Welcome to Part 1 of Tom's Hardware's 2011 Holiday Gift Guide. This first installment is geared toward system builders planning to pool some Christmas cash to build a new performance- or value-oriented system. We have something for everyone this year.
$139.99
www.amd.com
In October, we gave this chip an honorable mention as one of the best gaming CPUs in the $100 to $200 range. Bang for the buck, Intel's Sandy Bridge-based Core i3-2100 may be better for gaming, but when you’ve got multiple apps to juggle, the Phenom II X4’s four cores are likely the better bet. The fact that we’re still considering this processor at the end of 2011—over two and a half years after its debut—should tell you something about its overall impact on the budget-oriented enthusiast market.
The 45 nm-based 955 was one of the first flagships for AMD's Socket AM3 interface. Clocking in at 3.2 GHz, the chip features 64 KB of L1 cache per core, 512 KB of L2 per core, and 6 MB of L3 shared across all four cores. All told, AMD crams this performance into a 125 W TDP envelope.

The historical significance of the 955 may turn out to be that, in the spring of 2009, this was one of AMD’s best shots at the high-performance market, though it didn’t even come close to the Core i7s of the day. Only now do we have the company officially acknowledging that it is no longer in a war with Intel for the CPU market’s high ground.
But that doesn’t mean that AMD lacks real value at the low- and mid-ranges. This 955 remains a compelling upgrade for those with AM2+ and AM3 platforms. The Black Edition chips (with unlocked clock multipliers) have always been a great way for those tight on funds to get into overclocking, and the 955 can easily reach into the 3.6 to 3.8 GHz range without so much as a pinch of voltage increase. So, if you’re holiday recipient has an aging AMD platform in need of a quick caffeine transfusion, the 955 remains a very accessible way to have a lot of fun.
- CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition
- Motherboard: MSI 990FXA-GD80
- Memory: PNY XLR8 MD8192KD3-1600-X9
- Power Supply: SilverStone Strider Gold Evolution 1000 W
- SSD: Crucial m4 256 GB
- Graphics Card: Gigabyte GV-R695OC-1D
- CPU: Intel Core i7-3930K
- Motherboard: Asus Rampage IV Extreme
- Memory: G.Skill RipjawsZ F3-17000CL9Q-16GBZHD (4 GB x 4)
- Chassis: SilverStone Raven RV03
- Zotac Infinity Edition ZT-50102-30P GeForce GTX 580
- Noctua NH-D14 SE2011
- Creative Labs Recon3D PCI Express Fatal1ty Professional Edition

I actually quite like that they are not looking like the stick insects or airbrushed monsters you get in a lot of the media, I'd certainly not be ashamed to be seen with any of them. I actually think the girl with the Ram is rather cute.
It's just putting them in crap outfits and not knowing how to properly light and pose them. Compare a shot of Naomi in Vogue to a pap shot of her leaving a nightclub - it's all in how the shot is staged.
It's just putting them in crap outfits and not knowing how to properly light and pose them. Compare a shot of Naomi in Vogue to a pap shot of her leaving a nightclub - it's all in how the shot is staged.
Maybe a whole generalisation was harsh. In mainly talking about the 6950 model.
The hardware featured was alright too hehe
Moto
what's a corker? is that like: "Someone who's appearence caused the evironment to die" or like: A nice piece of work that comes out best upside down or facing the other way?
By the way, I like her too
Although I would marry a hd7950 rightaway
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=corker
I'd take a woman like her or christina hendricks over the cookie cutter barbie girls on tv/music media circuits anyday
Mmmm, YoSaffBridge /drool
Google yosaffbridge if your not a browncoat :-)
Moto
I respectfully disagree. I actually find these images both tasteful and seductive, despite Tom's being a technology-orientated site. Got my engine firing on all cylinders, ladies.
I feel that so many other sites these days have models who are predictably bland and withdrawn. They try to look and act older than they actually are, they are wafer thin (even before the Photo-shop touch is applied), and wear dull clothing. It's like watching the BBC's Breakfast TV. In contrast these ladies at Tom's are the real deal, in my opinion.
An attractive lady in a red suit next to a Phenom II.. super duper. Darn it, I gone spilt thermal paste all over my voltage regulators