AMD Sempron 145 - Sempron Sargas Single-Core 2.8 GHz Socket AM3 45W Desktop Processor - SDX145HBGMBOX

Pros: I was pleasantly surprised by the efficiency of this chip. Low power does not mean low performance. In using this CPU for a test system, it carried out each task I asked it to without complaint.

Because of the low power drawn I never saw the core temperature go above 114*F after a 4 hour stress test using benchmarking software. Normal idle for me was around 85-90*F depending on the ambient room temp.

The included heatsink/fan is very short and would work well in a smaller enclosure. I never noticed an increase in audible volume from the fan when testing either.

Cons: When using very CPU intensive tasks, the single core shows its only real weakness by not being able to multi-task which results in the system bogging down.

I was able to play a 1080P .mkv file without stuttering, however the CPU load yo-yo'd from 85-100% so don't expect to watch an HD movie and use photoshop at the same time.

Overall Review: Although the motherboard I was using supported core unlocking, I was unfortunately not able to unlock the second core.

This CPU would make for a fantastic HTPC because of the low power/heat and relative quietness or a DIY NAS box. I can also recommend it as a basic web browsing, word processing machine, however if you are looking to play current generation games at 1080P or need to edit videos/photos I would encourage you to look a basic dual or quad core instead.

I would not recommend attempting an overclock using the stock heatsink/fan.

Pros: As title suggests, it runs pretty good for a budget computer

Cons: Obviously don't expect to run any high end games with this.

Overall Review: None