Phenom had a ton of problems. I know when I was building a massive rig back then, we tried to go Phenom. Found bug after bug on a high end machine (MSI Diamond board - 8GB ram - 3x 8800 Ultra). Sent it back and went C2Q 9450. That machine was a beast for years. Still have that 9450 round here somewhere, though the board it was on died (asshole spilled coffee on the machine). Phenom 2 fixed their problems, but they were competing with newer tech then, and it didn't stand a chance.

What kept that generation alive, was the Phenom II X2 that could be unlocked. I know I unlocked a couple for some friends, and they made dirt cheap quad core machines for them.