AMD Phenom II X4 940 Black Edition - Phenom II X4 Deneb Quad-Core 3.0 GHz Socket AM2+ 125W Processor - HDZ940XCGIBOX

Pros: I posted a review earlier, wanted to repost to give some updated thoughts

Pros: This thing is amazing. It runs super cold, and overclocks like a champion (See below). Dropped right into a Foxconn a79a-s without needing any bios updates. CnQ was easy to disable in Vista 64bit. AMD Overdrive is convenient for adjusting Voltages up and down, since my mobo won't allow undervolting.

Cons: Still no cons.

PC Specs:

Antec 900, Corsair 750wtt psu
Foxconn A79A-S 790fx (750sb)
Zalman 9500 hsf
4gb ddr2-1066 ocz platinum (2.11v) @533mghz (1066) 5-6-6-18
4870x2 @ 770/940
250gb WD hdd
400gb WD hdd
DVD/CD HP Lightscribe Combo drive

**New benchmark numbers**

As is customary, Benchmarks are very finicky, depending on the drivers and intel/amd

After finishing my burn-in on my 940 I re-ran the benchmarks, 3.8ghz @ 1.464v

World In Conflict - 38fps seaside benchmark 1920x1200, highest settings

Crysis v1.2 - 24fps timed demo 1920x1200, highest settings

Farcry 2 - 38fps benchmark loop #1 (3 runs) 1920x1200, highest settings

Overall Review: New numbers on stable frequencies with voltage changes:

** (Indicates finished burn-in, latest stable numbers)

3.0ghz stock @ 1.368volts, idle 22c, load 30c
**3.0ghz @ 1.313 volts, idle 20c, load 27c
3.4ghz @ 1.368v, idle 24c, load 32c - 8 hours prime95 no errors
**3.4ghz @ 1.352v, idle 23c, load 30c - 4 hours prime 95 no errors
3.6ghz @ 1.368v, idle 28c, load 38c - 4 hours prime95 4 errors
3.6ghz @ 1.416v, idle 30c, load 40c - 8 hours prime95 no errors
**3.6ghz @ 1.392v, idle 27c, load 40c - 4 hours prime95 no errors

Here is where I actually had more difficulty, the first time it ran at 3.8 on 1.416v, it ran w/out errors, I have not gotten it stable at 3.8 with anything under 1.46v since

3.8ghz @ 1.416v, idle 30c, load 44c - 8 hours prime95 no errors
**3.8ghz @ 1.464v, idle 33c, load 48c - 4 hours prime95 no errors

**4ghz @ 1.512v, idle 37c, load 54c - 4 hours prime 95 no errors

I currently have it running 3.4 @ 1.352v

Pros: Rated at a 1 so that people who are reading about all the DOA's down here will also read this. This chip will not POST if ACC is turned on in your bios (making you think the chip is DOA). Some motherboards were made before this chip and in effect have ACC on in the default bios. ACC is Advanced Clock Control. The Phenom I required ACC on the motherboard, but the Phenom II has it built onto the chip creating confusion for the motherboard. You may need to have an older model AMD socket A2 chip lying around to get your Phenom II to boot properly. So use the older chip, get into the Bios and turn ACC off. Then put in your shiny new Phenom II and watch your computer fly.

Cons: AMD really didn't publish this information in an easy to find spot, in fact I had to search for it pretty hard, especially as I bought this chip as soon as it was available on Newegg. Its frustrating to plug in a new part, and find it doesn't work at all. So all these folks who think they have a DOA, chances are good, they just have ACC on.

Overall Review: This chip is night and day incredibly faster than the previous Phenom I line of CPU's. Yeah, its still slower than a similarly clocked i7, but it also costs $700 less. Stable in my Asus M3A79-T Deluxe at 3.7Ghz with a big Thermaltake air cooler on it. Then consider the fact that a Core i7 motherboard costs about 3X the average Asus motherboard, and that ads up to a whole lot money you can spend elsewhere in your computer. This CPU does not disappoint, it holds its own in speed.