AMD Quad FX System Review with FX-74 Processors

AMD 4×4 Gains Traction Against Kentsfield

AMD has been talking to Legit Reviews about the 4×4 platform since they briefed us about 4×4 at E3 2006, which was way back in May of this year. It’s been a long time coming and to be honest we had our doubts that AMD would get it out the door this year, but when a pair of pinless processors labeled FX-74 processors arrived at the door our doubts were silenced in a jiffy.

AMD’s answer to Intel’s quad-core processors wasn’t really a new processor architecture, rather it was taking two processors and slapping them on a multi-cpu motherboard and powering ahead at ramming speed to catch up to Intel’s quad-core monster. While enthusiasts and followers of Legit Reviews have come to know this platform was called “4×4” it has now been renamed QuadFX now that the marketing team has taken control of the platform. QuadFX is AMD’s new flagship enthusiast platform and while it doesn’t contain a true quad-core processor it does have a pair of dual-core processors that is ready to take on a single Intel quad-core processor without thinking twice and that is exactly what we planned on doing with them.

For this article we stuck the Intel QX6700 on a quad and ran it head on against the pair of AMD FX-74 processors, but before we go straight to the numbers and our thoughts on the system let’s take a look at the new FX-70 series of processors from AMD and see what they are all about.

Looking at the specifications they seem similar to AM2-based FX processors that we have reviewed in the past and you are right in thinking so. For the most part other than a packaging change and some new HyperTransport links the FX-70 series of processors are nothing more than an update of their current processor design. The FX-74 also enjoys a 200MHz speed increase, so a 3GHz processor from AMD is now something that can be had without overclocking! Let’s take a closer look at a FX-74 and the new pinless design.