AMD Athlon 64 X2 4000+

AMD’s Athlon 64 X2 4000+ arrived on May 22, 2006 as a desktop processor for AMD Socket AM2. It is a K8 design under the codename Windsor, manufactured on a 90 nm process with 154 million transistors on a 220 mm² die. The chip has 2 cores and 2 threads, a 2000.00 MHz base clock, 256 KB of L1 cache, 1 MB of L2 cache, and no listed L3 cache. Its TDP is 89 W. The database places the processor at the 50th percentile of all CPUs it tracks, with an empty benchmark table and an average benchmark score of 0, so the percentile is the only aggregate performance figure in the record. The product is end-of-life, does not include integrated graphics on the CPU itself, has a locked multiplier, and relies on certain motherboards for chipset-based graphics.

Single-Thread vs Multi-Thread Behavior

With 2 cores and 2 threads, the Athlon 64 X2 4000+ is a strict dual-core design with one thread per core. It can execute only two software threads simultaneously. The 2000.00 MHz base clock is the only clock speed in the record; no boost clock is listed, so the processor cannot lift a single core above that operating point for short, bursty work. That makes the K8 core design and the cache layout the main performance levers.

Single-threaded software uses one core at 2000.00 MHz. The L1 cache is 256 KB, the L2 cache is 1 MB, and there is no L3 cache. Those cache resources are part of the performance envelope, but they do not change the frequency ceiling. A task that depends on one core effectively relies on how efficiently the K8 architecture uses a single 2 GHz-class pipeline. The data does not list a boost state, so there is no hidden single-core speed advantage to fall back on.

Multi-threaded software can address exactly two threads. That is a clean model for workloads that split into two equal tasks: both cores run at the same base clock, and the operating system has two execution slots available. For workloads with more than two runnable threads, the OS must time-slice among them. Background services, browser processes, and foreground applications can easily exceed two threads, which means thread contention becomes visible in responsiveness.

The split between single-thread and multi-thread behavior therefore has a simple shape: one thread leaves one core free, two threads use everything, and more than two threads queue. The 50th percentile placement reinforces this reading. It is not a chip built for extreme single-core speed, nor one with many parallel resources. It is a midpoint part whose practical reach is limited by the two-thread ceiling.

Power and Thermals

The TDP is listed at 89 W. That is the rated thermal design power, and it defines the cooling capability needed to hold the processor within its thermal limit under sustained load. An 89 W desktop chip is a moderate thermal load in the context of the data set.

The chip is built on a 90 nm process with 154 million transistors and a 220 mm² die. The 89 W envelope is spread across a large die surface, which helps heat transfer into a cooler. The process node is an older manufacturing generation, but the record contains no thermal measurements, so the 90 nm figure is the main process-level indicator.

The 89 W TDP class implies a conventional air-cooling solution rather than exotic cooling. The multiplier is locked, so the user cannot raise the clock multiplier to create additional heat. The fixed 2000.00 MHz base clock keeps the thermal target stable. There is no boost behavior in the data to create short power spikes. The overall cooling picture is straightforward: an 89 W part with a fixed clock and a large die does not need extreme cooling hardware.

Benchmark Performance

The specification record lists no nearest rivals for this processor. Because of that, exact percentage deltas versus competing CPUs cannot be reported. There are no deltaPct values to cite, and no rival names or scores are present in the data.

The only comparative signal is the database percentile: 50. That places the processor at the midpoint of the tracked CPU population, with as many entries ranked above it as below it. The average benchmark score is 0, and the benchmark list is empty. There are no workload-specific results stored for this part, so the percentile is the only benchmark-derived comparison available.

What the percentile tells us is a central placement, not a leading-edge result. The Athlon 64 X2 4000+ sits in the middle of the database rather than near the top. Without nearest-rival data, any statement such as “ahead of X by Y percent” or “behind Z by Y percent” would be unsupported. The analysis must instead rest on the 2-core/2-thread configuration, the 2000.00 MHz base clock, the cache layout, and the 50th-percentile position. Those together describe a mid-ranking desktop part, not a performance outlier.

Who Should Consider It

The 50th percentile placement and the two-thread ceiling point toward basic desktop workloads. Word processing, spreadsheet work, email, and lightweight browsing can often operate within a two-thread budget. For that kind of usage, the processor offers two full cores at 2000.00 MHz and a mid-pack aggregate position. It is not a bottom-tier part in the database, but it is not a high-end one either.

Gaming is a more difficult fit. A two-thread CPU can handle older or less demanding titles, but modern game clients and background applications commonly require more than two threads. When that happens, the CPU has no extra threads to allocate. The fixed 2000.00 MHz clock also means there is no single-core boost state, and the absence of L3 cache removes a large last-level cache from the equation. The data does not support recommending this chip for heavy current games.

Creation workloads are mixed. Video encoding and 3D rendering that scale beyond two threads will be limited to two execution engines. That means throughput is capped by the two K8 cores at 2000.00 MHz. Light image editing or audio work that uses one or two threads may be acceptable, especially if the user expects a mid-pack result. Heavy batch processing would be better served by CPUs above the 50th percentile, though no exact rival deltas are available in this record.

Enthusiasts and overclockers should look elsewhere. The multiplier is not unlocked, and the product is end-of-life. The most natural fit is a legacy desktop system or a dedicated machine running a small set of fixed applications that do not exceed two threads. The main requirement is workload discipline: the software must fit comfortably inside a two-thread envelope, because the Athlon 64 X2 4000+ has no additional threads to offer.

Platform and Compatibility

The processor uses AMD Socket AM2, so a matching AM2 motherboard is required. The data does not list specific memory support details, but the memory bus is dual-channel. ECC memory is not supported, which rules out error-correcting memory with this CPU.

PCIe connectivity is Gen 2. The processor itself has no integrated graphics; display output is available on certain motherboards as a chipset feature. That distinction matters for platform planning: graphics capability depends on the motherboard chipset, not on the CPU package. The part number is ADA4000IAA6CS, identifying the specific SKU.

The architecture is K8 with the codename Windsor, built on the 90 nm process with 154 million transistors and a 220 mm² die. The multiplier is locked, so multiplier-based overclocking is not available. The release date is May 22, 2006, and the production status is end-of-life.

The upgrade path is tied to AMD Socket AM2. Any upgrade would have to use another AM2-compatible processor, and the record does not list compatibility with later sockets. Since the chip is end-of-life, there is no indication of ongoing platform investment. The dual-channel memory bus and PCIe Gen 2 support define the general platform capability, while specific memory selection is left unspecified in the data.