Introduction

Are you an average Joe or maybe a do-it-yourself type of person? Maybe you’re just trying to be smart with your money. Either way one day you may decide on upgrading your computer system. There are many choices out there, but in today’s economy the available money you have to spend may be limited. You already know that you will need a processor, maybe a motherboard and other necessities to complete your project, but, again, a budget is looming over your head. What can you do? You know you want a processor that utilizes the latest technologies and is not end of life,  but some newer processors can be out of reach. There is a solution that may fit your budget, and,  depending on your current hardware, you may be able to rebirth some of your old hardware. The AMD Phenom II 940 X4 “Black Box Edition” and the new Dragon Platform may be the upgrade you are looking for. Join Hi Tech Legion as we analyze the Phenom II and test the new Dragon Platform.

 The AMD Phenom II series of processors are the second generation processors in the Phenom class. The AMD Phenom II 940 X4 “Black Box Edition” will be one of the first two Phenom II CPU's available to consumers; the other will be the Phenom II 920 X4. The Phenom II is also the first AMD produced 45nm processor, and with new added technologies, the Phenom II will be more energy efficient than previously produced CPU's.

With the launch of the Phenom processors, which when combined with a 790fx series motherboard and an ATI 3800 series video card (Spider), the Phenom II can be platformed as well.  The new platform is called Dragon and consists of a Phenom II series CPU, a 790GX series motherboard, and an ATI 4800 series video card. If the Phenom II is used with the other two components as a platform, the end user should see a boost in overall performance and efficiency compared to previous hardware setups. AMD states that there is more headroom in the new Phenom II processor and there will also be two other options available to help the Phenom II Dragon Platform, AMD Overdrive, and Fusion.