AMD Socket 939 4000+ and FX55

Review by Jason Jacobs on 10/19/04
Processor Provided by AMD

Socket 939 4000+

Those with keen eyes will notice that the 4000+ comes in at the same clock frequency as the 3800+. Why then the change in performance rating? If you look closely at the specifications you will see that the 3800+ had 512kb L2 cache where the 4000+ has a full 1024kb (1MB) L2 cache. Essentially you now have the computing power of the FX53 without the ability to raise the multiplier. This is great for those who want all the power at a lesser price. According to AMD the pricing will be as follows:

PRICING:
AMD Athlon 64 4000+ processor $729 each (PIB)

Of course most of us can look forward to prices lower than that when these hit the consumer market. One might wonder why AMD released such parts when the 3800 and FX53 are already superior products on the market. Its the opinion of this editor that AMD did so for two reasons.

1. AMD has a long tradition of continual R&D with improvements to their lineup even when their top performers are doing well.
2. AMD released the 4000+ and FX55 to offer its other 939 processors at a lower price point to their consumers.

The release will of course drive current prices down which is always good. This also means that the 939 which is already popular will most likely get more popular as it becomes cheaper.

The 4000+

The 4000+ uses the same architecture as the previous 939 processors which includes the use of dual memory controllers and Hypertransport Technology. For those interested in what is under the hood the core is shown below.

Now for those that are asking, What do I get with the 4000+? Let's take a look at some performance numbers on the next page.