AMD Phenom II X4 955 - 3.2 GHz Quad-Core (HDZ955FBGIBOX) Processor

This CPU is the best bang for the buck I have seen so far. I have it overclocked to 3.9 GZ and it flies. I did have to use a Zalman CPU cooler as the stock fan could not dissipate the heat enough for the speed I was going to do.

I was thinking of going to the Intel I-7 until I did some price comparisons. I was quite happy to use DDR2 ram instead of DDR3. I was also happy with the prices of the motherboards that were available. And I was very happy with the speed I was able to overclock to. Very stable and lots of power.

Don't get me wrong. The Intel I-7 920 is one great chip. But for the cost of the I-7 and motherboard, I got the AMD 955, the case, the Zalman CPU cooler, 8 GB ddr2 ram and a 700 watt power supply. A complete computer instead of just a CPU and motherboard.

If you are into gaming, or surfing the web, then the AMD 955 is more than you will need today. It is plenty fast. It is fun to overclock and it is stable with the correct motherboard, ram combination.

The problems are few. Running a 64 bit OS....Windows 7, is a bit of a problem with older hardware. Why have a 4 core AMD 955 if you aren't going to use it to its full potential. Had the same problems with Vista. My printer would not be recognized and same with the scanner. But that is not the problem caused by the AMD Phenom II 955. It is a problem with the software company. I was able to get around those problems after doing some research.

Of all the builds I have done so far, and they have been many, the AMD 955 CPU has been the most trouble free so far.

I highly recommend the AMD Phenom II 955 black box edition CPU.

It came with thermal paste already on it, so you don't have to worry about buying any or applying it yourself. There are step by step installation instructions inside the box, and it was a breeze to put in (and I am no computer genius). Also comes with the processor sticker to put over your old one, so you can proudly show off what you got under the hood...er...inside the case.

Performance wise:
This is the first time I have decided to SERIOUSLY upgrade a computer. I bought a new graphics card along with this processor, because what I had was not even powerful enough to run Battlefield: Bad Company 2 on the lowest settings. After popping the gfx card and this bad boy in, it turns out my power supply couldn't handle them! Luckily I found a great power supply at a flea market for cheap. Now, I can play any game I want at full settings, it looks BETTER than my ps3 on my HDTV, AND this SWEET processor makes everything run smooth as whipped butter. Mmm. 10/10

There is no other processor out there that gives you this kind of value for your dollar. It's fast and rock stable with any reasonable overclocking (and even some unreasonable) attempt. I didn't build my rig for gaming, just for a quick and stable everyday use machine. Turns out I built a very capable gamer that will play anything on the market today without a hitch. Benchmarks are impressive even when running at stock speeds and temperatures stay in the low 40c range regardless of load. Can beat it for the price and I'm really happy with it, but I can't wait to try out the 1090T II X6.

The AMD Phenom II X4 955 has performed perfectly and without a hitch. I did however install a larger heat sink with dual fan. It has thus far been running very cool and well under max heat.

This is the first use of AMD processors
Excellent performance at a low price
I use a simple .. So I do not know its strength with the games or video editing