Like it's
predecessors, AMD's 3.1GHz Athlon II X4 645 is an ideal computer processor for those who need good multi-threaded application performance,
but have to live within the reality of a
tight budget.
This chip costs $122USD, making it one of
the most affordable quad-core processors out there and when
it's installed into an AMD 890GX
motherboard, the resulting PC platform as a whole offers a great mix of value
and features. It's this total-system-value quotient where AMD continues
to succeed.
While the Athlon II X4 645 is clocked at a fast 3.1GHz and does have four
discreet CPU cores, it's worth remembering that this processor has no
L3 cache whatsoever. When it's faced off against quad-core CPUs with L3 cache
in number-crunching benchmarks the Athlon II X4 645 is unable to match the paste,
not crunch raw numbers quite as quickly. It is most certainly of mainstream
pedigree.
If we consider PCSTATS' processor benchmark set on
the whole, the AMD Athlon II X4 645 processor does well within the
mainstream processor segment, and generally speaking average overall as expected.
In certain multi-threaded benchmarks that allow the Athlon
II X4 645's four cores to flex, the chip can
offer competitive benchmark results against a Phenom II X4 and even
Intel's more expensive Core i5 processor. Compared against flagship chips like the
Intel Core i7 920 and
AMD Phenom II X6 1090T, the Athlon II X4 645 is about 2/3rds
the performance, in raw synthetic tests as little as one-half.
Sysmark 2007 puts it best - Intel's Core i7 920 and
AMD's Phenom II X6 processors are very evenly matched in this system wide
benchmark. The Athlon II X4 645 is a noticable
notch down - a good 30-40 points on the Sysmark scale - but not
so slow as to make the computer unwieldy slow in use.
To get the most value from a mainstream
processor like tthe AMD Athlon II X4 645 that PCSTATS tested
today, you're best off pairing it with motherboard that has integrated
graphics. That means a motherboard built with the AMD 890GX, 880G
or 785G chipset. In the context of overall system cost
and feature set, it's hard to ignore what AMD brings to the table: DDR3
memory, HDMI/onboard video and potentially SATA6 and
USB 3.0. Furthermore, like it's Intel competitors the AMD Athlon II X4 645 will
happily run 32-bit or 64-bit Windows 7 operating systems too.
To sum it all up, AMDs quad-core 3.1GHz Athlon II X4 645 is a
good mainstream CPU at $122 CDN ($122 USD, £61 GBP), especially
for those looking at heavily multi-threaded workloads on a budget. It is by no
mean the fastest quad-core offering in the AMD stable and its lack of L3 cache
does put the CPU at a disadvantage in certain benchmarks, as you've seen. On the
whole, this mainstream processor does offer a compelling blend of overall system
performance particularly when paired with AMD's 890GX motherboard
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