AMD Phenom II X6 1055T Processor Performance Review

AMD Phenom II X6 1055T Processor Review

When the AMD Hex-core processors first came out we were able to take a look at the flagship processor, the AMD Phenom II X6 1090T. We also downclocked the AMD Phenom II X6 1090T to the speeds of the AMD Phenom II X6 1055T. Now that the dust has settled we have managed to get our grubby little hands on an actual AMD Phenom II X6 1055T we can put it through the paces and see how she’ll do. The AMD Phenom II X6 1055T is a 2.8GHz hex-core processor that features AMD Turbo CORE technology which is currently only available on the new “Thuban” processors.

When you combine the latest technology from AMD, which includes the Phenom II X6 processors, AMD 8-series chipsets, and ATI Radeon HD 58XX series graphics cards you will have a system that AMD has dubbed the ‘LEO’ platform. The ‘LEO’ platform is said to be the ultimate AMD platform for power users.

The AMD Phenom II X6 1055T is a 2.8GHz processor with a locked multiplier. This is one of the primary differences between the AMD Phenom II X6 1055T and the AMD Phenom II X6 1090T which is a Black Edition processor with an unlocked multiplier. Another is the out of the box speeds. The AMD Phenom II X6 1090T comes from the factory clocked at 3.2GHz with a Turbo clock of 3.6GHz, while our AMD Phenom II X6 1055T comes at 2.8GHz with a 3.3GHz Turbo clock.

The AMD Phenom II X6 1055T has six real 45nm cores of processing power that operate at 2.8GHz under full load. If the CPU finds itself in a condition where 3 or more cores are idle, the processor can use Turbo CORE technology to boost the active 3 cores to 3.3GHz improving performance on less heavily-threaded workloads. If you are interested in a much more in-depth explanation of how the AMD Turbo CORE technology works you can find that in the AMD Phenom II X6 1090T processor review here.

AMD Phenom II X6 1055T HDT55TFBGRBOX Specifications

Cache Sizes

• L1 Cache: 128KB (64KB Instruction + 64KB Data) x6(six-core)
• L2 Cache: 512KB x6(six-core)
• L3 Cache: 6MB Shared L3

Process Technology: 45-nanometer SOI (silicon-on-insulator) technology
HyperTransport technology links: One 16-bit/16-bit link at up to 4000MT/s full duplex; or up to 16.0GB/s I/O bandwidth
Memory: Integrated memory controller up to 21GB/sec dual channel memory bandwidth
Types of Memory: Support for unregistered DIMMs up to PC2 8500 (DDR2-1066MHz) and PC3 10600 (DDR3-1333MHz)
Die Size: 45nm = 258mm2
Packaging: 938-pin organic micro Pin Grid Array (micro-PGA)

Despite my begging and pleading with my wife, I was unsuccessful convincing her to let me purchase the AMD Phenom II X4 965 which would be closest to the $197.99 price of the AMD Phenom II X6 1055T. I guess she is convinced that we need to eat. So for testing today we are going to look at the closest processors to the AMD Phenom II X6 1055T that I currently have on hand. The stack of processors that we are going to use are the Intel Core I7 930, the AMD Phenom II X4 910, and the AMD Athlon II X4 640.