AMD has refreshed its lineup of eight-core FX chips in what sounds like some straightforward overclocking of last year's products. The FX-9590 claims a clock speed of 5GHz in turbo mode, making it the "world's first commercially available 5GHz CPU processor," while the FX-9370 lags slightly behind at 4.7GHz, as compared to the 4.2GHz top speed of the current FX-8350. Both new CPUs are based on the familiar Piledriver core, which has a reputation for being relatively cheap and easily overclockable (honestly, the 5GHz barrier was obliterated long ago), but far behind an Intel Core i5 in terms of all-around computing. This is especially true since the launch of Haswell, which largely avoided clock speed increases in favor of architectural tweaks that didn't compromise efficiency. Maingear plans to pick up the 5GHz part for use in a gaming system coming this summer, but there's no word yet on pricing or even general availability for DIY upgraders. Now, we're just speculating, but with AMD increasingly focused on APUs, it's possible that today's chips will represent the FX's lap of glory.

Filed under: Desktops, Gaming, AMD

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Although AMD hasn't had much recent success at the higher end of the processor spectrum, it's clear the company is very much interested in attacking the budget realm. Witness its two new lower-tiered FX-series processors: the quad-core FX-4350 and six-core FX-6350 bring noticeable (if modest) improvements over the FX-4300 and FX-6300 chips they effectively replace. Both unlocked CPUs up the base clock speed to 3.9GHz, while the Max Turbo speeds jump to a respective 4.3GHz and 4.2GHz each. The FX-4350 further trumps its ancestor by doubling the Level 3 cache to 8MB, albeit with a higher power draw. More importantly, prices aren't budging much at all in spite of the brisker performance. When the FX-4350 and FX-6350 cost just $122 and $132 each, they're cheap enough that DIY builders shouldn't weep when the bills are due.

Filed under: Desktops, AMD

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Via: AMD Unprocessed

Source: AMD

If Amazon's recent foray into British period drama leaves you cold, its Prime Instant Video service now has something grittier on tap: The FX Network's Justified. Thanks to a new deal with Sony Pictures Television, you can download the western-style crime series for no additional cost if you're a subscriber on the $79 yearly service. It was up for grabs at $1.99 a pop on Instant Video before, where Amazon said it was one of its most popular buys, and now Prime subscribers can grab episodes from seasons one through three. Season four will arrive after its current run on FX concludes, though individual episodes of the latter are available on Instant right after they air, if you're willing to pay $1.99. Amazon also added all seven seasons of Sony's The Shield to Prime Instant, so if you're looking to go on a crime spree, check the PR after the break.

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Now that AMD's fresh new FX processors based on the Piledriver architecture are out in the wild, the specialist hardware sites have seen fit to benchmark the top-lining FX-8350. Overall, the group feels that AMD has at least closed the gap a bit on Intel's Core juggernaut with a much better FX offering this time around, but overall the desktop CPU landscape remains unchanged -- with Intel still firmly at the top of the heap. Compared to its last-gen Bulldozer chips, "in every way, today's FX-8350 is better," according to Tom's Hardware: cheaper, up to 15 percent faster and more energy efficient. Still, while the new CPUs represent AMD's desktop high-end, they only stack up against Intel's mid-range Core i5 family, and even against that line-up they only edge ahead in heavily threaded testing. But if you "look beyond those specific (multithreaded) applications, Intel can pull away with a significant lead" due to its superior design, says Anantech. As for power consumption, unfortunately "the FX-8350 isn't even the same class of product as the Ivy Bridge Core i5 processors on this front," claims The Tech Report.

Despite all that, Hot Hardware still sees several niches that AMD could fill with the new chips, as they'll provide "an easy upgrade path for existing AMD owners and more flexibility for overclocking, due to its unlocked multipliers." That means if you already have a Socket-AM3+ motherboard, you'll be able to do a cheap upgrade by swapping in the new CPU, and punching up the clock cycles might close the performance gap enjoyed by the Core i5. Finally, AMD also saw fit to bring the new chip in at a "very attractive" $195 by Hexus' reckoning, a much lower price than an earlier leak suggested. Despite that, however, the site says that AMD's flagship FX processor still "cannot tick as many desirable checkboxes as the competing Intel Core i5 chips." Feel free to scope all the sources below to make your own conclusions.

Read - Tom's Hardware
Read - Hot Hardware
Read - AnandTech
Read - Hexus
Read - The Tech Report

Filed under: Desktops, Gaming, AMD

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If you get the impression that AMD is diverting its energy away from traditional CPUs and towards APUs and fresher PC form factors such as all-in-ones, then you're certainly right -- but you're also slightly ahead of the game. The company promises there's a still a good few years of life left in its CPU-only chips and the AM3+ socket, and it's putting today's announcement forward as evidence. As of now, last year's eight-core FX-8150 has been superseded on retailers' shelves by the FX-8350, which notches the stock clock speed up to 4GHz, or 4.2GHz on turbo (alas with no obvious sign of that resonant mesh we once heard about). The full stack (codenamed 'Vishera') includes eight-, six- and four-core options, all based on the new Piledriver architecture which -- when combined with these higher clock speeds -- promises an overall performance uplift of around 15 percent versus the old Bulldozer cores. To be fair though, those Bulldozers weren't so snappy to begin with, and besides, the most significant performance claims with this upgrade relate to multi-threaded applications and a few gaming titles like Skyrim and Civ 5. Judging from the slide deck below, gains in other areas of performance may be lower -- perhaps in the region of seven percent -- so as usual we're going to roundup a bunch of reviews later today before we jump to any conclusions.

If it turns out that stock performance alone isn't enough to sell these chips, then potential buyers still ought to check out FX's pricing relative to Intel -- not least because, as is typical, AMD sells overclockable chips at no extra charge. The top-end FX-8350 will hit the market at $195, which is not only cheaper than some earlier leaks suggested, but also $40 cheaper than an unlocked Core i5-3570K that has a lower clock speed and a smaller L3 cache -- although the relative performance of these two chips remains to be independently tested. Meanwhile, the entry-level quad-core FX-4300 will virtually match the price of a locked i3-2120 at $122, but can be readily overclocked to 5GHz with water-cooling. AMD is also making a few claims based on the cost of multiple components in a rig: for example, that you can spend $372 on an FX-8350 and Radeon HD 7850 combo that delivers a 25 to 70 percent gaming advantage over a similarly priced Core i5 3570K with a GeForce GTX 650 Ti. Again, stay tuned for our roundup and we'll figure out just how compelling this really is.

Gallery: AMD FX 'Vishera' slide deck

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It's always just been a matter of "when" and "how much," but it looks as if PC gamers looking to score a powerplant upgrade can start planning on specific amounts. AMD's impending FX Piledriver CPUs are now up for pre-order at ShopBLT, an outlet that has proven reliable in the past when it comes to nailing down processor pricing. For those in need of a refresher, these are built using the Vishera design, with the range including between four and eight CPU cores. We're expecting 'em to best the Bulldozer family, and if all goes well, they could be available to the earliest of adopters in October. Presently, the FX-4300 ($131.62), FX-6300 ($175.77), FX-8320 ($242.05) and FX-8350 ($253.06) are listed, but CPU World seems to think launch day quotes will actually be a bit lower. Only one way to find out, right?

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Via: CPU World

Source: ShopBLT

The first images of what's purported to be the new Nikon D600 have appeared online. The budget (for photographers, at least) full-frame camera is expected to come with a 24.7-megapixel sensor, a 3.2-inch LCD display and a built-in autofocus motor. What makes us hopeful of its rapid arrival is today's earlier announcement concerning the FX-compatible Nikkor 24-85mm lens -- the pair combined would make a devastating duo if the company hits the mark on pricing. Those in the market for a gentle introduction to DSLRs can take a peak at another picture after the break.

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Remember when we were in a tizzy about the Nikon D4, way back in January? We got to play with this tank of a DSLR a bit, but sadly weren't permitted to actually publish any of the photos or video that we shot with the thing. Sure, we've seen some samples of it in action, but it's not quite the same. Thankfully, the company made our late-February that much better, allowing us to take the D4 on a jaunt around the city, a couple of weeks ahead of its mid-March launch. We strolled around Washington Square Park and 6th avenue, with the beast of a camera in-hand, shooting tourists and scenery, before popping by a subway station to have a go with the camera's purported excellent low-light capabilities that we've been hearing so much about. Click on through to take a look at some sample video.

Gallery: Nikon D4 sample shots

Gallery: Nikon D4 hands-on shots

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Gallery: Nikon D4 Ethernet tethered shooting hands-on

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Gallery: Nikon D4 Hands-on

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Gallery: Nikon D4

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Gallery: Pioneer DJM-2000 mixer

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Gallery: Gateway's revamped FX series

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