Introduction

Back in the early days of personal computing, manufacturers realized that in order for the dream of having a PC in every household to become a reality, the price of a system must be affordable and within reach of the average consumer.  One of the concepts introduced to make this happen was the idea of ‘modularity’; the ability to replace or upgrade specific parts without throwing out the entire system.  Not only does this concept save the user money on repairs, they can also just upgrade a specific component when it's required.

The two giants of microprocessor manufacturing, AMD and Intel, have taken a different approach and philosophy in their product offerings.  While Intel maintains the technological and market lead, they have restricted the upgradeability options for their microprocessors by having different socket types for the high-end desktop and mainstream segment.  AMD, however, has taken a different approach; all their current AM3 CPUs are also backwards compatible with AM2+ motherboards and their upcoming AM3+ motherboards will also be backwards compatible with AM3 CPUs.  This saves the user money by allowing them to upgrade incrementally. For example, if they have an older AM2+ motherboard now, they can purchase a high-end AM3 CPU and use it until they save enough money to buy an AM3+ motherboard next year and still be able to use the same CPU.  AMD provides plenty of affordable options on its high end AM3 lineup, including the recent addition to the hex-core Phenom II family, the X6 1100T.

The Phenom II X6 1100T is the latest flagship CPU from AMD's Leo platform, running at 3.3GHz stock speed, 100 MHz faster than the previous 1090T processor.  The AMD Phenom II X6 1100T is being introduced at a much lower price-point than its predecessor, at $30 less, with the entire AMD CPU line up adjusted accordingly, further increasing their competitive market value.  Combined with an extremely flexible upgrade path, the Phenom II X6 1100T, as well as other Thuban, Phenom and Athlon processors, provides unparalleled options for economically minded enthusiasts.