe)."
Out of the box, the chip runs at 2GHz but is fully unlocked - it won't be running at its stock speed for very long in the hands of the world's top overclockers. They apparently "demonstrate the sound engineering and superior process technology that is in each AMD Phenom II processor," according to an article on Legit Reviews.
In short, it's nothing but an exercise in marketing... and it may work for AMD.
These CPUs are designed to be heavily overclocked and are more receptive to higher voltages - AMD's hope is that they'll break a few benchmarking records. They'll overclock approximately 200MHz higher than a Phenom II X4 955 under extreme temperature conditions - you can read more here if you're interested.
One question we have to ask is: what is the validity of a world record recorded with a processor that nobody can buy? We can't help but feel this is getting a little ridiculous. Discuss in the forums.
RELATED ARTICLES
MSI MPG Velox 100R Chassis Review
October 14 2021 | 15:04
Want to comment? Please log in.