| Q: | What is the AMD Athlon™ II X2 250 processor?
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| A: | Building on the last 10 years of innovation throughout the AMD Athlon™ brand, the AMD Athlon™ II processors are a brand new lineup of 45nm dual-core processors. The new AMD Athlon™ II X2 250 desktop CPU will continue to enable industry partners and OEMs to respond to the industry need for affordable, powerful and energy efficient desktop PCs that help consumers to quickly and easily create, enjoy and share their digital world. |
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| Q: | What benefits does this new line of processors offer for consumers?
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| A: | For the desktop user, expectations are simple: they want to be able to do the things that matter, faster– productivity, digital media, HD entertainment, and gaming – at a price that doesn’t break the budget. When combined with superior ATI Radeon™ HD graphics technology, systems based on the AMD Athlon™ II X2 processor deliver up to twice the graphics performance of those with Intel integrated graphics*, as well as
superior multi-tasking and exceptional digital media performance with next-generation energy efficiency.
Whether buying a new computer or upgrading components, AMD continues to deliver competitive and affordable solutions addressing the diverse needs of customers and consumers who don’t quite need the performance boost of a triple- or quad-core processor, yet still want to get the most bang for their buck.
* Results based on testing at AMD performance labs; results are normalized to the Intel Platform; AMD Platform configuration: Intel configuration: Intel Core 2 Duo 5400 processor; Motherboard: DG45ID; Graphics: G45 Express; Memory: 4GB Corsair CM2X2048-8500C5D; Operating System: Windows Vista® 64 Ultimate; AMD configuration: AMD Athlon™™ II 250 processor; Motherboard: M4A78T-E; Graphics: ATI Radeon™ HD 3300 integrated graphics; Memory: 4GB Corsair TR3XG1600C8D; Operating System: Windows Vista® 64 Ultimate.; Unreal Tournament 3, Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance and Company of Heroes are measured in Frames Per Second when using built-in demos and levels.; 3DMark Vantage Entry Score. Results are measured in Marks |
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| Q: | What is the target market for the AMD Athlon II processors?
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| A: | In general, dual-core processors are intended for consumers who demand performance while multi-tasking, to help them to do more in less time.
The AMD Athlon™ II X2 250 processors are for a growing segment of value-conscious PC users seeking a full-featured product with best-in-class performance for the changing face of everyday computing.
Customers looking for an entry level processor will be able to take advantage of AMD’s innovative 45nm dual-core technology and experience a compelling solution, especially when combined with AMD’s chipset and graphics processors and Windows® 7 operating system. |
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| Q: | How much does AMD Athlon™ II X2 250 processor cost? How does the price/performance compare to competitors?
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| A: | With AMD Athlon™ II X2 250 CPU (3.0GHz), users pay less for more, period. The 250 processor is available for the AMD SSBP of $87. From a price/performance level they also provide over 30% greater performance in Windows Movie Maker over the Intel Core 2 Duo E5400 (2.7GHz) priced at $89.99** (According to Newegg.com as of 5/26/09).
AMD believes people don’t just associate value per cores; they also associate value at price point and performance. By bringing the right technology to market at the right time and right price to satisfy customer needs, and the needs of the channel partners that are reaching a broad customer base, AMD intends to price these AMD Athlon™ II processors competitively to offer users superior value.
** Results based on testing at AMD performance labs; results are normalized to the AMD Athlon™™ X2 7850; AMD Athlon™ - configuration: AMD Athlon™ X2 7850 processor; Motherboard: GA-MA790GP; Graphics: ATI Radeon™ HD 3330 integrated graphics; Memory: 4GB Corsair CM2X2048-8500C5D; Operating System: Windows Vista® 64 Ultimate. INTEL configuration: Intel processor; Motherboard: DG45ID; Graphics: G45 Express; Memory: 4GB Corsair CM2X2048-8500C5D; Operating System: Windows Vista® 64 Ultimate; AMD Athlon™™ II configuration: AMD Processor; Motherboard: M4A78T-E; Graphics: ATI Radeon™ HD 3300 integrated graphics; Memory: 4GB Corsair TR3XG1600C8D; Operating System: Windows Vista® 64 Ultimate.; SYSMark O7 Preview Version Patch 4. Results are measured in Marks; MainConcept encoder converts DoubleDutch.mpeg (114MB) to an H.264 format captured data is elapsed time in seconds.; Photoshop Elements applies 5 auto-filters on 48 1600x1066 jpg-files and measures elapsed-time-in-seconds; Windows Movie Maker renders a photo slide show as an AVI from a dataset of 97 1600x1066 JPEG images. Captured data is elapsed time in seconds. |
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| Q: | What does the transition to the 45nm design node mean for processor performance?
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| A: | By designing the new AMD Athlon™ II X2 250 processors at 45nm, we’re able to deliver better processor performance while using significantly less power (Up to %50 less power at idle, 50% under light load and up to 40% under heavy load***) and better transistor efficiency than previous generation technology. The AMD Athlon II X2 250 is a natively designed dual-core processor with a TDP of 65W.
***Based on comparison of 65nm AMD Phenom™ X4 9950 125W to 45nm AMD Phenom™ II X4 940 125W. System Configuration: AMD internal reference motherboard (Shiner); CHIPSET: RS780 / SB700 Chipset; BIOS: MS9A04-4; MEMORY: DDR2-800 2X1024MB; O/S: Windows® Vista® SP-1; Other: C1E enabled, L3PwrSavEn enabled. |
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| Q: | What other tools and utilities can consumers use to enhance their multimedia experience?
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| A: | Gamers can download and install the AMD Fusion for Gaming Utility, a free software from AMD designed to allow users to experience greater performance on AMD processor based PCs at the click of a button. It works by temporarily reducing resource-consuming background tests and services while boosting compute performance.****
AMD also enables a unique multimedia and social media experience with the latest AMD Fusion Media Explorer (FME) beta software. FME is a new 3D Immersive Social Media and Digital Media Browser, built and distributed by AMD and showcases the power of AMD CPUs and GPUs. AMD Fusion Media Explorer combines a user’s local media items, plus related online content from providers such as, Flickr, YouTube, and Microsoft Live. In addition, FME has Facebook integration which gives our users even more options for posting or interacting with their favorite photos or friends’ photos. All of this is managed by an integrated search engine that makes it very easy to quickly locate what you are looking for. This application demonstrates what AMD platforms are capable of when the software is designed to take full advantage.
In addition to AMD’s suite of software tools to deliver an optimal entertainment experience, Windows 7 is optimized for AMD Athlon™ II processors to enable a fast and responsive PC experience.
**** THIS UTILITY MAY DISABLE SECURITY / ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE, OR ADVERSELY AFFECT YOUR SYSTEM. REVIEW ACCOMPANYING DOCUMENTATION CAREFULLY BEFORE INSTALLING. |
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| Q: | How energy efficient is the AMD Athlon™ II X2 250 processor?
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| A: | The AMD Athlon™ II X2 250 delivers great frequency with lower power consumption than previous-generation AMD Athlon™ processors. For example, users will be able to slash their power consumption by up to 50% when doing basic tasks, 40% when running heavy load, and 50% when at idle.****
**** THIS UTILITY MAY DISABLE SECURITY / ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE, OR ADVERSELY AFFECT YOUR SYSTEM. REVIEW ACCOMPANYING DOCUMENTATION CAREFULLY BEFORE INSTALLING. |
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| Q: | Is the AMD Athlon™ II X2 250 an AM3 package processor? Is it backwards compatible?
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| A: | In addition to AMD’s family of 45nm AMD Phenom™ II processors, this brand new series of AMD Athlon II X2 processors continue to deliver what consumers want by being the industry’s only backwards compatible processors that support both the existing AM2+ infrastructure as well as AM3 platforms featuring DDR3 memory. For those looking to upgrade their platform, AMD can help consumers avoid spending a substantial amount of money when compared to competing desktop platforms that force the additional costs of new memory and motherboard with their processor. AMD allows consumers to customize an upgrade path that’s right for their budget and overall experience they desire. |
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| Q: | Is the AMD Athlon™ II X2 processor a triple- or quad-core Athlon™ II processor with disabled cores? Is it because the cores didn’t work?
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| A: | The AMD Athlon™ II X2 dual-core processor is a native dual-core architecture which is a representative example of AMD’s ongoing strategy to differentiate products by number of cores, price and power consumption. In an effort to address customer and end user demand for a native dual-core processor, the AMD Athlon II X2 processor is designed to deliver the performance that is expected of the AMD Athlon brand at a mainstream price point that delivers superior value.
© 2009 Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. All rights reserved. AMD, the AMD Arrow logo, ATI, the ATI logo, AMD Athlon, Dual Dynamic Power Management, Radeon, and combinations thereof are trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. HyperTransport is a licensed trademark of the HyperTransport Technology Consortium. Other names are for informational purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective owners. |
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