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AMD debuts Athlon II X2 250 and Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition CPUs

by Darren Murph posted Jun 1st 2009 at 9:00PM

If you're AMD, you've got to be feeling pretty good right now. Intel's busy handling a lawsuit bigger than the left half of Russia, you're finally free of that dreaded manufacturing business and you've got a new pair of mainstream CPUs debuting at Computex. The first of the two is the dual-core 45nm Athlon II X2 250, which features a TDP of 65-watts and can whittle power consumption down to 50 percent when handling just "basic tasks." Then there's the first-ever dual-core AMD Phenom II, the X2 550 Black Edition. Built from the ground-up for its 'Dragon' platform, this here chip also supports OverDrive 3.0 and should provide some higher-end features on a budget. Unfortunately, details beyond that are inexplicably scant, but we'll be sure to pass on whatever surfaces at the show. Full release is after the break.

Gallery: AMD debuts Athlon II X2 250 and Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition CPUs

Read - HotHardware review
Read - AMDZone review
Read - OverclockersClub review
Read - PC Perspective review
Read - LostCircuits review
Read - BenchmarkReviews review
Read - TechSpot review
Read - X-bit Labs review
Read - Legion Hardware review

Continue reading AMD debuts Athlon II X2 250 and Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition CPUs

AMD Phenom II X4 955 and 945 benchmarked to high heaven

by Paul Miller posted Apr 23rd 2009 at 4:06PM

Just when you though you'd had your fill of insanely detailed benchmarks of processors you may or may not have ever heard of, AMD's new Phenom II X4 955 and 945 hit the scene to get those overclockers all in a tizzy. The top of the line is the 955 "Black Edition" at 3.2GHz, while the 945 plays with a petty 3GHz. And the verdict? They're clearly AMD's fastest so far, but that might not be fast enough. AMD offers great value, but only really matches Intel's Core 2 offerings on performance -- Core i7 is still out in front. There is the fact that Phenom II offers a nice upgrade path for certain people who already do the AMD thing and are looking to upgrade, along with "enthusiasts" who are "enthused" by easy-access overclocking, but overall it looks like AMD is still playing catch-up with Intel.

Read - HotHardware
Read - Neoseeker
Read - PC Perspective
Read - Tech Report
Read - TechSpot
Read - EXTREME Overclocking

AMD ushers in five new Phenom II CPUs, benchmarking ensues

by Darren Murph posted Feb 9th 2009 at 9:42AM

Just a month after AMD launched its Phenom II CPUs and Dragon desktop platform, the chip maker is hitting back with five new processors in the quickly expanding line. The newcomers include the planet's first 45nm triple-core CPU and three more quad-core siblings, all of which can operate in either AM2+ or AM3 sockets. As for performance? We hope your expectations haven't been set too high, as the chips were generally found to be just "a logical extension of [the company's] piecemeal upgrade plan and a fill in [the] gap to its lineup." Reviewers across the web were generally pleased but underwhelmed by test results, with HotHardware noting that "overall, Intel still has the performance edge clock-for-clock and core-for-core." In fairness, these chips were found to be good for overclocking, and for the right price, we could certainly see a few gamers giving them a go. For the full spill, dive on into the deep, intricate reviews below.

Read - Official AMD announcement
Read - HotHardware benchmarks
Read - PCPerspective benchmarks
Read - DesktopReview's review

AMD's Phenom II pushed to 6.5GHz, 3DMark record demolished

by Darren Murph posted Jan 26th 2009 at 5:10AM

Ha, and you thought a 3DMark06 score of 5,086 was intense when AMD's Phenom II was overclocked to a blistering 3.85GHz. Just after CES, a team of hardcore speed freaks with access to liquid nitrogen and liquid helium created an environment for OC'ing one of AMD's latest Phenom II X4 chips in -232 degrees Celsius weather. Once the silicon was appropriately chilled, they proceeded to push the clock speed to a staggering 6.5GHz, which proved nimble enough to deliver a patently absurd 45,474 3DMark05 score. The best part? The adoring public was there to bear witness, and every nail-biting second of it is hosted up in the video just past the break.

[Via Digg]

Continue reading AMD's Phenom II pushed to 6.5GHz, 3DMark record demolished

AMD talks up mildly ambiguous graphics supercomputer

by Darren Murph posted Jan 8th 2009 at 4:17PM

It's not entirely clear what the purpose of AMD's newest supercomputer is, but it's pretty safe to say that the company is making it out to be something better than it is. All harshness aside, the so-called Fusion Render Cloud will reportedly be the planet's fastest graphics supercomputer. It sounds like the machine will be good for farming out tasks, and more specifically, for "real-time rendering of film and visual effects graphics on an unprecedented scale." Evidently AMD's hoping that gaming firms tap into the beast in order to develop and deploy next-generation game content, so that probably means it's worthless for you. But hey, it sounds awesome, right?

AMD's Phenom goes on a budget with the Athlon X2 7000 series

by Tim Stevens posted Dec 16th 2008 at 10:28AM

AMD's Phenom goes budget with the Athlon X2 7000 series

Hot on the heels of word that the 45nm Phenom II chip is up for grabs, AMD has announced that its 65nm predecessor has been relegated to budget duty. The new Phenom-based Athlon X2 7000 chips are now available, replacing the aged X2 6000 and delivering an affordable HyperTransport bus boost to 3.6GHz, 2MB of L3 cache, but still just 1MB on L2. It's a dual-core processor, unlike the higher-spec Phenoms, and consumes 95-watts. That's a handy drop from the X2 6000's 125-watt rating, but isn't exactly frugal compared to some of AMD's other Phenom offerings. The 2.7GHz X2 7750 Black Edition is available now in bulk for just under $80, and appears to be retailing for around $90. Meanwhile a paler, cheaper, 2.5GHz version is shipping just for OEMs -- but that shouldn't stop you home builders from finding one if you're really inclined.

AMD Phenom II processor gets outed, might even be released

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Dec 8th 2008 at 2:21PM

Apparently, AMD has officially announced the release of its Phenom II processor -- though if they did, they forgot to actually, you know, announce it. According to EE Times, the quad-core, 45nm chip is said to support DDR2 and DDR 3 memory (the latter up to 1333MHz) and is available at both 3GHz and 2.8GHz speeds (for $275 and $235, respectively). If that's not exciting enough, a 65nm (DDR2) version of the chip is also availabe. The article winds up by saying that the chips are expected to appear in systems on display at the upcoming CES. Sound good? Now all we need is an actual, official announcement. Like, from the chip maker itself. We're looking at you, AMD. Call us. You have the number.

[Via Register Hardware]

Update: So, what do you know? It looks like the EE Times link is down without any sort of explanation. We're not exactly sure what to make of this, but we'll keep you posted regardless. And no, AMD hasn't called either.

AMD Phenom II CPU roadmap foreshadows potent Spring

by Darren Murph posted Dec 2nd 2008 at 10:18AM

Not that AMD's being overly secretive about its forthcoming Phenom II processor, but it hasn't exactly been forthcoming with model names / estimated ship dates, either. And that folks, is why we look to leaks. A recent writeup over on Chinese site HKEPC details the impending chip family by listing over a dozen new CPUs (including two Phenom II X3s and seven Phenom II X4s) that are destined to be announced between CES and June 2009. Not surprisingly, some of the model names aren't -- shall we way, completely original -- with the 3GHz Phenom II X4 940 and 2.8GHz Phenom II X4 920 sharing eerily similar naming schemes with Intel's fresh Core i7. Of course, we're not sticklers for silly things like that -- we just want to see a few slabs of silicon get out the door on time. Is that really too much to ask, AMD?

[Via CNET]

AMD said to be revising naming scheme for 45nm Phenom CPUs

by Donald Melanson posted Sep 26th 2008 at 5:49AM

Get out your processor score sheets, folks (both of you), 'cause it looks like your world is about to get shook up again. According to some unnamed "industry sources," AMD is going to be welcoming its new 45nm Phenom processors by slightly revising its conventional naming scheme, although it's not going quite so far as to ditch the main Phenom X3 and Phenom X4 branding all together. Instead, it's supposedly going to be switching the model numbers from four to five digits, with the lower-end processors following a 1xx00 format and the higher-end CPUs using a 20xx0 scheme. That, of course, is being done in the name of "simplifying" things, although we'll let you be the judge if that's the first word that pops in your mind or not when you take a glance at the table available at the read link below.

AMD slashes prices on triple-core Phenom X3 processors

by Donald Melanson posted Sep 10th 2008 at 2:57PM

AMD may have some new dual-core Phenom processors around the corner, but it looks like those wanting to build an AMD rig on the cheap don't have to wait until then, as the company has just slashed the price on its triple-core Phenom X3 processors, a move that follows some similar price cuts just a few weeks ago. As of now, you can get an X3 8450 for $104 (down from $125 in July), an X3 8650 for $119 (down from $145), an X3 8750 for $129 (down from $175), or even an X3 8750 Black Edition with overclocking support for just $134. As TG Daily points out, that pits the processors up against the low-end of Intel's Core 2 Duo offerings, which certainly makes 'em an attractive option for those looking to get the most bang for the buck.

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

AMD's new 790GX chipset for gamers on a "budget"

by Paul Miller posted Aug 6th 2008 at 9:15AM

AMD's got a new performance-per-dollar platform for running Phenom processors without breaking the bank. The 790GX is being positioned right below AMD's top of the line 790FX, with a typical motherboard built around the technology costing around $355. Primary advantages of the chipset include Advanced Clock Calibration, which allows Phenom speeds of 3.2GHz and up, and ATI Radeon HD 3300 integrated graphics -- though of course you can ramp up to discreet graphics or CrossFireX if you're really feeling it. The folks at HotHardware already took a chipset for a spin, and while it won't be besting the best from Intel, it seems to be showing some strong leadership in its price category compared to related Intel and NVIDIA technologies. It's shipping now.

Read - AMD PR
Read - Hot Hardware review

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 including hidden overclocking functionality in tri- / quad-core Phenoms?

by Darren Murph posted Jun 6th 2008 at 4:17AM

Straight up, this one sounds just too bizarre to ever be true, but we suppose (almost) anything goes when talkin' AMD. Now that you're suitably skeptical, word on the street has it that AMD's triple- and quad-core Phenom processors posses a half dozen "hidden pins" which can enable painfully easy overclocking when paired with the right chipsets. Yeah, this sounds way too much like some sort of Up / Down / Up / Down / Select / Start fantasy boost, but apparently a 2.8GHz Black Edition CPU can be taken to 3GHz with a SB700-equipped motherboard or an even more tantalizing 3.2GHz when used with a SB750. As expected, the release date for this tech is listed as unknown, but maybe that's just some code trying to tell us we're really stuck in the Twilight Zone.

[Thanks, kris120890]

AMD says post-Phenom CPUs will be "completely different," 100 laptops to launch with Puma

by Nilay Patel posted Apr 29th 2008 at 2:48PM

Although most of the attention in the increasingly-competitive CPU market has been focused on Intel and newcomer NVIDIA lately, AMD's still in it to win it, and it looks like it's taking some bold moves. First up, the company says over 100 laptop designs based on the new Puma mobile platform are being developed for delivery in June, over twice as many as it's had in the past. AMD's touting Puma's Hybrid Graphics mode that allows the system to intelligently switch between a Radeon HD3400 and integrated graphics for max power-savings, so it'll be interesting to see how the system stacks up against Intel's Atom and VIA's Isaiah -- like NVIDIA, AMD seems to be betting that consumers care more about graphics than raw horsepower.

That bet might also explain why AMD's technical director of sales and marketing Guiseppe Amato also recently told CustomPC that its next generation of chips will look "completely different" than Phenom, and that it will be capable of solving "problems that today we think can never be addressed by hardware." That's a pretty bold claim -- the whole processor market is getting pretty boastful lately, have you noticed? -- but we're at a loss to explain what it means. Any ideas?

Read - 100 laptops to be based on Puma at launch
Read - AMD's next CPU architecture will be completely different