A 3.4GHz dual-core processor with a 2MB dedicated L2 cache, the AMD Athlon II X2 270 ($71.99 list) offers simultaneous 32-bit and 64-bit computing and several power management features. The CPU also consumes 65W of electricity, has integrated DDR memory support for DDR3 RAM running up to 1,066MHz and more.

Design and Features
The Athlon II X2 270 sports a 45 nanometer silicon on insulator to improve power consumption. Through AMD64 technology, the Athlon II X2 270 sports a 256KB L1 cache per core and a processor-to-system bandwidth of up to 33.1GB/s. The CPU also comes with an AMD-qualified heatsink/fan with a thermal interface.

Through AMD's Cool'n'Quiet technology, the Athlon II X2 270 is said to have optimized performance states that save energy while minimizing latency. AMD CoolCore allows the CPU to automatically turn off parts of itself to reduce energy consumption.

AMD's Smart Fetch technology allows the processor's cores to share data before halting so its active cores don't have to retrieve that data. Multi-point thermal control by AMD allows the Athlon II X2 270 to reduce speed and heat when it reaches temperature limits to keep the PC cool and quiet. Thanks to all of these features and more, this AMD processor is Energy Star qualified.

More Chipset and Processor reviews: