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AMD Phenom II X4 960T Processor, Black Edition, 3.0 4 Socket AM3 - HD96ZTWFGRBOX

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#1 ·
AMD Phenom II X4 960T Processor, Black Edition, 3.0 4 Socket AM3 - HD96ZTWFGRBOX

Description:
Multi-Core: Quad-Core

Details:
DetailValue
BindingPersonal Computers
BrandAMD
EAN0730143267274
FeaturePower: 95W
Height5.12 inches
Length5.91 inches
Weight0.44 pounds
Width3.35 inches
LabelAMD
List Price$134.99
ManufacturerAMD
ModelHD96ZTWFGRBOX
MPNHD96ZTWFGRBOX
Package Quantity1
Product GroupCE
Product Type NameCOMPUTER_PROCESSOR
PublisherAMD
SKU1007864312
StudioAMD
TitleAMD Phenom II X4 960T Processor, Black Edition, 3.0 4 Socket AM3 - HD96ZTWFGRBOX
UPC730143267274
Warranty3 year limited warranty
 

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#2 ·
Great CPU for the Price

review by psycho29388

This has got to be the best Phenom II processor you can buy right now. Has a 50/50 chance of unlocking it to a Thuban (X6) processor and even if you don't you can overclock it pretty far thanks to the low TDP. Just make sure to get an aftermarket cooler, stock isn't even worth $1.

ProsCons
Can be unlocked to an X6, Unlocked Multiplier, low TDP.Stock Heatsink

Ratings
Overall5
 
#7 ·
Great bang for the buck!

review by cranapple

I've been using an Intel C2D rig up to now and was originally planning on going with a SB build. I'm on a budget so it was either an AMD build or an i3-2100 build. The i3-2100 is a serious performer and anyone who has done any research knows this. Around when I was looking to order parts, Newegg was having a sale on this CPU and motherboards so I jumped on the deal and got the CPU/mobo for extremely cheap.

The only downside between this processor and the i3-2100 is that you will have to OC this to about 3.7-3.8ghz to have equivalent core-for-core performance in gaming, but that's really not difficult with this processor and a half-decent motherboard. (<$100 board)

Paired this with a GIGABYTE GA-970A-UD3 which at stock/auto settings set my vcore to a ridiculous 1.44v. I knew this was far too high for 3.0ghz, so manually set things, currently have it running 8+hours stable of prime95 at 3.62ghz @ 1.28v. Knowing that I can go up to 1.5v while still being considered within safe limits, there is quite a lot of headroom. Easy 4.0+ghz on this. I'm leaving it at 3.62ghz for now because it feels lightning fast as is, but it's nice to know that I'll have the option to increase the speeds by at least another 500mhz down the road if I want it.

Using a CM Hyper TX3 cooler (extremely irritating to get mounted properly fyi) and AS5 with this, but temperatures are extremely cool with this processor and cooler combination. Idle temps at 3.62ghz/1.28v hover around 19-20C, running prime 95 with 100% load on my cpu for several hours, CPU gets up around 35-36C; simply amazing.

I'm extremely impressed with this CPU. Would definitely recommend to budget conscious gamers. You will not regret it.

I don't know how long these processors will be available for sale since AMD's FX processors were just recently released , but you can get this processor, a decent motherboard that will allow for OCing, and 8GB of DDR3 1600 memory for <$250 which is just awesome. You can use the other money you would have spent on other components on a better GPU, which is especially important for those running at higher monitor resolutions (e.g. 1920x1080)

ProsCons
Fast, lower TDP, easy to overclock, possibly unlock two extra coresNot as fast as a Sandy Bridge at equivalent clock speed

Ratings
Overall5
 
#19 ·
Best price performance CPU

review by yuksel911

Phenom II x4 960T is one of the best CPU's comparing price performance. He can be unlocked but it's not guarantee. Without unlock you can achieve 4GHz or more with lower voltages and lower heat issues. Also 960T has 71'C of max temp. That means you can go over 65'C till 68'C without an issue. I personally recommend you that CPU if you have 4+1 mobo and you want to achieve higher clocks.

ProsCons
95W / 71'C of max temp / Better IMCSome times it cannot unlocks (yes i know it's not guarantee)

Ratings
Overall5
 
#20 ·
Best price performance CPU

review by yuksel911
Nice review.. I wasn't aware of the new thermal ceiling. I'm going to install this chip in my wife's rig in a couple days
 
#24 ·
Price/performance leader

review by badwrench

This was a Christmas gift and so far has been a great upgrade from my Athlon2 X3 450. Much more oc headroom and the unlocked multiplier is practically cheating. I currently have mine at 4122mhz @ 1.35v, and it tops out at 41C under load (240 rad, ek block, fans at idle). Highly recommended to anyone interested in a higher end AMD rig, even over the FX series.

ProsCons
low tdp, thuban imc, high unlock ratepaperweight stock cooler

Ratings
Overall5
 
#25 ·
Price/performance leader

review by badwrench
Mine unlocked just fine and hits 4.0 at 1.425v on my Hyper 212+... Best $109 CPU out there by far.
 
#26 ·
960T

review by skylinecalvin

Pros

Unlocked so its a x5!
I overclocked to 3.8 with no problem and will continue overclocking when i have time.
A nice upgrade from an athlon II x4 630

Cons

Only con i can think of is that it didn't unlock to a 6core but their locked for a reason so i can't really deduct a star cause of that.

ProsCons
Unlocks,fast,OC's wellDidn't become a 6core

Ratings
Overall5
 
#27 ·
Couldn't ask for more for the price

review by toothman

To start with, the only con I've been able to find is that some users found their board unable to run the 960T without a BIOS update. Just because a board supports the hex-core Thubans out of the box doesn't necessarily mean it will the 960T. Do a little research or just update your BIOS before building with a 960T. My ASRock 970 Extreme3 worked great out of the box.

That said, this processor is amazing for the price. Overclocked to 4Ghz stable at 1.38v and scored 5100 on Passmark. By comparison, the identically priced i3-2100 scores 3864 and can't be overclocked.

Running all my games (including Skyrim and SWTOR) while multitasking without a hitch. Using a Radeon HD 6850 and I'm quite sure I could pair a much stronger video card before my Zosma becomes a bottleneck. Encodes short, high definition videos in seconds. I could not ask for better performance from a $125 price tag (I got mine on sale $10 off, would still buy it at $150).

Also has the potential to be unlocked into a 6 or 5 core if your motherboard supports that. In my case I could not unlock. Not sure if it's the board or my 960T just can't do it. So far looks like less than half of the 960Ts can unlock safely. Don't buy this CPU expecting a x6; view it as possibly an added bonus.

ProsCons
Easy and stable to overclock, Very responsive and fastpotential board compatibility issues

Ratings
Overall5
 
#30 ·
Versatile

review by rdr09

these are my two favorite settings . . .

Summer . . .



Winter . . .



me no like 50C.

edit: i ran it for about 10 mins (as per request) . . .



moved it . . .



more than 12C difference between cpu and cores.

ProsCons
cheapextinct

Ratings
Overall5
 
#38 ·
AMD Phenom II X4 960T BE user review

review by insidejob

This chip has treated me well since purchase. Paired with a good mobo capable of unlocking it there is no beating the bang for the buck. Even as a quad it's more then enough for a budget build. I do lots of gaming on this chip and has never given me much of an issue unless gaming on high graphics settings and streaming or recording. I have compressed up to 5 separate BF3 clips at the same time running the CPU up to 93% usage, I was surprised and satisfied
smile.gif


Great CPU, would suggest to anyone (an equivalent one at this point)

ProsCons
cheap, powerful, potential to unlock to hexnone, except if I wanted another one ;)

Ratings
Overall4
 
#40 ·
Phenom IIs swansong

review by direleon2010

This is the last and IMHO greatest of the Phenom II Quads. The fact that it might unlock is one reason. MUCH lower power use is another big plus. Had mine running at 4.0 at what would be stock voltages for it's Deneb kin. And because it's a Thuban, you can run 4 DIMMs at 1600. I'm not a computer expert. All I know is that this is the best CPU I've ever owned.

Mine unlocked by the way.

The 960T can still be found, at the date this post was made, at OutletPC.com in a combo with MoBo.

Ratings
Overall5
 
#41 ·
#46 ·
Fun CPU to OC and tune

review by 2thache

Background: I picked this chip up because I knew its potential and Microcenter happened to have one for $89. If you enjoy overclocking AMDs, you'll like this CPU and I honestly had fun working with it.

Overclocking: On a M4A79XTD Evo I was able to unlock to an X6 and get it stable at 4.0 at only 1.42VCore (BIOS) as a 24/7 daily-use OC with CnQ enabled. Heat is an issue and I had to put a fan on my VRMs and move to an H100 to avoid throttling under full load. At 1.5VCore, this CPU was Windows stable (no stress testing done) at 4.5 as an X4 or 4.4 as an X6. Pretty impressive for Phenom II. I was happy with 4.0 as X6 and did not do any stress testing past that, but this chip has alot of potential for suicide runs or maximum 24/7 OCs.

Performance: Lets face it, I have two 3570K CPUs running 4.0GHz at stock settings that beat my 960T's X6 4.0GHz performance hands down, and use less than half the power and have no need for exotic cooling. If you are in the market for a new system, this isn't a reasonable option compared with IB or SB.

Breakdown: If you enjoy overclocking and wanted to try something different, this chip is fun. If you have a good AM2+ or AM3 board and want to max it out, this is the chip for you. I believe a 4.3-4.4GHz X4 daily OC is completely reasonable if you have the right board. I think 4.2-ish could be had as X6 with reasonable voltage and run daily as well. You'll need to think about VRM cooling and higher-end CPU cooling if you're planning on an unlocked OC.

ProsCons
Great OC headroom as X4 (for an AMD), potential to unlock to X6Rare, as X6 at 4.0 barely keeps up with stock 3570K, sucks power

Ratings
Overall4
 
#47 ·
Fun CPU to OC and tune

review by 2thache
Yes do you recommend VRM cooling if you want to use x6 unlocked+ overclocked for 24/7 use?

I bought this chip about a month or 2 ago, one of the last retailers just had a couple of them for sale!
(i live in the netherlands) Stopid stores in the UK didnt want to ship!!

So far i am just overclocking sinds im not experianced in that, i got it stable 3,4Gz Soon 3,8Ghz
My chip unlocked to a x6 but im having a hard time getting it 100% stable.

Also worried sinds i cant read CoreTemp when unlocked.
 
#49 ·
The end of a great line

review by linear

Working on almost a year of this little Gem, I've been debating on upgrading it but I keep coming back to the realization that there is nothing wrong with it and I keep thinking about a impulse upgrade, this along with the bigger brothers 1090T/1100T are probably the last of a great series of chips from AMD. The current FX line is still young and will hopefully mature over the years as the Phenom IIs did. This thing overclocks with such ease and stays remarkably cool. It takes very little effort to bring it right up to 4ghz and still have a vcore under 1.40, probably still has a little headroom in it after 4.0 but I dont think the risk reward would be worth it. I would probably still buy these for friends/family rigs I've built if they were still available and I'll honestly probably never sell mine, I like it enough I'll probably keep it just for sentimental value. Lastly if you got a good one and unlocked to a X6 you could never go wrong.

ProsCons
Easy OC, possible X6None really

Ratings
Overall5
 
#50 ·
The end of a great line

review by linear
I still have a Phenom II 550 running my sibling's machine. The Phenom II 940 was my first major CPU upgrade. Came from an Athlon 64 x2. Man, what a jump in performance. I remember Fallout 3 playing so much smoother after that... ^_^
 
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