AMD's Athlon II lineup has been coming strong since their first release last year as an affordable CPU.  The Athlon's represent the mainstream processor choices from AMD and have been available in every flavour from dual , triple and quad core.  They also come with low power usage and requirements which make them ideal for any budget PC or HTPC.

Previously PCWizKid reviewed the Phenom II X4 910e CPU , the "e" represents the uniqueness of the processor as it uses less energy to operate, making it a low power consumption CPU.  Today we review the Athlon I X4 610e which also falls under the low power energy saving CPU category.

Specifications

PCWizKid's Test System

- Jetway MA3785GP AM3 MicroATX Motherboard
- ATI HD5570 Graphics Card
- 2GB DDR3 Kingston HyperX Memory
- SilverStone SG03 Mini Tower Case
- OCZ Mod Extreme PSU
- Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit Edition
- ATI Catalyst 10.3 Drivers
- (Room Temperature 21C Celsius)

Video Review

Conclusions

This goes to show how the right combination of hardware can provide performance without the expense of utilizing more energy.  Pair the Athlon enery saving edition CPU with a low power consumption video card like the ATI HD5570 and a AMD 785 Chipset board and you have the perfect combination of a mainstream PC that will operate efficiently and give you more than enough to run Windows 7 and enjoy common usages of the PC at home and in the office today.  The Athlon II X4 610e is truly a cool and quiet processor.  Don't be fooled by it only being 2.4Ghz, the fact that it is a quad core CPU brings you the capability to multitask and do more at once compared to any dual core CPU really.   Also keep in mind these are special edition CPU's that will conserve energy compared to high end CPU's so there is a balance of give and take for what you are paying for.  I must say , this CPU performed very well as seen in the video review and PCWizKid gives this a recommended choice award for "Green" CPU's on the market today.