After spending several days testing the AMD Phenom X4 9950BE, I still haven't decided whether this processor is good for me. In most benchmarks we had a mixed feeling, with good memory performance but lower numbers in most cases. In applications that utilized all four available cores, the performance was somewhat close to what the the Intel Q9300 provides, as it was expected.

Pricewise, the Phenom X4 9950BE would cost you around €149 that makes it an attractive purchase if you ask me. But still,for that same amount of money you can buy an Intel E8500 that really smokes the benchmarks and can overclocked very high.

So again it comes to if you are using applications that are designed and optimized for multi-core processors. If you are addicted to gaming or office use, then perhaps a much lower priced AMD Phenom triple core could be more interesting. In our eyes, the AMD Phenom X4 9950 is a good solution when paired with an AMD 790GX motherboard. However there are questions when it comes to both overclocking margins and raw performance when compared with what Intel offerings at the same price range.