AMD Phenom II X6 1055T 2.80 GHz

290MHz HTT frequency isn't that bad, but sadly enough we'll have to go for a DDR2-based board to really crank up the frequency of this locked CPU. Manufacturers, time to put some R&D folks on this!

To be honest, several weeks ago while testing Phenom II X6 1090T I was really impressed by flexibility in performance and raw power of six cores in multithreaded applications. This time, Phenom II X6 1055T failed to make such strong impressions. Its slower clocked cores really hurt the overall performance of the processor, and although TURBO CORE is there to help, in most cases it's just not enough to beat lower priced Phenom II X4 965, or even 955 in some cases. Though Phenom II X6 1055T is priced against Intel's Core i5 750, there is only one segment it can compete with it and that's a multithreading environment. In those situations Core i5 750 doesn't stand a chance, but for more general use Intel's i5 750 or even cheaper Phenom II X4's are a better choice.

Yes, six cores processor is more future proof choice performance wise, yes it can overclock like hell and yes there's still room to do some optimizations and performance boosts for enthusiasts, but to keep it simple and short, the bottom line is this. If you work in a multithreading optimized environment like video editing, rendering or some other data manipulation, Phenom II X6 1055T is the best choice you can make in $200 price range, and you'll get performance of some entry Core i7 models. General computing users and especially gamers should look the other way, maybe Core i5 750, or the cheaper but faster Phenom II X4s. You'll get more performance with lower power consumption and more important, a lower price tag. If you want everything from both worlds, Phenom II X6 1090T might be the best choice then. Phenom II X6 1055T could be looked at like a long term investment as its general performance will grow with multithreading support added in more and more applications every day, but you could end up waiting a year or two to level up with i5 750 in general performance, and in that time... a lot of things can happen, and it may just not be worth the wait.