AMD Athlon 64 FX-53 Processor Review - Page 10

Benchmark Analysis

The Athlon 64 FX-53 placed where we expected, at least for the most part. We already had benchmark results from the Athlon 64 FX-51, and with a 200 MHz clock speed increase, it's not difficult to extrapolate these results and then see if the Athlon 64 FX-53 can hit them. There were still a few surprises, such as the AquaMark 3 System scores, where the Athlon 64 3400+ really benefited from its AquaMark-friendly K8T800 platform. The Athlon 64 FX-53 also compared extremely well to the Pentium 4-3.4 GHz Extreme Edition, and for our money, is the faster overall processor and platform. It still wasn't a clean sweep on the benchmark side, but the Athlon 64 FX-53 is still the fastest desktop CPU we've tested.

Value

The Athlon 64 FX processors are certainly not designed for entry-level buyers, and AMD has set the Athlon 64 FX-53 at $733 in quantities of one thousand. This compares to the Athlon 64 3400+ at just over $400, the 3200+ just under $300 and the 3000+ at slightly over $200. On the Intel side, the Athlon 64 FX-53 looks like a crazy value compared to the Pentium 4 3.2 EE (under $900) and the 3.4 EE (just over $1K), which are its two main competitors.

The $733 price tag is extremely close to the current street price of the Athlon 64 FX-51, but there seems to be method to this madness, and once the Athlon 64 FX-53 hit the news, AMD promptly deleted the Athlon 64 FX-51 from their price list. What this means exactly, is still open, but it seems that AMD is only looking to offer one Athlon 64 FX-based processor at a time. We'll have to see how the Athlon 64 FX-53 introduction will shake up prices on existing Athlon 64 FX-51 stock, but AMD won't be cutting prices on a model that doesn't exist. On the positive side, it seems that we're about to get 2.4 GHz of Athlon 64 FX power for close to the price of 2.2 GHz.

* Please note that these prices were taken at the time of review and are not meant to reflect long-term trends.

Conclusion

AMD has done what it set out to do, and the Athlon 64 FX-53 is now the fastest enthusiast-level, desktop processor that money can buy. It does come at a high sticker price, but high-end computer hardware has never been cheap, and there are obviously buyers who can foot the bill. The real issue we have with the Athlon 64 FX-53 is its Socket 940 platform, which AMD roadmaps show as coming to an end, and being replaced by Socket 939. Other than this consideration, AMD has another top release with the Athlon 64 FX-53, and current Socket 940 owners have at least one potential upgrade path.

Pros:

• Highest Performance Desktop CPU
• High-End Memory Performance
• 32/64-bit Support

Cons:

• Expensive
• Socket 940's Days are Numbered

Ratings: