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Tom's Hardware's 2011 Gift Guide: Part 1, For System Builders

Tom's Hardware's 2011 Gift Guide: Part 1, For System Builders
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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.

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  • 1 Hide
    audiovoodoo , 14 December 2011 01:49
    Those have to be some of the worst photos I've seen in a long time. I know this site is mostly male readers but seriously, we know where to find better titilation. Personally I think it detracts from the article. If you are going to do it then at least get a photographer that knows what they are doing and how to get the best from the models. Some of the shots really do neither the girl or the product any justice.
  • 0 Hide
    Rob47 , 14 December 2011 02:24
    Did they pick these women from a shemale catalogue? Look at the 6950 models desperate dan chin.
  • -3 Hide
    Anonymous , 14 December 2011 09:51
    Nice girls, nice pictures :) 
  • 1 Hide
    audiovoodoo , 14 December 2011 19:05
    Quote:
    Did they pick these women from a shemale catalogue? Look at the 6950 models desperate dan chin.


    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.
  • 3 Hide
    Rob47 , 14 December 2011 19:25
    Quote:
    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.


    Maybe a whole generalisation was harsh. In mainly talking about the 6950 model.
  • 1 Hide
    Motopsychojdn , 14 December 2011 20:31
    Nice to see real women for a change (I hope their U.K. Girls, cause that red-heads a corker :p )
    The hardware featured was alright too hehe
    Moto
  • 1 Hide
    So Sick , 15 December 2011 13:24
    MotopsychojdnNice to see real women for a change (I hope their U.K. Girls, cause that red-heads a corker )The hardware featured was alright too heheMoto


    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 :)  I'd even choose her over the 6950
    Although I would marry a hd7950 rightaway
  • 1 Hide
    audiovoodoo , 15 December 2011 21:41

    http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=corker
  • 1 Hide
    Touche36 , 15 December 2011 22:48
    Awesome smile on the 6950 box shot...say "cheeeeese" LoL
  • 1 Hide
    Motopsychojdn , 17 December 2011 05:47
    @So sick, I meant as in she's a bit of alright my son, wink wink, you get my drift?
    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
  • 1 Hide
    wild9 , 2 February 2012 22:47
    AudiovoodooThose have to be some of the worst photos I've seen in a long time. I know this site is mostly male readers but seriously, we know where to find better titilation. Personally I think it detracts from the article. If you are going to do it then at least get a photographer that knows what they are doing and how to get the best from the models. Some of the shots really do neither the girl or the product any justice.

    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 :lol: .