Conclusion:

We came in expecting perhaps a slight difference in power consumption between the 9950 BE 140W and the 9950 BE 125W of maybe 8-10W but ultimately we saw basically no difference between the two and only a slight a few degrees in temperature. Overclocking showed no variables between the two processors either. Though as mentioned this could be a unique case and given which processor to buy we'd still prefer the 125W Phenom 9950 BE over the 140W. That said if you see the 140W for much cheaper I wouldn't be afraid of it as long as your motherboard is rated for 125W processors. Hopefully we can see a larger dive in power consumption with the 45nm Phenoms do in the future but that is a little further down the line.

Pricing:

The 125W Phenom 9950 BE can be had for $184. This is the cheapest price that we can find for both a 140W Phenom and 125W Phenom so it seems that the 125W Phenoms are quickly replacing the 140W.

Phenom 9950 BE 125W Score: 93%