The long lethargy of AMD seems finally finished. Indeed, except one
énième variation of K8 architecture at the beginning of the year in the
person of Athlon 64 dual FX-60 core, we did not have anything of nine
to put to us under the tooth. This May will be different, perhaps.
Indeed, AMD does it arrive with a new architecture? Not. Will AMD
launch processors engraved in 65 nanometers? Either. Actually AMD draws
still more on the rubber band of its K8 architecture, itself derived
from K7 architecture. Indeed, on May 23 the Athlon processors 64 AM2
will unload which do not bring enormous innovations, the principal one
being the storage medium DDR2 via a passage of the socket 939 with the
socket 940.
Side of the processors for portable computers, AMD did not propose
anything when Intel launched the third Centrino generation introducing
Intel Core Duo and Solo. The giant of Santa Clara thus found himself to
only propose processors dual core in the laptops. AMD opposite had only
Turion 64 which is only one Athlon 64 proposer a TDP of 35 or 25 Watts.
Today, AMD launches Turion 64 X2, pushed back on several occasions.
According to various rumours, this delay would have been to allot to
the difficulty in reducing consumption to an acceptable level compared
to Athlon 64 X2 AM2, other theories justifying this time lengthened by
a morose market on the level of the sales of portable PC. But let us
not mislead there we, Turion 64 X2 does not have anything again, nor of
transcendent. It acts neither more nor less than one Athlon 64 X2 “AM2”
socket S1 whose thermal envelope was reduced.
Thanks to a contact at a OEM, we could provide us a portable computer
equipped with Turion 64 X2 TL-60 given rhythm to 2 GHz. We have decides
to logically oppose it to a portable computer equipped with Core Duo,
T2500 given rhythm with 2 GHz also. We thank in the passing Asus France
to have lent quickly A6 Core Duo to us equipped with a graphic solution
nearly identical to that assembled on the portable containing Turion 64
X2…
New a socket and support of the DDR2
Processors AMD Turion 64 inaugurate new a socket: S1. It is equipped
with 638 pines only whereas the precedents Turion 64 (individual core)
functioned on socket 754 pines. These Turion X2 will thus not be usable
on the mother charts currently available of office and it is far from
probable that board manufacturers mothers leave the models equipped
with socket S1 since AMD will decline Athlon 64 X2 AM2 in version EE
not meaning here Extreme Edition but corresponding to the versions Low
Voltage of the AM2, with a TDP announced for 35 or 65 Watts according
to the model.
Initially, Turion 64 X2 will be engraved in 90
nanometers, of the versions 65 nanometers being envisaged later on.
Three versions are awaited corresponding to as much value of TDP: Keene
with a TDP of 25 Watts, Taylor with a TDP of 35 Watts and finally
Trinidad and a high TDP of 62 Watts reserving it for portables DTR
(Desktop Replacement). This information however remains to confirm
since today, AMD launch only Turion 64 X2 Taylor.
Our specimen of test is the processor most highly given rhythm for the
introduction of Turion X2, namely 2 GHz. It names AMD Turion 64 X2
Mobile TL-60 and is equipped with 2x512 KB of L2 mask, that is to say a
L2 mask by core of execution while the L1 mask is of 128 KB. Its TDP is
of 35 Watts since it is about the core Taylor while its revision is the
BH-F2. On the level of the supported instructions, one is entitled to
the MMX (+); with the 3Dnow! (+), with the SSE, the SSE2, the SSE3 and
obviously with the instruction set x86-64. In short, nothing new good
compared to Turion 64 of first generation.
What is new on the other hand and which constitutes the principal
innovation of processors AMD on socket AM2 and S1: the support of the
DDR2 400 and 533 into dual channel. Indeed, these Turion 64 X2 have a
controller report allowing the management of memory DDR2 in double
channel. The HyperTransport bond on its side is fixed at 800 MHz, that
is to say in terms of FSB, a value of 200 MHz. Let us finish by some
figures by quoting the size of the die which is 172.1 mm ² while the
number of transistors rises to approximately 153.8 million. There in
terms of size, the processor in itself is smaller than Turion 64 socket
754 and approaches more than one Core Duo on this level. What strikes
on the other hand, it is the size of the die compared to its Intel
competitor. On the level of the chipsets compatible with its Turion 64
X2, AMD announces tiddlywinks SiS, VIA, ATI, ULi and NVIDIA.
Classification of the models
Turion 64 X2 preserve the principle of the classification of individual
Turion 64 core made up for recall of two digits and two letters. Here,
there is TL (Thin and Light) follow-up of two digits:
TL-60: 2 GHz, 2x512 KB of L2 mask
TL-56: 1.8 GHz, 2x512 KB of L2 mask
TL-52: 1.6 GHz, 2x512 KB of L2 mask
TL-50: 1.6 GHz, 2x256 KB of L2 mask
All are processors dual core and they support all the management of
énegie PowerNow. Lastly, they all are compatible with the
virtualisation which for recall makes it possible to emulate two
machines starting from one only processor, so certain material
conditions are respected. It will be noted that the TL-50 is given
rhythm at the same frequency that the TL-52 but is equipped with twice
less mask. From there with saying that AMD touches the bottom by
proposing similar dual processor core, there is only one step that many
will not hesitate to cross…
On the level of the prices, AMD announces tariffs by 1000 units going
from 184 to 354 dollars, which in oneself is not expensive. Indeed, to
Intel, the tariffs of Core Duo go from 241 dollars for T2300 to 637
dollars for T2600. Posted with 354 dollars, the TL-60 is positioned
between Core Duo T2500 sold 423 dollars and T2400 tarifié 294 dollars.
At final, AMD arrives opposite Intel with four models Dual Core where Intel proposes six of them:
Core Duet T2600, 2.16 GHz, 2 Mo of L2 mask, TDP 31 Watts
Core Duet T2500, 2 GHz, 2 Mo of L2 mask, TDP 31 Watts
Core Duet T2400, 1.83 GHz, 2 Mo of mask L2, TDP 31 Watts
Core Duet T2300, 1.66 GHz, 2 Mo of mask L2, TDP 31 Watts
Core Duet L2400, 1.66 GHz, 2 Mo of mask L2, TDP 15 Watts
Core Duet L2300, 1.5 GHz, 2 Mo of L2 mask, TDP 15 Watts
Configurations of review
A portable Turion 64 X2 containing nForce 4
AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-60 2 GHz
Chipset NVIDIA nForce 4
2x1024 Mo of DDR2-667 5-5-5-15-2T
Graphics board GeForce Go 7600 256 Mo
Screen 15.4 inches with maximum resolution of 1280x800
At the time of a recent visit that we returned with NVIDIA in their
Californian offices of Santa Clara, the firm with the chameleon
recalled us his intention to propose chipsets for portable computers.
It is thing made with the model that we could test since the latter is
equipped with the nForce 4.410. The remainder of the configuration of
this portable computer was established as follows:
Opposite, a portable Core Duet…
To obtain a comparable configuration containing Core Duet, we asked
Asus to provide us a model nearest possible to our portable containing
Turion X2. In an interval record, Asus could provide us A6 embarking
Core Duo T2500, the same quantity of memory and GeForce Go 7600 256 Mo
as on the model Turion X2. Here the configuration supplements of this
Asus portable:
Intel Core Duet T2500 2 GHz
Chipset Intel 945GM
2x1024 Mo of DDR2-667 5-5-5-15-2T
Graphics board GeForce Go 7600 256 Mo
Screen 15.4 inches with maximum resolution of 1280x800
Being given the tariff of Turion X2 TL-60 is tarifié at a price located
between Core Duo T2500 and T2400, we also carried out tests with Core
Duo T2400 in the Asus portable.
Other configurations included
We included in the graphs of other configurations already tested in the past with the same protocol of test:
Averatec 3700
Turion processor 64 ML-40 2.2 GHz
Chipset VIA K8N800A
512 Mo of DDR333 (simple channel)
Integrated graphic solution S3 Unichrome Pro
This configuration had only 512 Mo of GDR in the portable which we had
tested and it will be advisable to hold account in the benchmarks of it.
Dell M170
Processor Intel Pentium Mr. Dothan 780 2.26 GHz
Chipset Intel 915PM
2048 Mo of DDR2 4-4-4-8 (double channel)
NVIDIA GeForce Go 7800 GTX
Benchmark AMD Turion 64 X2
Compression MP3 and Ogg Vorbis benchmark
Here results obtained by our protagonists during the compression of 8 files WAV in MP3 and Ogg Vorbis:
These compressions do not manage the multithread, which explains for
example the first place of individual Turion ML-40 core in compression
MP3. Indeed, it has a higher frequency of operation just like (2.2 GHz)
Pentium M 780 (2.26 GHz) which pursues it. In Ogg compression, the
TL-60 is clearly outdistanced by Core Duo whereas in compression MP3,
the variation is weaker.
Compression DiVX and Xvid benchmark
Here results obtained during the compression of a video FD 72 minute old to the format DiVX and Xvid.
In both cases, Turion TL-60 is located between Core Duo T2500 and Core
Duo T2400. It is also in front of Turion ML-40 but this last was tested
only with 512 Mo of memory, which can influence here somewhat. Pentium
M 780 and its 2.26 GHz on the other hand puts everyone of agreement in
these tests privileging the frequency more than the number of core…
WinRAR compression benchmark
We compressed on the one hand 688 small files and on the other hand 8 large files. Here results obtained expressed in seconds:
Compression with WinRAR is strongly dependent on the frequency of the
processor but also of the embarked memory, which explains the
performances in withdrawal of Turion ML-40 which moreover gére GDR only
in simple channel, which worsens its case. Concerning Turion TL-60, one
notes that it is lagging behind compared to Core Duo T2500 and T2400.
3DSMAx7 benchmark
This application is able to manage the
multithread and that is noticed in the results below. Here results
obtained at the time of returned of 3 complex scenes:
Turion X2 TL-60 is obviously with the festival compared to Turion ML-40
but owes déchanter quickly when it looks at the times obtained by Core
Duo T2400 and T2500…
Specified on the tests in the plays
In these
benchmarks, we will compare only Turion X2 TL-60 and both Core Duo. The
reason is simple: they all were tested with GeForce Go 7600 256 Mo
while Pentium M 780 and Turion were embarked in portables including of
the different graphic solutions. The tests were carried out in low
resolutions and without any details activated to limit the impact of
the graphics board and this in order to judge the best possible
possibilities of the processors.
Gaming benchmark
Aquamark 3
Let us start gently with AquaMark 3 in 640x480:
Processors AMD often were in front of in the plays. Gives seems changed
with Core Duo, which will be confirmed soon in our article devoted to
the test of Core Duo on platforms of office.
Unreal Tournament 2004
Even report in UT2004 where Turion X2 TL-60 is put at evil by Core Duo T2500 and T2400.
Far Cry
Without comments…
SuperPI: for the amateurs
Voic results under
SuperPI, for the amateurs of the kind. In this exercise, the mobile
processors make wonder, one knows it for a long time already:
Autonomy: preview
We entitled the title:
“preview” because the portable that we received is a preproduction and
it is thus difficult to be certain that the final portables will behave
like ours. Moreover, these portables, although very close relations,
are not completely identical. On the level what brings them closer, we
have a of the same screen dimension, the same graphics board, the same
memory while the hard disk and the mother chart are different. The
batteries had the same specifications on the other hand. They were
batteries Li-Ion 14.8 volts 4800 mAh equipped with 6 cells.
Knowing
that, here the times obtained under Battery Mark 4.01 in mode
conditionning run, with PowerMizer of NVIDIA regulated on maximum
autonomy. We indeed did not have time to test the mode Life less greedy
test for the simple one and good reason which we received the portables
only yesterday and which the tests of autonomy are very “time
consuming”…
Portable Core Duet T2500: 118 minutes
Portable Turion 64 X2 TL-60: 100 minutes
As
it is seen, Core Duo seems to offer better an autonomy. Some share, it
would not be astonishing considering the processors Core Duo have a TDP
of 31 Watts against 35 Watts for Turion X2. Also let us announce that
the portable embarking Turion X2 did much noise, the turning ventilator
very quickly while the outgoing air via the grid of the radiator of the
processor was very hot. We will however not draw from hasty conclusions
on this level, the systems of cooling of the two portables being
different.
What is certain on the other hand, it is that Turion
64 X2 will not revolutionize the world of the portables in terms of
autonomy because even if our portable is a version of preproduction, it
is not very far away from the portables which will leave soon with last
mobile processors AMD…
Overclocking the AMD Turion 64 X2
we have not get any accurate result during our overclocking test. but it sweem we have a lot of stablility issue when we have overclocked this . the benchmark and overclocking result will be posted here as soon as we have enough result.Thanks for patience
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