Undervolting the AMD A64 X2 4200+ AM2 Processor

Final Thoughts and Conclusions

The AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ “Windsor” Socket AM2 processor keeps on impressing us and is really one of the most versatile processors that we have seen on the test bench in some time. While undervolting is not nearly talked about as much as overclocking I have a feeling more people are interested in it than overclocking. If you think about the average computer user they use their computer to check e-mails, talk on instant messenger, watch videos on You Tube, and stalk old friends on MySpace! For users that do nothing more than that undervolting will reduce temperatures and power consumption, thus reducing noise levels and putting money back in your pocket.

What power savings are you likely to see by undervolting your processor? Electricity is measured in kilowatt-hours and the current charge for electricity varies from state to state. Since pricing varies from state to state and during seasons let’s just use $0.14 per kilowatt-hour for pricing to figure up some rough numbers. Our testing showed that we were able to shave off 28W at full load, so let’s see what that means in the real world.

Power Savings Estimates:

• 24 hours a day – $2.87 per month or $34.37 yearly
• 8 hours a day – $0.96 per month or $11.46 yearly
• 3 hours a day – $0.36 per month or $4.30 yearly

Since I keep my computer on nearly 24 hours a day and run Folding @ Home for the Legit Folding team I can expect to save over $34 a year by doing nothing more than undervolting the processor on my computer. While $34 might not be a lot to many people it’s money that stays in your pocket and $30 is $30 if you ask us!

Undervolting proved susscessful as we were able to reduced temperatures and lower the total power consumption on our test platform. It almost makes you wonder why more people aren’t doing this! In terms of pricing the cost has gone down a bit again and one of these processors can be picked up for $179 with free shipping over at Zipzoomfly! That’s five dollars less than last week! For a processor that cost well over $330 last month it’s now a bargin thanks mainly to the competition from Intel’s recently launched Core 2 Duo series of processors.

Legit Bottom Line: Undervolting your processor is simple to do and it can help reduce system temperatures and lower your monthly electric bill for just a few minutes work.