OEM Phenom II X3 740 is available at Newegg

Phenom II X3 740 triple-core microprocessor appeared in the news more than a year ago. While it was included in AMD roadmaps and frequently referenced in motherboard CPU support lists, it was never sold in retail as a boxed processor. OEM version of this processor is now available at Newegg for $88.99 with $5.99 shipping.

Model 740 is the fastest triple-core Phenom II branded processor. The CPU operates at 3 GHz, and has standard set of K10 features: 64-bit instructions, enhanced virus protection and Virtualization. Each core in the Phenom II 740 has dedicated 512 KB L2 cache, and all cores share common 6 MB L3 cache. The CPU integrates memory controller that can work with DDR2 memory in older socket AM2+ motherboards, and DDR3 memory in socket AM3 boards. The processor has C2 core stepping, consumes less than 95 Watt, and is manufactured in 938-pin package. Retail price of the CPU was never disclosed by AMD. OEM version of the 740 was shipped in a number of OEM systems, for example, in HP Pro 3015 business PC, or Lenovo ThinkCentre 3317.

At default frequency, the 740 is somewhat faster than other members of Phenom II X3 family. For instance, the 740 is about 3% - 7% faster than Phenom II X3 720, and 6% - 14% faster than Phenom II 710. The 740 has unlocked clock multiplier, so it's performance can be improved by overclocking. Testing our Phenom II X3 740 sample, we found that we could easily overclock it to 3.45 GHz (15%) without overvolting the CPU, and using stock fan/heatsink from Phenom II 955:

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There is one more thing about the Phenom II 740 that may attract computer enthusiasts. The 740 has, in fact, 4 CPU cores, but only three of them are enabled. There is a good chance of unlocking the forth core using ACC or similar BIOS feature:

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Unlocked 740 processor is identified by BIOS as "Phenom II X4 40 Processor". Our sample with unlocked 4th core passed all tests, and didn't require increasing core voltage or doing any other tricks to make it stable.