Reviews for AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core 4800+ 2.4GHz Processor

AMD outpacing all others

Strengths: Integrated memory controller, true inter-core communication, large L2 cache, low heat output for its power, fits long life 939 socket motherboards, play games and run antivirus at the same time !

Weakness: Now surpassed by Intel's Core 2 Duo series, Does not give backrubs, bring you cold beers or snuggle with you at night, still pricey

I have discontinued this review because as any tech geek knows, times change and better products are manufactured. If you are currently in need of a high end processor then take a look at the new Intel Core 2 Duo series. Intel has come back from the edge and is now producing models that can best any of AMD's latest offerings.
(My review below was last updated during June of 2006) When I first got into building power computers for my graduate research a few years back, I said, "Amd, smay-m-d". Nothing was better than a Pentium. Then I noticed the fans in my box making a hell of a whirling sound. Even later, I noticed my BIOS reporting 77 degrees C for the CPU ! (WTF !!!) To cap it off, I saw my friend's AMD box run games like Doom 3 almost TWICE as fast.
OK, I said, so lets see what all this FX and X2 Dual Core crap is about. Long story short, a year on and one FX-55 and one X2 4800 later, and I am converted. Want to run FEAR or Oblivion at 1600x1200 at 70 FPS while checking for viruses - yep, check. Want to transcode video to DivX while also watching streaming iFilm movies - yep, check. Want to run Matlab neural network simulations while editing high res photos - no problem. The X2 4800 blows away the competition (lesser AMD models and everything Intel). The 4800 takes most of Intel's top Extreme Edition CPUs and steals their lunch money, pulls a wedgie up over their heads, slaps them silly and then exits with the hot slutty cheerleader. It is like the 1968 Muhammed Ali taking on the town drunk. To be fair, the latest Intel 965 Extreme Edition Presler can match the 4800 in office tasks but still lags behind in gaming (and runs much hotter at about 82 C versus 44 for the X2 4800) Yes, it is fairly dominating, and only Michael Dell of Dell infamy seems not to have realized this. The competition between AMD and Intel is cyclical, and maybe Intel can get back up after its most recent KO (better products may be available by September of 2006 when Intel implements their Conroe architecture, more on this below) but right now, they are taking an across the board beating from the X2 dual core lineup.
How is this possible? Well, you have two true cores that have true intercore communication (they do not use the FSB as Intel dual cores do). The X2 lineup then make s great use of its integrated memory controller to communicate directly with your system RAM (no Northbrige stopover like Intel). You also have the two separate L2 (one MB each) caches as well. Furthermore, without going into engineer babble, the microarchitecture is just plain better. And overclocking you ask? - it will reach 2.7 gigs on air and hits 2.8 GHz on my watercooled setup (so two FX-57s for 40 percent of their combined price).
So, to the average Joe, you have two butt kicking cores working in tandem (instead of waiting for one another as in Intel) like reciprocating pistons. Imagine transcoding your favorite DVD movie while attacking the Germans on the Normandy beaches in a game, while the fans in your case hum along quietly, the CPU temperature holds steady at 44 degrees and your significant other asks how you have been able to get so much done in the last few days - thats the power of the 4800 (and the entire X2 lineup). Is it cheap - nope, but you get what you pay for. In June, very little software was coded for multi-core, now in April 06 , we have ATI and Nvidia graphics drivers that are starting to change, FEAR, Quake 4, FarCry, Matlab, Mathematica, soon Vista (Longhorn), and the list will continue to grow each month.
So the question is should you buy it, even if you have the moolah? Well, the 4800 is socket 939, and this will be supported by AMD until mid 2007, so not bad. However, the latest and greatest has just changed to the FX-60 CPU (two cores, 2.6 GHz, 2MB L2 cache, 90nm die, $1030) and by May 15th, 2006 we should see the new Socket M2 motherboards (which are not 939 compatible and will use DDR2 memory). Intel is also set to introduce their Conroe architecture in the third quarter of 06, and if early benchmarks are to be believed, should outperform the next gen AMD AM2 cpus by some small percent. Additionally, if you do not need bleeding edge, but do need dual core now, look into the AMD X2 3800+ cpu. It is much cheaper ($280 now), dual core, has good overclocks, and is also socket 939. I also suggest looking into the Socket 939 Dual Core Opterons. Folks are reporting very high overclocks from the 165 model and the Opterons are built very tough because they have to handle server and workstation loads. So choose wisely, but as for finding a better CPU, there are none. Since June, 2005 this CPU has rocked, and I am a happy customer.

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No stopping in AMD!

Strengths: Very fast. Flawless performance. Can do multitasking without hesitation. Stable. Quiet!

Weakness: runs a little hot when under load. 114F at times. You can definitely hear fan start then. nothing else!

I previously had the amd xp 3500+. This cpu blows that one away. My setup includes xfx 7800gt, corsair 2gb ram, 2 WD hard drives in RAID 0 and Asus A8N32-SLI deluxe. Windows took about 10 minutes total to install (but it did take nearly 2 hours to format the hard drives for NTFS). I am overall very pleased with AMD. The cool n quiet technology definitely much better than previous. I have noticed no problems what so ever. While amd has upcoming M2 platform, it will still have the athlon 64 x2 in 5000, 4800 and lower versions, so I am not sure how much difference this new platform will be. It will use less power than current version however. Do not let that deter u from buying this. I cant wait to get Vista!

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Follow up to previous review

Strengths: Fast, runs cool

Weakness: Problems with some games

This is a follow-up to a previous review I posted on the Athlon 64 X2 4800+. Since I have been running this processor for a couple of weeks now, I have found some problems with poor gaming performance. This appears to be a well recognized issue with the dual core processors and there have been a number of suggested fixes. In all, it has been a little frustrating to actually see game performance DECREASE with the new processor, but after all of the workarounds have been employed, the processor seems to run flawlessly and much faster.
Call of Duty 2 has a specific dual core game patch. Many games run fine without a patch. Otherwise you need to set the affinity of each game to run on a single core (since your computer looks at the processor as two separate cpus), and download the AMD dual core driver.
Just thought prospective buyers should know about the dual-core related gaming issues.

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Top of the line AMD X2

Strengths: Speed, Stability, Multitasking ability

Weakness: Price

The X2 4800+ is AMD's fastest current dual-core processor. I built my new system around this CPU, and have been very happy with it's performance. As more programs are released that take advantage of dual core processors, it's performance should only improve. That being said, it's still very fast on single-threaded activities, and it runs all current applications beautifully. I've also found that my CPU overclocked fairly well, but as always, every CPU is different, and there are no guarantees when it comes to overclocking.

The only weakness of this item is the price. While buying this chip does provide a certain level of "future-proofing", there are other options available (lower level X2's as well as single-core CPU's) available at less cost with nearly as good performance. Overall though, i am pleased with my purchase and the performance of this processor has been wonderful.

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This processor is a multi tasking beast!

Strengths: The price does seems high, but with the CPU being great for the normal MS Windows user or for the Unix user, it is worth every red cent!

Weakness: No weaknesses here at all..

Not only is the AMD Athlon X2 4800 lightning fast for the everyday MS Windows user who enjoys normal use or multi-tasking, it is the ideal processor for the Unix/Linux world as well. As a Gentoo Linux user I compile all of my software from source while running other programs as well, and the X2 4800 is amazingly fast for this purpose.

No matter what additional tasks I throw at it while compiling software from source, there is absolutely no noticable drop in speed or in performance. This includes running resource intensive video editing software, dvd/cd burning software, or using any of my mp3 editing software or graphics software. I am very pleased with this processor, and can not see any other processor on the market being superior to it in any way when it comes to multi tasking.

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Nice performance

Strengths: Speed, stability, and very future-proof

Weakness: Probably doesn't really deliver enough of a boost to justify the price compared to lower models in the same line.

Overall, I'm very pleased with the new capabilities of the system I built around this core. I do notice almost everything going faster, but that is partly, doubtlessly, due to the peripherals. The dual-core nature, speed and cache should make this a usable processor for several years, and it will be ready when a really usable 64-bit OS comes down the pike.
But perhaps one should save some money and get one of AMD's processors that are a step or two lower in the line of the same family...

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AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+

Strengths: This is one damn fast processor. It not only gives you (2) 2.4GHz cores, but also allows you to be able to run 64-bit Windows and apps.

Weakness: It runs VERY hot. Must have very good cooling system in case. Also this is VERY expensive!

While I almost but the dual core FX processor that just came out, I couldn't justify spending another $400 on top of the $600 I spent for this processor, for a little jump in speed. Even though this processor is very expensive, I think it was worth it. It gave me everything I wanted. I have 2 fast AMD Athlon 64 cores at 2.4GHz with 2Mb of cache and the ability to upgrade to 64 bit Windows when I want to!

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From Single to Dual core

Strengths: FAST FAST FAST,it is as advertised. What you want out of your CPU. Cheaper than the high end Single-core.

Weakness: Absolutely none

I was going to get one of the AMD flagship CPU's the FX57, but when I was running the numbers my total cost was too much, I had to reduce my bottom line. I looked online to see what was availible for less and was still high end. I saw that the Dual Core was out and running and saw that the 4800 was three Bills cheaper than the 57. It was a no brainer, and I am totally happy with the choice.
This thing should set my case on fire it goes so fast. It opens and closes windows and all programs with a fierce speed. I was using a 3400+ before and this is like having 2 of those. I don't have any heat issues and I do suggest getting good RAM atleast 2G. You will not be disappointed. Money well spent.

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GOOD GOD THIS THING IS FAST

Strengths: fast, good cache, overclockable, fast o and a DUAL Core,

Weakness: so so fragile, and a nice heatsink is recommened

This thing is fasst. Any application works great with this processor, and multi-threaded applications recieve a huge performance upgrade. Sure sure, you can say that there arent many, but 3 months later, youll be glad to spend the extra money on dual core. Works great with my OCZ 2GB CAS 2 Ram and my ATI 1900XT running. This thing is monster.

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Fast and cool

Strengths: FAST, FAST, FAST! Runs cool and is compatible with Socket 939 motherboards.

Weakness: None so far...

Wow. All I can say is this processor flies. I did a recent build around this and an Abit KN8-SLI mobo, 2 gigs Corsair XMS, WD Raptor 10,000 rpm drive and dual 7800 GTX Leadtek cards. This thing is smokin'.
During the re-installation process, I was installing and updating Guild Wars while playing Call of Duty 2 Multiplayer online at high resolution, all without a hitch. It posts higher benchmark scores than my friend's FX-55.
In my older Antec server case (2 rear 80 mm fans, 2 front 80 mm fans, one bay fan) the CPU runs at 27 degrees C at idle and doesn't go above 40 C under load.
I considered buying the FX-60 and may wish I had, but this is the "little brother" to that processor, and it runs pretty well. Overall, I don't think you can go wrong with it.

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AMD Dual Core

Strengths: this thing is FAST!!! it can do a lot of things at once and plays games great.

Weakness: expensive

this is definitely better than the intel dual core. if you have the money, go with it! eventually everything will be dual core so you might as well start with it now.

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Athlon 64 X2 4800+ Dual-Core Processor (2.4GHz, 2MB,...

Strengths: Its The Best I Ever had!!!

Weakness: none

I just got it and have had no trouble so far. Every thing is as it says.able to do multi tasks at all times with no slow downs,I just wish i had the money to get the fx-60.

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AMD Athlon X2 4800+

While not the flashiest of computer processors the AMD Athlon X2 4800+ makes up for its lack of power and energy efficiency in price. Aimed at competing with Intel in the low end market, basic Athlon X2 processors such as the 4800+ cost only a fraction of what they did months ago. Not the greatest of processors for heavy encoding or gaming, but proficient for the majority of computer users....

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AMD's Dual Core Athlon 64 X2 Strikes Hard

Beware, Intel! AMD's desktop dual core comes in with clock speeds unreduced from those of its single core chips, ready to strike a devastating blow at the very playground Intel had prepared with Hyper Threading. Read on to find out why the Athlon 64 X2 will be king of the ring.

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AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+ Dual-Core

The AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+ was an excellent performer in virtually every category. Throughout our entire suite of benchmarks, the Athlon 64 X2 4800+ was consistently ranked at the top of the charts, either matching the performance level of a similarly clocked Athlon 64 4000+ in the single-threaded tests, or outperforming every other reference system in the multi-threaded tests. Only in the Office...

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