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QuadCore posts

AMD pops out sub-$100 quad-core Athlon II X4 CPU: review roundup

by Darren Murph posted Sep 16th 2009 at 8:53AM

AMD has always been one to play the pricing card in its never-ending tussle with Intel, but we get the feeling this introduction may pack more of a punch than any before it. It's a simple concept -- the $99 quad-core CPU -- and given just how in love we Americans are with value menus, you can bet new PC builders will at least give the new Athlon II X4 620 ($99) and 630 ($122) a look. Reviews around the web essentially came to the same conclusion: it's not the fastest quad-core chip around, and the lack of L3 certainly doesn't make it the most attractive, but the 620 somehow manages to compete with all of the processors in its price range while being the cheapest. The "cut-down Phenom II," as HotHardware calls it, suffers a bit on the gaming side due to the L3 removal, but in general scenarios it was plenty potent. Hit the links below if you feel like digging in way, way deeper.

Read - HotHardware
Read - TechSpot
Read - MaximumPC
Read - PC Perspective
Read - TweakTown
Read - PC Pro
Read - AMD Zone

HP Pavilion Elite makes an offer you (probably) can't refuse: Blu-ray, Win 7, quad-core CPU for $650

by Ross Miller posted Aug 12th 2009 at 8:56PM

Sure, it's not as sleek as some of the other options out there, but the specs of this HP Pavilion Elite e9110t desktop, for the $649.99 asking price, are pretty stunning: a 2.33GHz Intel Core 2 Quad processor, NVIDIA GeForce G210, 6GB of RAM, a 500GB hard drive , 802.11n, Blu-ray player, and a free Windows 7 upgrade when it finally launches. Offer ends this Saturday, August 15th, but if you're interests have piqued and your wallet has giving the go-ahead, dealnews has all the details and pertinent coupon codes.

[Via CNET]

AMD roadmap leaked, dual core Phenoms could be around the corner

by Richard Lawler posted Aug 28th 2008 at 6:21PM

If it's Thursday, then it must be time for more AMD rumors - this time a few different sources report the chipmaker's given its channel partners the high sign indicating "Kuma" dual-core Phenom-based processors will finally see the light of day. For those too shy to indulge in triple- or even quad-core action, El Reg says Phenom X2 dual core chips will range from 2.3GHz to 1.90 Ghz, sporting 1MB L2 cache and 2MB L3 cache for. Freaky 3-core overclockers can look forward to new, better performing 2.4Ghz Black Edition Phenom 8750s, and more efficient 125-watt Phenom 9950 CPUs, if we can trust leaked German sales charts -- and we always do, don't you?

Read - The Register
Read - PC Perspective

Intel bringing quad-core CPUs to laptops next month?

by Joshua Topolsky posted Jul 15th 2008 at 8:44AM

Whispers in the hallways of George Washington CPU High School indicate that Intel is primed to release a batch of quad-core laptop processors next month. There apparently isn't a ton of info on the happening right now, though Pioneer Computers (an Australian PC maker) is currently taking orders on a system equipped with a 2.53GHz Core 2 Extreme chip, the QX9300. Of course, one of Intel's regional marketing managers in Singapore, Sujan Kamran, says that, "We're bringing quad-core to mobile in August," so, uh... not a lot of mystery left, is there?

AMD's flagship Phenom X4 9950 BE announced: Intel laughs, points

by Thomas Ricker posted Jul 1st 2008 at 1:42AM

AMD just pranced out its latest trio of desktop processors including its new 2.6GHz quad-core Phenom X4 9950 Black Edition ($235) -- AMD's top o' the line desktop proc. The Black Edition branding makes this processor ideal for tweakers and overclockers. HotHardware's already done the job of putting the procs through their respective paces. As you'd hope from AMD's flagship desktop CPU, the X4 9950 is faster across the board than the previous AMD title holder, the X4 9850, albeit, just 5%. That puts it about level with Intel's Quad Q6600 processor but no match for Intel's Core 2 Extreme QX9650. AMD continues to lag Intel in terms of performance per watt as well. Hit up the read link when you're ready to sprinkle a little silicon speak onto your morning ritual.

AMD's new quad-core Opteron processors for one-socket workstations and gaming gods

by Joshua Fruhlinger posted Jun 3rd 2008 at 12:23PM

Okay gamers, power-modders, and IT dudes (and dudettes), pay attention: AMD has set sail to three new quad-core Opteron processors for one-socket servers and workstations. The new 1352, 1354, and 1356 clock in at 2.1GHz, 2.2GHz, and 2.3GHz, respectively, and meet the same socket and thermal requirements as previous AMD Opteron 1000 Series processors. They also utilize AMD's Enhanced PowerNow! tech and Rapid Virtualization Indexing. Pricing is currently set at $209, $255, and $377.

PC Microworks intros Montevina-powered Edge uber-laptop

by Joshua Fruhlinger posted May 24th 2008 at 9:27PM

Heads up, spec hounds. PC Microworks' Edge with Centrino 2 (aka Montevina) is a powerhouse that cannot be denied. This speedster sports a 15.4-inch WUXGA screen, packs a Montevina Quad Core Centrino 2 CPU, 2gb of DDR3 at 1333MHz, nVIDIA Gefore 9800M GTX, HSPDA, and up to 4TB of 7200RPM drives. Don't go running to the credit card gods just yet, though, as the Core 2 Extreme Quad Core QX9300 (2.53GHz/1066MHz/12MB) version won't be available until the end of July. What's more, this baby all decked-out will run you a cool $8,265.

[Thanks, Matthew]

Eurocom lets loose Quad Core XEON-based D901C PHANTOM-X server laptop

by Donald Melanson posted May 12th 2008 at 12:48PM

It's not often we see laptop manufacturers boast of a one-hour battery life, but in the case of Eurocom's new D901C PHANTOM-X "mobile server," that spec is certainly hard-earned enough to warrant notice. The battery drain begins with a 2.8GHz Quad Core XEON X3360 processor, which gets paired with 1.5 terabytes of storage in the form of three SATA-300 hard drives (complete with various RAID options), 8GB of DDR2-800 memory, a Blu-ray burner, and a comparatively modest 17-inch display, to name but a few specs. All that, not surprisingly, takes just as big a toll on your back as it does on battery life, with the PHANTOM-X weighing in at a lugabble 12-pounds. No word on a price just yet, but Eurocom's non-Xeon-based server laptops already easily push past the $3,000 mark, so you can probably take a pretty good stab at assessing the damage to your budget.

Intel reveals plans for quad-core laptop CPUs

by Joshua Topolsky posted Mar 15th 2008 at 12:32AM

It looks like your favorite lap burner will get all quad-ified this year, thanks to the folks at Intel, and a little something we call "enthusiast pressure." The hot-to-the-touch CPU rumor mill claims that we'll see the quad-core, 45nm QX9300 hit the scene after the Centrino 2 (aka Montevina) chips are launched in the second quarter of the year. The general feeling is that the quad-equipped laptops will primarily be heavier, desktop-replacement systems, as the Core 2 Extreme processors are still fairly power hungry. If you haven't already fallen off the edge of your seat, you have our congratulations.

Dell releases Precision T5400 and T7400 powerhouse workstations

by Evan Blass posted Nov 27th 2007 at 10:47AM

When a regular consumer desktop just won't serve your demanding computing needs, it's time to go workstation, and Dell's got a pair of new quad-core-packin' models that are spec'ed to be some of the fastest on the planet. Both the Precision T7400 and T5400 are available with either one or two of Intel's newest 45-nanometer Xeon Processors (up to a 3.20GHz X5482 on the 7400), as many as two 1.5GB nVIDIA Quadro FX5600 graphics cards (capable of driving four 30-inch monitors), up to 4GB of RAM (with a whopping 128GB promised using a memory riser card chassis when 8GB DIMMs become available) and either three (5400) or five (7400) hard drives for up to 3TB of storage -- all topped off with a little Blu-ray action. Available immediately, the new rigs start at just $1,600 and $1,850, but for a configuration that meets your ridiculous specifications, expect to shell out well north of ten grand.

Intel's Hapertown quad core processors get benchmarked

by Donald Melanson posted Sep 20th 2007 at 10:46AM

It looks like we're not quite done with Intel news out of IDF just yet, with the folks at HEXUS.net now scoring some benchmarks for the company's so-called "Stoakley" server/workstation platform. At the center of that platform are two-socket-capable quad-core Penryn CPUs, which are set to replace the current 65nm quad-core Clovertown models. And in that repect, it looks like Hapertown should be a worthy successor, with HEXUS calling it a "better quad-core processor than Clovertown: it's as simple as that." While their tests were somewhat hindered by Intel's choice to include the 32-bit Windows XP on the test system , they nonetheless managed to turn up some decent benchmark numbers and, just as importantly, found plenty of room for those numbers to grow, especially once SSE4.1-optimised applications start to turn up. Those looking for even more details can hit up the read link below for the complete rundown.

[Via Slashdot]

Tilera debuts its sixty-four core processor, melts faces

by Joshua Topolsky posted Aug 20th 2007 at 1:34PM

Chipmaker Tilera, clearly bored with the peasant-like core counts of two or four as offered by such pedestrian competition like Intel and AMD, has decided to turn the game up a notch with their latest diabolical creation: the 64-core processor. That's right folks, Tilera's TILE64 is a new RISC CPU aimed at integrated systems like routers, switches, video conferencing, and set-top boxes that can best Intel's finest by a factor of 30, and casually rocks a bandwidth of something like 32TB per second. The new chip circumvents bottleneck problems that can plague CPUs like Intel's multi-core processors by utilizing a unique "mesh" architecture which allows each core to be decentralized and thus able to communicate more freely with any partner in the grid. Tilera believes the technology might open the door to hundreds or even thousands of cores using the new system. Of course, this is a RISC CPU, so clearly the applications in which it will be used differ somewhat from Intel's offerings, but nevertheless, it remains a tantalizing development in the world of multi-core R&D.

[Via TG Daily]

XtremeNotebooks launches quad-core Xtreme 917V laptop

by Darren Murph posted Aug 15th 2007 at 10:02PM

Although being in the presence of a quad-core laptop doesn't have the same allure it did just months ago, packin' a Core 2 Quad processor into a 2.35-inch thick enclosure still manages to get us all hot and bothered (literally, we mean). The latest mobile gaming rig to come equipped with such a workhorse is XtremeNotebooks' Xtreme 917V (yeah, a rebadge of Sager's NP9260), which also features a 17-inch display, dual NVIDIA GeForce Go 7950 GTX GPUs, a dual-layer DVD writer, multicard reader, integrated webcam / speakers, up to 4GB of DDR2 RAM, room for three 250GB hard drives, a dedicated GPU cooling solution, optional TV tuner, gigabit Ethernet, WiFi, and a whole host of ports to boot. Granted, this sucka can only chug along for 60 minutes or so on its 12-cell battery, tips the scales at close to 12 oh-so-solid pounds, and starts at $2,399, but we know there's still a few of you out there willing to give it some love.

Intel accelerates 45nm plans, hitting the market Q4 '07

by Paul Miller posted Aug 2nd 2007 at 2:55PM

Echoes of "take that, haters!" could be heard on Intel corporate Facebook accounts this morning as the company steals some thunder from AMD's recently announced roadmap and fancy fresh antitrust lawsuit. Intel will be launching new four core 45nm Intel Core Extreme "Penryn" processors in Q4 2007, a few months ahead of schedule. The top of the line proc is likely to hit 3.33GHz, run a 1333MHz system bus and hold 12MB of L2 cache. Only about 2-3% of Intel's chips will go 45nm in 2007, but that number should double by around Q2 2008, and it seems Intel needed to accelerate things to head off competition from AMD's upcoming Phenom processors. Prices and other precise launch dates are still a mystery at this point.

[Via Silicon Investor]

Intel cuts prices on quad-core chips

by Joshua Topolsky posted Jul 23rd 2007 at 12:02PM

Intel is giving a lot of cheap speed-freaks cause for celebration today, as the company has just announced some deep price cuts to its line of quad-core CPUs (and a few other price snips here and there). The chipmaker has knocked down the price of the 2.93GHz Core 2 Quad QZ6800 with a 1066MHz FSB to $999, the 2.66 GHz Q6700 to $530, and the 2.4GHz Q6600 to $300 (shaving off almost half of its price). With these new drops, the Q6600 has become the cheapest quad-core chip on the market, thus making chumps of the people who bought it a month ago, but those who've been waiting for the cuts will be glad they did. Additionally, Intel has reduced the cost of some of its Core 2 Duo processors, taking around $20 off of the cost of the 2.2GHz E4500 and the 2GHz E4400. Be sure to check out InformationWeek's complex breakdown of the cuts, and where to find the best deals.

[Via The Inquirer, thanks Tech L]