Athlon 64 FX-62 & Athlon 64 X2 5000+ Processor Review - Page 12

Value

Value is not usually a term brought up in relation to the Athlon 64 FX line, as these CPUs have a standard price of just above the $1K level, and the Athlon 64 FX-62 is currently sitting in the $1,033 range. Enthusiasts who demand the absolute top performance are the target market, and this segment isn't exactly known for pinching pennies. That said, the Athlon 64 FX-62 is the best value this line has ever seen, and is basically two Athlon 64 FX-57 processors for the price of one.

The Athlon 64 X2 5000+ has a more mainstream price, even if it sits on the very high-end of that range. Current retail prices are at the $685+ level, which is interesting because the 2.4 GHz Athlon 64 X2 4800+ is only $50 less. Throughout this review, we've seen the Athlon 64 X2 5000+ post impressive memory and system scores, while fighting off the Athlon 64 X2 4800+ in some games, and we see that AMD has priced these processors accordingly, and likely too much in favor of the Athlon 64 X2 5000+.

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

Conclusion

The launch of the Athlon 64 FX-62 and Athlon 64 X2 5000+ processors, while impressive in their own right, is almost secondary to the future potential of Socket AM2. Certainly, it is nice to see the higher performance and improved specifications of the latest processors, but it's more a horizontal transition, where the Socket AM2 processors are faster than similarly-clocked Socket 939 models in a few games or applications, and vice versa, with it ending in sort of a platform draw. The real key here is how this near seamless transition to high-speed DDR2 has positioned AMD for the 65nm future, and provided the much-needed headroom for faster processors.

Athlon 64 FX-62 Ratings

Pros:

• Fastest Desktop CPU
• Dual Channel DDR2-800
• Athlon 64 FX-57 = Obsolete

Cons:

• Expensive
• Still 90nm

Ratings:

Athlon 64 X2 5000+ Ratings

Pros:

• Priced Competitively
• Dual Channel DDR2-800
• Lower Power and Heat Specs

Cons:

• Still 90nm
• 2x512-MB L2 Hampers Game Performance

Ratings: