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AMD CPUs for the past 9 years are vulnerable to data leak attacks
It's not just Intel chips that are vulnerable to hard-to-fix security flaws. Researchers at the Graz University of Technology have detailed a pair of side channel attacks under the "Take A Way" name that can leak data from AMD processors dating back to 2011, whether it's an old Athlon 64 X2, a Ryzen 7 or a Threadripper. Both exploit the "way predictor" for the Level 1 cache (meant to boost the efficiency of cache access) to leak memory content. The Collide+Probe attack lets an intruder monitor memory access without having to know physical addresses or shared memory, while Load+Reload is a more secretive method that uses shared memory without invalidating the cache line.
AMD's 64-core Threadripper will be available February 7th
When AMD said its 64-core Threadripper 3990X would be ready in 2020, it apparently didn't intend to make people wait very long. The brag-worthy processor is now slated to be available on February 7th for a staggering $3,990 (yes, that matches the model number). Clearly, this is meant primarily for workstations where more cores could easily save time and money; you're better off with one of the more 'affordable' Threadrippers if you just want to lord an advantage over your fellow gamers.
Intel is losing against AMD
When AMD launched its third-generation Zen 2 Ryzen processors earlier this year, Intel had to be sweating. Its rival had developed an all-new architecture with improvements to clock speed, core count and instructions per clock and promised performance that matched -- and even beat -- Intel's CPUs. Then, along came AMD's mainstream 12-core and 16-core Ryzen 9 3900x and 3950X CPUs, which doubled the thread count of competing i9-9900 series chips. That threatened not only Intel's gaming market but muscled in on its workstation territory. To compete, Intel was forced to launch the Cascade Lake i9-10980X at $999 -- half the price of the previous 9980XE model. Unfortunately for Intel, the 3950X still keeps pace with the i9-10980X in most tests, despite costing just $750. Reviews are now in for AMD's latest 32-core 3970X and 24-core 3960X Threadripper processors, and it's more bad news for Intel. Those high-end desktop (HEDT) chips perform better for both video and 3D rendering than Intel's latest i9-10980X CPU. Furthermore, they've even made many of Intel's high-end workstation Xeon CPUs obsolete. And the kicker is that AMD has yet to release the 64-core, Threadripper 3990X. Intel still has a lead in gaming, but only just, and given AMD's progress and recent Zen 3 announcements, is any market safe? Let's explore the state of this rivalry and how Intel might counterpunch.
AMD's 64-core Threadripper 3990X arrives in 2020
AMD appears to have confirmed that it will launch the creator-centric 64-core Threadripper 3990X chip sometime in 2020, as rumored. The company didn't release many details, other than to say it'll have 64 cores and 128 threads, 288MB of total cache and consume 280 watts (TDP). We still don't know the all-important price, though you can expect it to cost several thousand dollars, at least.
AMD unveils its next-gen Threadripper CPUs with up to 32 cores
AMD has unveiled its 3rd-generation Ryzen Threadripper CPUs built with its 7-nanometer "Zen 2" architecture, and the performance looks impressive. As before, there are 24- and 32-core variants, the TR 3960X and TR 3970X, respectively, with base clocks at 3.8GHz/3.7GHz respectively and a max boost speed of up to 4.5GHz. Both chips will run using AMD's all-new TRX40 chipset with 72 available PCIe 4.0 lanes and 12 USB-C 3.1 gen2 10Gbps SuperSpeed ports.
AMD delays 16-core Ryzen 9 CPU to November
We hope you weren't determined to build an all-out AMD gaming rig in September. AMD has delayed the release of its 16-core Ryzen 9 3950X processor by two months to sometime in November. The company wants to meet "strong demand" for the highly parallel CPU, the company said in a statement to AnandTech. In short, it wants to be sure there's enough supply to justify a release. There is an upshot to this news for enthusiasts, though.
AMD's 12- and 24-core Threadripper 2 CPUs arrive October 29th
You're in luck if you were enticed by AMD's second-generation Threadripper CPUs but felt that going all-out on the 32-core model was a little too over-the-top. The chip designer has announced that the 12-core Threadripper 2920X and 24-core 2970WX will launch on October 29th at respective prices of $649 and $1,299. We wouldn't exactly call these budget processors, but both of them could save you a few hundred dollars if you don't need to juggle quite so many tasks at once.
PCs are actually exciting again
Last year's Computex showed us how the PC would evolve. This year, that evolution began to feel concrete. Hardware is getting better across the board, as you'd expect. But there's also a renewed focus on productivity -- doing work that can't be done on a phone or tablet -- as well as fixing common issues. Intel and AMD are racing to cram even more cores into their processors, appeasing the most power hungry users. And we even caught a glimpse at some intriguing concepts for future devices.
AMD's second-generation Threadripper CPU has up to 32 cores
AMD is once again pushing its processor technology to new heights. During its Computex keynote today, the company revealed that its second-generation Threadripper CPU will feature up to 32 cores and 64 threads. We've known the chip would arrive later this year, but AMD now says it'll launch in the third quarter. The news also comes on the heels of Intel's announcement of an impending 28-core, 5GHz chip. "When we were bringing out 16-core, we already had on the drawing board the 32-core," AMD's Jim Anderson said in an interview. "That's one of the reason it can drop into the same TR4 socket, is because up front we had that in mind." The new Threadripper will run on AMD's 12nm Zen+ architecture, just like the company's newest Ryzen desktop CPUs. It'll sport all of the features from those products as well, like higher clock speeds, more efficient performance and improved boost. Only a few years ago, we were blown away by AMD and Intel's foray into double-digit core counts, so it's surprising to see how quickly we've leaped beyond 30 cores. When it comes to the back-and-forth competition with Intel, who one-upped AMD's Threadripper core count last year, Anderson says it's ultimately good for consumers. "I think Ryzen has had a big impact on the industry, but the best thing about is is that it's driven innovation and competition back in the industry," he said. "And that's good for everybody, and it's especially good for end users. I think having Intel react to us just benefits end users. I also think it's nice to see AMD back to its heritage of pushing the industry."
AMD unveils its cheapest Threadripper CPU yet
Intel and AMD are duking it out once again to see how many cores they can cram into a single CPU, and that's great news for PC enthusiasts across all budgets. Professionals likely won't have any qualms dropping $1,000 or $2,000 for their 16- and 18-core behemoths, while thriftier shoppers get more options for less. Today, AMD rounded out its Threadripper lineup with the eight-core Ryzen 1900X, which will cost just $549. In comparison, the recently announced 12-core Threadripper sells for $799, while the top of the line 16-core model goes for $999.
AMD’s beastly 16-core Ryzen Threadripper CPU is available today
We already knew a lot about AMD's monstrous $1000 16-core 1950X Threadripper CPU (and slightly cheaper 1920X $800 12-core version), but the company released a few more details as the processors went on sale today. AMD is adding a third to the lineup: The 1900X is an 8-core, 16-thread version for $550 that'll be out on August 31st for anyone who wants a powerful budget CPU with a base clock speed of 3.8 GHz and boost of 4.0 GHz.
AMD returns to high-end gaming graphics with Radeon RX Vega
AMD has been content to cater to budget gamers with its graphics cards over the past couple of years, but it's ready to play in the big leagues once again. After plenty of leaks and no shortage of hype (Apple even name-dropped AMD at the iMac Pro debut), the chip giant has unveiled GPUs based on its high-end Vega architecture. The Radeon RX Vega series touts processors with numerous tweaks that promise to finally give AMD performance comparable to NVIDIA's higher-end offerings, including updated geometry and pixel engines, a high-bandwidth cache controller and support for multiple data operations per cycle. Overall, Vega promises twice the throughput per clock cycle and twice the memory bandwidth per pin of earlier Radeon hardware -- not the highest bar to clear given AMD's recent lack of top-end cards, but still a huge improvement.
AMD's powerful 16-core Threadripper CPU will cost $999
AMD didn't have many details to share about its 16-core Ryzen Threadripper CPU when it was announced back in May, but now it's ready to spill the beans. The chip, officially known as the Threadripper 1950X, will sell for $999, the company announced today. It'll feature a base speed of 3.4GHz with a boost clock of 4GHz. But that's not all: AMD also revealed a $799 12-core Threadripper 1920X CPU, for extreme PC users looking to save a couple hundred bucks. Both chips, along with new motherboards, should be available in August.
AMD’s 16-core ‘Threadripper’ CPU is built for ultra-high-end PCs
AMD has unveiled Threadripper, a 16-core, 32-thread CPU that will take on Intel in one of its key markets: high-end desktop CPUs. The chip has been rumored for a while now, but AMD finally unveiled it at its analyst day, saying it would arrive by summer of 2017. The company may have wanted to get the launch in ahead of Intel, which will reportedly unveil a long-rumored 12-core Core i9 chip and new X99 HEDT (high-end desktop) platform sometime soon.
