# AMD Sempron 140 2.70 GHz



## Omega (Oct 25, 2009)

AMD's Sempron 140 is here to seal the deal in the entry level market for $39. It offers all the features of the K10.5 architecture, but comes with only a single core at 2.70 GHz. Despite its single core it offers decent performance for every day office use, media PCs and casual gaming. If you get lucky you might even be able to unlock a second core.

*Show full review*


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## Zubasa (Oct 29, 2009)

Nice Review!
Keep them coming Omega.


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## Imsochobo (Oct 29, 2009)

Interesting, i didnt think it would overclock that well with both cores enabled!


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## Zubasa (Oct 29, 2009)

Imsochobo said:


> Interesting, i didnt think it would overclock that well with both cores enabled!


Well, many people thinks the Phenom II 810 won't clock either, but mine does 3.7Ghz easily.


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## LittleLizard (Oct 29, 2009)

i know people who may actually want some of that


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## The Gonz (Oct 29, 2009)

I thought using a AM2+ CPU in an AM3 mobo was a no no?

Can anyone confirm this?


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## DaC (Oct 29, 2009)

Sweet Stuff!! I remember not long ago people used to curse AMD over overclocking capability, high temps and high consumption.....
But man...... this Sempron 140 is a true BAD BOY! At $39.00 you can unlock + overclock to 3.6ghz, still keeping cool, relative low power to performance, eating E8200 in the breakfast and even X2 550BE......
Oh boy... I wish I had gone 785/X2 240 or Sempron 140 instead of G31/E5200 for my HTCP project I'm about to complete..... =(((((


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## Omega (Oct 29, 2009)

The Gonz said:


> I thought using a AM2+ CPU in an AM3 mobo was a no no?
> 
> Can anyone confirm this?



Sempron 140 is new generation of Sempron family. Its native to AM3 socket with DDR2/DDR3 memory and AM2+ socket. Read the text, it says numerous times that Sempron 140 is nothing more than Athlon II X2 with disabled core


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## Omega (Oct 29, 2009)

Zubasa said:


> Nice Review!
> Keep them coming Omega.



Tnx... next one may be coming very very soon


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## angelkiller (Oct 29, 2009)

Hm. I think this is a bad move for AMD. I think they should follow Intel's steps here and make their Sempron line dual core. Just take a Regor core and clock it really slow. I think a 2GHz dual core would be better than a 2.7GHz single.

But for enthusiests, this is sick!! $40 can get a 3.6GHz dual core CPU! Very very nice. Buying any other Regor core seems pointless now. Just get this and unlock and overclock.

*Edit:* AMD listened!


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## Imsochobo (Oct 29, 2009)

angelkiller said:


> Hm. I think this is a bad move for AMD. I think they should follow Intel's steps here and make their Sempron line dual core. Just take a Regor core and clock it really slow. I think a 2GHz dual core would be better than a 2.7GHz single.
> 
> But for enthusiests, this is sick!! $40 can get a 3.6GHz dual core CPU! Very very nice. Buying any other Regor core seems pointless now. Just get this and unlock and overclock.



dont see the reason either.
anyways we get Phenom 1000 so they have 10 series of cpu's.
nice to see you can actually build yourself a NAS! GW/FW, Domain controller, whatever you want at 120 bucks for the mobo cpu and memory!

thats crazy!


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## TheLaughingMan (Oct 29, 2009)

I bought one of these a while back.  Its cheap, it works faster than some of the dual cores of the 939 and AM2 generations.  I can't say anything for heat as i used my Phenom II 955's stock cooler on this CPU to get it nice and frosty at the 3.3 Ghz it runs at.  Mobo I bought was $60 and didn't support AAC.

All an all, I used this CPU and $50 case to build a computer out of spare parts and old stuff I had lying around.  It runs Win7 very well, games ok, and only disappointed me in Virus scans as I could not run AVG, S&D, Registry Mechanic, and Ccleaner at the same time.


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## WarEagleAU (Oct 30, 2009)

Awesome cpu and for 39 bucks man, that is chump change. I could literally build me an HTPC for 200 bucks and kick serious ass with it. Can't wait for your next bad ass awesome review Omega.


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## Omega (Oct 30, 2009)

Tnx man, working on two more budget cpu's. ETA - end of weekend


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## LittleLizard (Oct 30, 2009)

celeron e3xxx??


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## Omega (Oct 30, 2009)

Not yet.
I need to make a time frame for Windows7 transition, and that's gonna happen after next two reviews. Athlon II X3 425 (already tested, unlocked and overclocked) and Pentium E6300.

After that there will be a little down time while I rebench most of the CPU's with Windows7 and new benchmark suite. When done, new Celeron E3x00 series, Core i5/i7 LGA1156 and Phenom's X4 9xx will be following. Slowly moving to higher end models while building a quality CPU database and learning all the thingys when writing for TPU.

Again, I have to ask for some support and ideas on how to improve benchmark suite. Please check HERE


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## suraswami (Oct 30, 2009)

Nice review.  Keep it coming.  Looking forward the unlock and OC of the X3 425.


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## MK4512 (Oct 30, 2009)

Wow! What a CPU for the price! $39 can't be beat IMO.

Offtopic: What's up with that skylamer guy thanking everyone?


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## LittleLizard (Oct 30, 2009)

MK4512 said:


> Wow! What a CPU for the price! $39 can't be beat IMO.
> 
> Offtopic: What's up with that skylamer guy thanking everyone?



troll of thanks?


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## Bjorn_Of_Iceland (Oct 30, 2009)

MK4512 said:


> Offtopic: What's up with that skylamer guy thanking everyone?



Whenever he becomes giddy on new stuff. he does that.


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## eidairaman1 (Oct 30, 2009)

Decent Single Core, It seems the 1MB L2 Parts are really performing close to the units with the L3 Cache but much cheaper. TBH I cant wait until the Athlon 2 X4 with 4MB L2 Cache as a Black Edition, I may grab one and Skip the Phenom 2 955.


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## BraveSoul (Oct 30, 2009)

undervolt it and u got the greenest/cheapest machine


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## F2K (Oct 30, 2009)

Great review Omega.
Unfortunately my board has the SB700 so I gave up on the idea of getting one of these 

There is a typo on "System Power Consumption" images on page 12 - it says Semron


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## DaC (Oct 30, 2009)

Omega
On "Overclocking and Unlocking"Power consumption was measured with both cores unlocked or only one ? I guess with 2 cores, right ? Also, could you add a power consumption test with cores unlocked and undervolt ?


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## Omega (Oct 30, 2009)

F2K said:


> There is a typo on "System Power Consumption" images on page 12 - it says Semron



ooops... forgot to re upload fixed graphs. thanks



DaC said:


> Omega
> On "Overclocking and Unlocking"Power consumption was measured with both cores unlocked or only one ? I guess with 2 cores, right ? Also, could you add a power consumption test with cores unlocked and undervolt ?



Sempron 140 gray bar - stock
Sempron 140 3.64 GHz green bar - single core, oc
Sempron 140 X2 3.64 blue bar - unlocked, oc

Sorry, don't have the CPU anymore so additional test are not possible. But look in the Athlon II X2 240 review, it's the same core so the results should be similar


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## The Gonz (Oct 30, 2009)

I am looking at this CPU for a HTPC build.

Does anyone know if this GIGABYTE mobo:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128397

will unlock the second core? It uses the SB710 southbridge. If so this will be an awesome low power, solid performance HTPC.


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## F2K (Oct 30, 2009)

The Gonz said:


> I am looking at this CPU for a HTPC build.
> 
> Does anyone know if this GIGABYTE mobo:
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128397
> ...


The board can unlock it.


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## kenkickr (Oct 30, 2009)

The Gonz said:


> I am looking at this CPU for a HTPC build.
> 
> Does anyone know if this GIGABYTE mobo:
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128397
> ...



I used the Sempy 140 with the DDR2 version of that board for a system build.  Unlocked but was very unstable with the F2 bios.  Flashed it to the F4 bios and it was Linpack stable for 24hrs.  I just can't get over how damn quick that system is, with VISTA on it.

Great review by the way Omega.


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## caleb (Oct 30, 2009)

Nice review.

What possible boards are there with DDR2 and this ACC so you can unlock?


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## LittleLizard (Oct 30, 2009)

caleb said:


> Nice review.
> 
> What possible boards are there with DDR2 and this ACC so you can unlock?



just put on newegg amd motherboard, then sort by ddr2 and then sort by southbridge (sb710/sb750)


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## [I.R.A]_FBi (Oct 30, 2009)

dugg


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## kenkickr (Oct 30, 2009)

Any board using the 710 or 750 southbridge.  I would highly recommend the GIGABYTE GA-MA785GM-US2H.  I have had 100% success with unlocking on this motherboard and have had more unlockable core procs run stable on this board than any other I have used.


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## lism (Oct 31, 2009)

angelkiller said:


> But for enthusiests, this is sick!! $40 can get a 3.6GHz dual core CPU! Very very nice. Buying any other Regor core seems pointless now. Just get this and unlock and overclock.



Dont get your stakes up too high. Unlocking a second core is having luck, not a habbit 

At least that is what i'd like to believe.

Good looking review. Props


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## Kantastic (Oct 31, 2009)

kenkickr said:


> Any board using the 710 or 750 southbridge.  I would highly recommend the GIGABYTE GA-MA785GM-US2H.  I have had 100% success with unlocking on this motherboard and have had more unlockable core procs run stable on this board than any other I have used.



Hey look it's my board! Too bad I'm not one to take risks...


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## vfxraven19 (Jan 7, 2010)

*Just jump on this Sempron 140 bandwagon...*

Hi all, I just picked up this Sempron from today and tomorrow's Fry's deal, picked up a AMD mobo in addition (Gigabyte GA-MA78LM-S2 w/ AMD SB710). The 2nd core unlocks but Windows 7 seems to complain about it during Windows Setup. I'd have to run it as a Sempron, install Win7, then unlock the core. Anyone else run into this with Win7?


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## Goodman (Jan 10, 2010)

vfxraven19 said:


> Hi all, I just picked up this Sempron from today and tomorrow's Fry's deal, picked up a AMD mobo in addition (Gigabyte GA-MA78LM-S2 w/ AMD SB710). The 2nd core unlocks but Windows 7 seems to complain about it during Windows Setup. I'd have to run it as a Sempron, install Win7, then unlock the core. Anyone else run into this with Win7?



Not yet i order this sempron friday i'll have it by next week can't wait to try it out hopefully i can unlock & overclock at 3.2-3.4 stable at least , we'll see..?

I run Win7x64 but my board is this one
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHPAT_CVy5Y


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## Omega (Jan 10, 2010)

Got the Sempron 140 with ASRock A785GXH 128M in my HTPC. Win7 Ultimate 64bit installed and second core unlocked without problems.


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## Deleted member 74752 (Jan 10, 2010)

Some of us have been showing that to you for some time now...

http://hwbot.org/result.do?resultId=934515


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## Goodman (Jan 23, 2010)

I just came back from the store just a few minutes ago with an Sempron 140...

I'll try to unlock it as soon as have a good cup of tea ...i'll let you know how it goes later on or tomorrow ... wish me luck


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## Goodman (Jan 24, 2010)

Well the sempron 140 unlocked in to dual core easy but was not able to load windows , bsod lol!

I try everything from upping vcore , sbv , nbv , lower clock , lower HT , all different clocks calibration (from +12 , -12) i even try to reinstall windows with the dual core unlocked wich all the installation goes fine until it reboot to load windows the first time & then bsod again... 

Anyhow the sempron 140 is going back to the store monday morning & i'll order a real dual core this time the 240 or 250 & see how far i can overclock it...


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## eidairaman1 (Jan 24, 2010)

Goodman said:


> Well the sempron 140 unlocked in to dual core easy but was not able to load windows , bsod lol!
> 
> I try everything from upping vcore , sbv , nbv , lower clock , lower HT , all different clocks calibration (from +12 , -12) i even try to reinstall windows with the dual core unlocked wich all the installation goes fine until it reboot to load windows the first time & then bsod again...
> 
> Anyhow the sempron 140 is going back to the store monday morning & i'll order a real dual core this time the 240 or 250 & see how far i can overclock it...



Locked CPUs are like a box of chocolates, you don't know what you are gonna get.

that second core was damaged then.


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## PV9685 (Jan 23, 2011)

Although this is an old thread, the topic is certainly not dead. I also stumbled upon it by googling "windows 7 64 bit bluescreen on sempron 140" so I assume that others with the problem may find benefit from this info.

I have built two machines with Sempron 140's and both unlock. However, here is the info. My sister's machine is running Vista 32bit - If you go into Event Viewer and create a "Custom View" for the service "WHEA-Logger" you will see a listing of all recorded hardware errors. These are SOOO good when working with the unlocked core.

So my sister's was getting a "Corrected machine check" in the cache on the second core. Corrected is ok, but every few weeks - boom, bluescreen. But it is good to be able to see the log - which not everyone knows exists. It will also let you know that "hey, the BlueScreen was the unlocked core".. not a video card or something.

Now for the fun one - My Fiance's unlocked computer ran Vista 32bit for the last 8 months trouble free! Installed Windows7 64Bit and the installer would complete (Remember, the installer is probably 32bit regardless of version!) but on reboot it would give a messagebox saying the installation had an unknown error and must reboot - repeatedly.

Installed with the CPU locked and it would complete the reboot/install perfectly. Unlock the 2nd core under 64bit Windows7 - few seconds or minutes - boom RESET. Though the reset is recorded as a BlueScreen in the logs (though it is set not to automatically restart.. it doesn't show the bluescreen. The CPU must do like an immediate Forced reset)

The interesting thing is that the errors in WHEA-Logger view under the 64bit system not only record CPU errors - but the Northbridge capturing CPU errors too, perhaps some CRC/ECC like mechanism.

So, I was never aware, but it appears that the 32/64bit parts of the cpu are seperate enough that the 32bit instructions can process flawlessly while 64bit is a no-go. Next week I will be pushing it down to Win7 32bit - unfortunate but, better than running a single core CPU. Kinda.

So when in doubt, try 32 and 64 bit and not just a single flavor. You make get lucky.

BTW - weird little tidbit: I have never been able to get those Sempron 140's to run Ganged Dual Channel mode, memory is always in Unganged Dual Channel.

Both Systems are 785G/SB710, Asus M4A785TD-V EVO


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