Update! Report: AMD Says Intel is in Breach

[Updated--see foot note] Earlier today, we reported that Intel gave notice to AMD to rectify a situation with AMD's spinoff company, Globalfoundries. Intel not only filed complaint with AMD, but eventually sent a warning to AMD, indicating that if the situation isn't resolved, Intel would terminate a long-term intellectual agreement with AMD--essentially removing sanctions allowing AMD to engineer and produce x86 processors.

We spoke to AMD's Michael Silverman, and asked some questions. We asked AMD where it thinks Intel is wrong, and what would happen if Intel did go through with the termination. This is what AMD gave back to us:

"Intel’s action is an attempt to distract the world from the global antitrust scrutiny it faces. Should this matter proceed to litigation, we will prove that Intel fabricated this claim to interfere with our commercial relationships and thus has violated the cross-license," said Silverman, AMD public relations...

More here: TomsHardware

Intel to AMD: Your x86 License Expires in 60 Days

ZoomIntel this week announced that it would terminate AMD's license to produce x86 processors due to AMD's spinoff company, Globalfoundries.

AMD spun off its manufacturing division and would thereby use the new company to manufacture its own products as well as possibly products from other companies. Due to dwindling financial performance, this was something that AMD deemed necessary. However, Intel said that because the spinoff isn't a subsidiary of AMD, it does not confirm to the license agreement Intel signed with AMD in 2001--the license doesn't automatically transfer to a spinoff company...

More here: TomsHardware

AMD Overclocking Returns: Phenom X3 720

Listen up Phenom X3 720 owners, the AMD Virtual Overclocking Competition is back!

With our Phenom II X4 940 winner already found, we’re ready to hit the reset button and set things up for our second winner.

The rules for this contest are nearly the same as the one we had the first time around, except that we’ve had a change in CPU choice at the request of AMD. Instead of the Phenom 9950 Black Edition, we’re now looking for the fastest, craziest Phenom X3 720 you guys can come up with....

More here: TomsHardware

3GHz+ Phenom IIs In April?

More to come

We have learned that AMD has a few new Phenoms that it plans to launch in April time. All the upcoming CPUs are Phenom II generation, designed to fit socket AM3, and you can expect some faster clocks in Phenom II X4 8x0 series parts.

The 2.6 GHz Phenom II 810 won’t retain the fastest frequency in AM3 and you shouldn’t be surprised to see 3.1GHz after all, as well as a 3.0GHz Phenom II AM3. We will try to find out more details on these and other CPUs that the company plans to launch in Q2.

Some Energy efficient Propus CPUs should also launch. One thing is certain, 2009 will definitely be a year of recovery for AMD and despite the bad economy the company might do well, as its products are much better than the year before...

Source: Fudzilla

More Efficient CPUs from Intel Coming this Year

With a recession negatively affecting sales numbers in every market, Intel is urging consumers to go out and buy new PCs. In order to spur such a buying frenzy, the processor giant is making some of its notebook offerings more powerful while making others much more affordable...

More here: TomsHardware

All Core i7 CPUs Reportedly Memory Multiplier and Q Engineering sample Core i7 920 and 940 CPUs are locked Intel's Core i7 CPUs havPI Unlocked

Engineering sample Core i7 920 and 940 CPUs are locked

Intel's Core i7 CPUs have been on the market for a while now and have proven to be popular with enthusiasts and gamers looking to build new computers. Like Intel's other processor familiar, the Core i7 line includes standard parts and a high-end Extreme Edition with unlocked multipliers and other features...

More here: DailyTech

AMD 'Bulldozer' CPU Not Coming Early

ZoomAccording to inside information, AMD will not release its 32nm Bulldozer CPU before late 2010 even though Intel's rival processor will roll out by Q4 2009.

Once AMD kick-started its spin-off company The Foundry Co, established to handle all the manufacturing aspects of the CPU giant, AMD focused on utilizing a plethora of engineering resources. After the spin-off company took root, AMD rewrote its roadmap for the 32nm manufacturing process, pushing up the schedule from 2011 to late 2010. Thus, it seemed likely that AMD would be able to push its next-generation CPU architecture, codenamed Bulldozer earlier than previously predicted to take on Intel's 32nm-based processor set for a Q4 2009 release...

More here: TomsHardware

AMD Foundry Spinoff Named GlobalFoundries

In October 2008, AMD announced that it’d be ditching the actual fabrication of its chip technology, and will be spinning off its factories to an outside company.

At the time of the announcement, AMD CEO Dirk Meyer said in a statement that the decision to spin off chip making was about improving finances and creating a company with a tightened focus. The company hoped that rethinking the structure of the company will give AMD a second wind in competing against rival, Intel...

More here: TomsHardware

Intel to Start Shipping P55 Motherboards in July

Seems as though it may be possible that P55 motherboards compatible with Intel's Core i5 CPUs (Lynnfield) may actually start shipping in July.

Core i5 processors are based on the same Nehalem architecture that Core i7 is based upon, but come equipped with integrated dual-channel DDR3 memory controller as well as integrated graphics. The graphics will be based on existing Intel graphics solution, and not Intel's work-in-progress Larrabee...

More here: TomsHardware

Intel Designs a Phone Based on Atom

While the thought of putting the Atom into a phone may seem like overkill, Intel’s got larger visions of what a home phone should be.

Some of us have already ditched the phone line at home in favor of the cell phone because the mobile version can do all the same things that the wall-plugged one did. Oddly enough, now cell phones are more capable than old home phones, with the ability to browse the internet and send text messages...

More here: TomsHardware

AMD Demonstrates 6 Core Istanbul Opteron

Tech Report looked at a demo of the 6 core Istanbul Opteron. It is still set to arrive in H2 of this year.

The third demo was the most interesting for a couple of reasons. First, because it was intended to show how Istanbul can serve as a drop-in upgrade for Socket F systems. The only requirements: the system must support split power planes, and it must have a BIOS upgrade to operate with the new processors. Second, the demo was impressive because it included a performance test. Two otherwise-identical systems were situated side by side: one with a quartet of Shanghai Opterons, the other with four Istanbul chips. Both systems were running with HyperTransport 3 active—a capability coming soon to Shanghai Opterons but not yet available in current products. To illustrate the performance difference between the two boxes, the AMD tech ran a Stream benchmark. The 16-core Shanghai system produced throughput numbers in the range of 25,000 MB/s. The 24-core Istanbul box, by contrast, hit about 42,000 MB/s. The tech then swapped the processor-and-memory daughtercards between the two boxes, and of course, the performance characteristics moved with them...

Source: AMDZone

iBUYPOWER launches $980 Core i7 system

If you'd rather buy than build your own system, but still want cutting-edge components oriented for gaming, you may be glad to hear that iBUYPOWER has teamed up with Newegg to offer a Core i7-920 PC with 3GB of DDR3 RAM (3x1GB) and GeForce 9800 GT graphics for $980. The iBUYPOWER Gamer Extreme 968i system also ships with a 680W PSU, 64-bit Windows Vista Home Premium, Logitech mouse+keyboard, and 500GB HDD...

Source: FiringSquad

Lab Update - DDR2 vs DDR3 performance with the AMD AM3 Processors

Talk about a labor of love. Our planned " quick update" on DDR2 versus DDR3 performance with the new AM3 processors has turned into a week of headaches, anxiety, and frustration. That said, it has actually been enjoyable for the most part as I have been off playing memory detective. Trying to find optimal and stable settings on our AM3 boards has been like playing a good game of hide and seek. Of course this hide and seek game has our AM3 platform hiding in New York and I started seeking for it and the answers to our problems in Alaska...

More here: AnandTech

Newegg.com New Arrivals: AMD Phenom II AM3

It's finally here!

AMD Phenom II X4 810 2.6GHz Socket AM3 95W $189.99
AMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8GHz Socket AM3 95W $169.99
AMD Phenom II X3 710 2.6GHz Socket AM3 95W $129.00

AMD share of motherboard channel market expected to climb back to 30% in 1H09

With AMD's new 45nm Phenom II processor boosting demand for the AMD platform, motherboard makers expect AMD's share of the motherboard channel market will go back up to 30% in the first half of 2009, according to industry sources.

Since AMD-based motherboards support all AMD CPU lines, allowing users to replace CPUs without changing other components, the AMD platform is attractive to consumers in terms of price/performance ratio, noted the sources with motherboard makers.

Although AM3-based motherboard has already appeared in the channel, the high prices of DDR3 memory modules are limiting its growth, the sources said. Therefore AM2+-based motherboard currently is still the mainstream product for AMD, the sources added...

Source: DigiTimes

Two new Core i7 parts coming

Last week we learned about the upcoming 3.33GHz Core i7-975 Extreme Edition, and today comes word from Fudzilla that besides replacing the 965 EE, Intel also plans to introduce a new Core i7 950 CPU next quarter. Fudzilla says that the Core i7-950 will be clocked at 3.06GHz and will sell for the same $562 price tag that the 940 currently goes for...

More here: FiringSquad

Intel Licenses SLI for X58 Smackover Motherboards

Intel makes NVIDIA very happy

Intel has licensed NVIDIA's SLI technology for its own branded motherboards built with the X58 chipset, formerly codenamed Tylersburg.

AMD/ATI's Crossfire technology has been available on X58 motherboards since the chipset was launched in November. SLI and Crossfire enable the simultaneous use of multiple video cards together for increased graphics performance...

More here: DailyTech

Intel Targets Back-to-School Season With Core i5, New Chipsets

Q3 2009 Launch

Intel's has 32nm plans with Clarkdale and Arrandale for the mainstream value segment, but enthusiasts who are looking for quad core performance at a reasonable price will look at Lynnfield and Clarksfield instead.

Lynnfield is the mainstream 45nm quad core variant of the Core i7, featuring 8MB of L3 cache and an on-die dual-channel DDR3 controller. Based on Nehalem, it is targeted at the mainstream performance segment, and uses a new LGA-1156 socket that is incompatible with the Core i7's LGA-1366 socket...

More here: DailyTech

AMD’s AM3 CPUs: Phenom II X4 810 and Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition

It’s been just 30 days since AMD launched the first wave of Phenom II CPUs to the world, but already the company is eager to introduce the public to more processors –including the first Phenom II CPUs to utilize AMD’s brand new AM3 socket. "Why is AMD so eager to get more processors out the door" you ask? Simple, it’s all about improving the company’s bottom line.

AMD is trying to ramp their new 45-nm manufacturing process as aggressively as possible, even if that means they have to take a hit on existing 65-nm Phenom processors in the process. Phenom has never been a hot seller for AMD anyway, and all indications are that Phenom II should address this. Already Phenom II has picked up numerous design wins, including Dell’s latest XPS 625 gaming PC. AMD’s new Phenom II CPUs deliver improved performance over their predecessors, run cooler, and are cheaper for AMD to manufacture. In the end it makes sound business sense for AMD to sweep out the old parts as quickly as possible and bring in the new...

More here: FiringSquad

Intel Demonstrates First Desktop and Mobile Processors Made Using 32nm Process Tech.

Intel Corp. has successfully demonstrated the first working central processing units (CPUs) code-named Clarkdale and Arrandale manufactured utilizing the company’s 32nm process technology. Thin fabrication process will allow Intel to build chips with up to six cores and enable higher performance on mobile computers thanks to reduced power consumption. Additionally, the company confirmed intention to create CPUs with integrated graphics cores...

More here: XbitLabs

Intel's 32nm Core i7 Coming this Year

On a telephone briefing today, Intel announced that its 32 nm processors will begin production later this year, specifically in the 4th quarter of 2009.

Intel is in the process of bringing Core i7 down to a 32 nm fabrication process and will begin production and shipping of the processor in the second half of 2009. The new 32 nm platform is codenamed Westmere and is comprised of two 32 nm Core i7 processors and a new chipset family called the Intel 5-series (P55 and P57). With the move to 32 nm, Intel will free up room on the package to integrate graphics. With Westmere-based Core i7 processors, the first series of products will come with a 45nm integrated graphics core and memory controller, on a separate die, on the same processor...

More here: TomsHardware

Intel to Invest $7 Billion in U.S. Facilities

Intel stated that it plans to invest $7 billion USD in U.S. manufacturing facilities as part of its 2-year plan to focus on leading-edge technologies.

The news of Intel's big spending spree comes directly from the mouth of Intel president and CEO, Paul Otellini. He states that the huge investment will fund the deployment of Intel's 32 nm manufacturing technology used to build faster, smaller chips that consumer less energy. And after the gloom and doom of recent weeks involving closures and layoffs, the company's new investment - its largest for a new manufacturing process so far - sounds like a breath of fresh air...

More here: TomsHardware

Socket AM3: AMD's Phenom II Gets DDR3

With that said, adopting AM3 does require one of the Phenom IIs being introduced today. It'll also necessitate a motherboard like the Asus M4A79T Deluxe with an AM3 interface. And you'll need DDR3 memory, which remains significantly more expensive than DDR2. Given no real tangible performance gains and really only the energy savings of which to speak, stepping up to a fully AM3-compatible platform, not surprisingly, doesn't make sense today.

What does make sense is the Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition on an existing AM2/AM2+ setup, leveraging cheap DDR2 memory. Gone are the days of Core 2 Duo's dominance over the value-oriented gaming market. Now that AMD has its hat in the ring, there's a lot more to like about the oddness of three cores...

More here: TomsHardware

Intel Shipping Upgraded Atom, HD Video Chipset

Intel is now shipping the N280 version of its popular Atom processor to OEMs for use in netbooks.

While the N280 doesn’t differ from the N270 in clock speed, with both running at 1.6 GHz, the newer chip benefits from being paired with the new GN40, which brings with it HD video acceleration...

More here: TomsHardware

Intel Accelerates Core i7

Although prior Intel roadmaps did not mention Core i7 processors faster than the existing 3.2-GHz 965 Extreme Edition, the chip maker finally decided to introduce two faster models in the second quarter of this year.

Core i7 at 3.33 GHz

Core i7-975 Extreme will be the company's flagship desktop processor for the upcoming months, delivering slightly increased performance thanks to a clock speed of 3.33 GHz. This equals a 4.2% clock speed increase when compared to the existing 3.2 GHz model. It is probably not really worth it, as we expect the price of this premium product to remain at $999...

More here: TomsHardware

New Overclocking Star: AMD Phenom II X4 920 Review

Nevertheless, we are extremely pleased with the results demonstrated by Phenom II X4 920. Although it didn’t outperform the similarly priced Core 2 Quad dramatically, we can’t say that it yields a lot to its rival, either. And it means that AMD has every chance to become quite popular among overclocking fans due to their new 45nm processors...

More here: XBitLabs

7 Intel CPUs Including Q6600 Phase Out By Q2 2009

Intel has announced which processors in the upcoming months will be phased out. Surprizingly enough, the Core 2 Quad Q6600 is in there as well.

For the month of February Core 2 Quad Q6700 and Core 2 Duo E4700 will be removed. At the time of writing, Core 2 Quad Q9450, Core 2 Duo E8200, E8190, E6850, E6750, E6550, E6540, E4600 processors already have been phased out.

In Q2 2009, we will see 7 processors to be phased out including the good old Q6600. The rest of the processors are, Core 2 Extreme QX9770 and QX9650, Core 2 Quad Q6600, Core 2 Duo E8300, Pentium E2200 and E2180, as well as Celeron E1200. Lastly, Core 2 Duo E7200 and Pentium E2200 will be phased out by Q3 this year [via vr-zone]...

Source: Guru3D

Dragon Soars and Yukon Finds Gold

SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(EON: Enhanced Online News)--AMD's (NYSE: AMD) newly launched AMD platform technology, codenamed “Dragon,” started the year with a roar, breaking world records at CES in overclocking[i] for frequency, performance and low temperatures. Additionally, the dollar-stretching AMD Yukon platform technology, with remarkable ability to deliver full-featured notebook performance in an ultra-slim form factor, enabled the HP Pavilion dv2 notebook with an MSRP of about $699 USD to win the “Best Notebook of CES” award from LAPTOP Magazine. Both platform technologies – featuring AMD processors, chipsets and graphics - demonstrate the AMD commitment to delivering visibly superior value to mainstream customers...

More here: Fudzilla

CrossFireX and the Phenom II X4 940 – Competitive or Not?

Despite Intel's advantages in processor technology and developer relations, AMD was able to perform well in a CrossFireX setup today. In fact, it did much better than expected when we started looking at multi-GPU gaming results after the Phenom II launch. The real question is if a multi-GPU setup has enough benefits to justify the cost, regardless of platform. This is something Derek is investigating currently. In the meantime, we just know that it is no longer embarrassing to run CrossFire on an AMD processor based system...

More here: AnandTech

Phenom II X4 3.6GHz and RV740 This Year?

Over the weekend, there was quite a lot of buzz about an AMD Phenom II X4 processor clocking at 3.6 GHz by the end of the year as well as the possibility that the ATI RV740 will be used in the upcoming Radeon HD 4730 and HD 4750 SKUs.

ZoomAccording to German website News-AMD, AMD plans to release the 45 nm Phenom II X4 chipsets, clocking up to 3.6 GHz, in Q2 of this year. However, the site quickly went offline due to "incorrect interpretation," with a newer version of the original article going up yesterday. Based on information stemming from recently "leaked" AMD roadmap slides highlighting the release of the Phenom II X4 950 (4 x 3.1 GHz) in Q2 2009, the site speculates that the 3.6GHz version will see a release before the end of the decade. The theory utilizes a model number roadmap using increments of ten (because apparently no one could agree on increments of 5). As a result, the AMD Phenom II X4 960 clocks at 4 x 3.2 GHz, the AMD Phenom II X4 970 clocks in at 4 x 3.3 GHz and so on...

More here: TomsHardware

22W Athlon X2 removed from roadmap

45W is the best we can do

AMD has quietly removed Lima based 1.8GHz 22W TDP dual cores from its roadmap. The company doesn’t talk about such a CPU nor does it offer it to OEMs or retail chains...

More here: Fudzilla

AMD Neo CPU details revealed

1600 MHz clocked K8 Lima

AMD nowadays asks superheroes to try to save its roadmap and this is how AMDs marketing came with Neo name. AMD Athlon Neo processor for Ultrathin Notebooks is the official name of the “new” CPU that AMD plans to use in, as the name suggests, Ultra thin notebooks...

More here: Fudzilla

Intel to Reveal Eight-Core Xeon Next Month

Macworld is reporting that Intel plans to detail an eight-core Xeon processor at the International Solid-State Circuits Conference in San Francisco next month.

The information about the upcoming reveal is scarce at best, however Macworld does say that Intel executives will discuss an eight-core, 16-thread Xeon processor manufactured with a 45-nanometer process. Naturally, Intel fired back at the website, saying that although the chip manufacturer is presenting 16 papers at ISSCC, it didn't have anything further to share in regards to the Xeon rumor. If the processor indeed comes to light at the conference, this will be the company's first eight-core chip...

More here: TomsHardware

Radeon HD 5870 For Sale

News - Video Cards

Written by Chris Tom

Wednesday, 30 September 2009 10:59

You can search for AMD's flagship GPU here.

Radeon HD 5850 Reviews

News - Video Cards

Written by Chris Tom

Wednesday, 30 September 2009 10:55

Guru3D Hexus Hot Hardware Legit Reviews Tech Report

GLOBALFOUNDRIES to Highlight 32nm/28nm Technology Leadership at GSA Expo

Press Releases - AMD

Written by Chris Tom

Wednesday, 30 September 2009 10:31

- New Foundry Poised to Take Leadership Position in Ramping Advanced Technologies at High Volumes With Mature Yields - GSA Emerging Opportunities Expo & Conference 2009 SUNNYVALE, Calif.--As the semiconductor industry begins its transition to the next technology node, GLOBALFOUNDRIES is on track to take its position as the foundry technology leader. On October 1 at the Global Semiconductor Alliance Emerging Opportunities Expo & Conference in Santa Clara, Calif., GLOBALFOUNDRIES (Booth 321) will provide the latest details on its technology roadmap for the 32nm/28nm generations and its innovative “Gate First” approach to building transistors based on High-K Metal Gate (HKMG) technology. “With each new technology generation, semiconductor foundries are increasingly challenged with the economics to sustain R&D and the know-how to bring these technologies to market in high-volume,” said Len Jelinek, director and chief analyst, iSuppli. “With a heritage of rapidly ramping leading-edge technologies to high volumes at mature yields, combined with aggressive investments in capacity and technology, GLOBALFOUNDRIES is uniquely-positioned to challenge for next-generation foundry leadership.” GLOBALFOUNDRIES expects to start volume production of 32nm-SHP (Super High Performance) technology at Fab 1 in the second half of 2010. This technology will employ silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrates and utilize GLOBALFOUNDRIES’ innovative “Gate First” approach to HKMG, which maximizes power efficiency and transistor scaling while minimizing die size and design complexity when compared to the alternative “Gate Last” approach. Yield progress continues with 24Mb SRAMs in double-digit natural yields on path to 50 per cent natural yields by year-end.

Read more...

Ready For The GPU War?

News - Video Cards

Written by Chris Tom

Wednesday, 30 September 2009 10:24

The Inquirer says a GPU war is coming. It will be a battle. A throw down. A beat down. A brawl. A tussle. A fight. A hair puller. A nail biter. A tea bagger. A bone crusher. A back slapper. A butt number. A face painter. A tool brusher. Ahh, so many things it will be, and all the articles about it will sound exactly the same. The Green Goblin has to move fast if it wants to match AMD in this war. In the first quarter of 2010, AMD will launch entry-level GPUs codenamed Redwood and Cedar, while Nvidia has nothing to offer and its technology could be perceived as being out-of-date if AMD convinces everyone that DirectX11 is the way forward. Either way, these will be interesting times.

AMD Announces Open Physics Initiative Designed to Bring New Levels of Realism to Gaming, Simulations, Popular Applications

Press Releases - AMD

Written by Chris Tom

Wednesday, 30 September 2009 07:38

– Open and Industry Standards-based ATI Stream Technology Frees Industry from Proprietary Implementations – Sunnyvale, Calif. — Sept. 30, 2009 — AMD (NYSE: AMD) and Pixelux Entertainment announced a joint development agreement that is part of the AMD effort to greatly expand the use of real-time physics with graphics through the open source Bullet Physics engine. By encouraging development of physics middleware built around OpenCL™ and Bullet Physics, AMD and Pixelux offer a route toward physics simulation that spans game consoles, PCs and other hardware platforms. The latest graphics technologies, like the ATI Radeon™ HD 5800 series of GPUs, offer incredible visual fidelity and high performance physics simulation by taking the next step in realistically animating how rendered game objects move, deform and break. “Proprietary physics solutions divide consumers and ISVs, while stifling true innovation; our competitors even develop code that they themselves admit will not work on hardware other than theirs,” said Eric Demers, chief technology officer for graphics at AMD. “By working with Pixelux and others to enable open support of physics on OpenCL and DirectX® 11 capable devices we are taking the exact opposite approach.” As the latest software developer to take advantage of ATI Stream technology to leverage multi-core CPUs and GPUs to accelerate execution of highly parallel functions, Pixelux will enable game developers to offer improved performance and interactivity across a broad range of OpenCL capable PCs. AMD is also actively pursuing support of Bullet Physics via the DirectCompute API in DirectX 11. “Pixelux wants ensure that our technology can take advantage of the computing resources that any particular hardware platform offers without locking in our users to any single platform,” said Mitchell Bunnell, CEO of Pixelux. “By working with AMD to run our software in OpenCL we stay true to that goal.”

Read more...

Tek Republik News: Console Repair, Aion Trial Accounts

News - Site News

Written by Chris Tom

Tuesday, 29 September 2009 11:27

Yes, I'm quite busy with my gaming center, and computer and console repair shop, Tek Republik. We are the only such business in Austin. We repair Xbox 360s, old Xboxes, Playstation 3s, old Playstations, all the PSPs, Nintendo Wiis, and DS handhelds. Yes, we are that awesome. We of course repair desktops, and laptops, and build custom computers. You can check out full details about our console repairs here. Also new this week we have NCSof't Aion installed, and we have free trial accounts. Sorry, you have to come into the store to get them. NCSoft also has offices here in Austin which I've been to, and we have even hosted a City of Heroes event here for them. Anyway, that is all. Back to work for me. I'm actually working on a 785G motherboard roundup. Surprise, surprise.

Battleforge Faster With DX11

News - Video Cards

Written by Chris Tom

Tuesday, 29 September 2009 10:43

Fudo reports that Battleforge is faster with DX11. According to the graph over at Pclab.pl the DirectX 11 patch was enough for the HD 5870 to be faster than Radeon HD 4870 X2 at 1920x1200 with 4xAA and 16xAF. The game doesn't bring any eye-candy and you can't exactly call it a full DirectX 11 game, but at least the patch brings some gain for the HD 5800 series, as it does indeed give few extra frames per second.

Winners Announced in World’s Largest AMD Overclocking Contest

Press Releases - AMD

Written by Chris Tom

Tuesday, 29 September 2009 10:40

Fantastic Prizes to Be Awarded in Two Categories by GIGABYTE, FSP, Maxcube, GlacialTech, GSkill, and Enermax HELSINKI--Futuremark® Corporation today released winners’ details from its worldwide GIGABYTE Dragon contest after four weeks of intense competition and a record 24,199 entries. Contest:http://www.futuremark.com/community/competitions/gigabytedragon/ Twitter: http://twitter.com/yougamergirl The GIGABYTE Dragon contest saw overclockers worldwide competing to achieve the highest score with 3DMark06 in two segmented categories. Overall Winners Top 3DMark Scorer Grand Winner (36,022) Sarkis (DeDal) 2nd Place (35,570) Giorgioprimo 3rd Place (35,501) Mean Machine Top CPU Overclock % Grand Winner (33,977) 5.651GHz Chew 2nd Place (33,331) 6.161GHz Sarkis (DeDal) 3rd Place (31,668) 6.049 GHz Giorgioprimo Random Winners Week 1 nalonon Week 2 jugiho Week 3 N_tno_c Week 4 Blaz_joystick

Read more...

Acer Ferrari One Gets XGP

News - Laptops

Written by Chris Tom

Tuesday, 29 September 2009 10:25

Fudo reports that Acer's Ferrari One netbook will be getting XGP graphics powered by a 4670. We already wrote a bunch of details about Acer's racing-red Ferrari One, and the fact that it has the proprietary XGP port certainly sounded like an interesting fact. According to the post over at Asian CNET, the DynaVivid dock, how Acer calls it, will feature ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4670 GPU. (The Fud-squad wishes to congratulate AMD on securing its second XGP design win in as many years. sub.ed.)

GPU Competition Heats Up In Q4

News - Video Cards

Written by Chris Tom

Tuesday, 29 September 2009 10:21

Digitimes believes that Q4 will have heavy competition between AMD and Nvidia. Nvidia is expected to unveil new GPUs, the GeForce GT210, GT220 and GT240 in the fourth quarter of 2009, before the arrival of its GT300 series in December, while AMD is expected to release the ATI Radeon HD 5770 and 5750 (Juniper) in October, and Radeon HD 5870 X2 and Radeon HD 5850 X2 in November, according to sources at graphics card makers.

Athlon II X4 620 Review

News - CPUs

Written by Chris Tom

Thursday, 01 October 2009 12:42

Lost Circuits has reviewed the Athlon II X4 620. It can be had here for $99. The Baby Quads are probably just what AMD needs. In the current economy, everybody is increasingly cost-conscious and the US$ 99.- offering of the Athlon II X4 fits that bill perfectly. Never has a quad core CPU be more affordable than now, moreover, there are inexpensive motherboards out there that support the Baby Quads (along with any other high-end offering from AMD).

Asrock M3A790GXH/128M Review

News - Motherboards

Written by Chris Tom

Thursday, 01 October 2009 12:41

OCinside has reviewed the Asrock M3A790GXH/128M. You can pick it up here for $115. The ASRock M3A790GXH/128M motherboard for AMD Socket AM3 processors and DDR3 memory modules is equipped with the AMD 790GX chipset, offers an enormously high performance and can be very high overclocked. The DirectX 10 capable onBoard HD 3300 graphics unit is amazing fast like the previous AMD 790GX ASRock DDR2 motherboard and achieved the so far the highest benchmark values of the integrated graphics processor solutions.

Radeon 5800 Series News

News - Video Cards

Written by Chris Tom

Thursday, 01 October 2009 12:36

Anandtech-ATI HD 5870 Scaling Performance Anandtech-Radeon HD 5850 review

AMD Touts Physics, Nvidia Disables It

News - Video Cards

Written by Chris Tom

Thursday, 01 October 2009 12:20

The Inquirer talks about AMD touting physics on their Radeons. In announcing the initiative, AMD chief graphics technology officer Eric Demers took a swipe at rival Nvidia and its proprietary PhysX engine. "Proprietary physics solutions divide consumers and independent software vendors, while stifling true innovation. Our competitors even develop code that they themselves admit will not work on hardware other than theirs," he said. Meantime at Fudo's Nvidia is disabling PhysX on Radeons. All this is strange as it has pushed PhysX as an open standard that can be used even by its arch-rival ATI. In fact there is an element of cutting its nose off to spite its face. PhysX support seems now to be limited to the installed base of the GeForce and does not allow to use it on machines featuring even other graphics accelerators. Those who need PhysX should only upgrade to Nvidia graphics boards if keeping the old card for PhysX we guess. So you better not mix and match. All of this would matter if PnysX did matter, but it does not. They simply didn't listen to me all those years ago in LA. Oh well.

What Makes A Good Radeon HD 5770 GPU?

News - Video Cards

Written by Chris Tom

Thursday, 01 October 2009 12:19

Hexus ponders what GPU would make a good Radeon HD 5770 from AMD? An age-old method of reducing costs is to snip the memory-interface width. We'd bet on a 192-bit bus supplanting the 256-bit on the HD 58xx GPUs. Now we're at it, snipping the frame-buffer to 768MBs of GDDR5 doesn't sound like a bad idea, either. Putting ourselves in AMD's shoes, we'd keep this architecture and clock it in lower for the Radeon HD 5750, priced at around £115. If we're really nasty, we'd chop bandwidth to 128 bits, but that's probably the preserve of the Radeon HD 55xx GPU.

GLOBALFOUNDRIES CEO Doug Grose to Outline New Model for Innovation

Press Releases - AMD

Written by Chris Tom

Thursday, 01 October 2009 12:18

GLOBALFOUNDRIES CEO Doug Grose to Outline New Model for Innovation in Keynote at GSA Emerging Opportunities Expo and Conference Grose Will Highlight the Critical Need for a New Foundry Business Model to Drive Continued Growth and Innovation in the Semiconductor Manufacturing Industry GSA Emerging Opportunities Expo & Conference 2009 SUNNYVALE, Calif.--As the global market for advanced technology continues its endless march forward, the semiconductor foundry industry needs to embrace a new business model to sustain the current pace of innovation, according to Doug Grose, chief executive officer of GLOBALFOUNDRIES. In an October 1 keynote address at the Global Semiconductor Alliance (GSA) Emerging Opportunities Expo & Conference in Santa Clara, Calif., Grose will explore the current approach to semiconductor innovation and how it must evolve and embrace a global model for technology, talent and operations to sustain the leading-edge needs of the world’s largest chip designers. “Whether it’s device convergence in the home or cloud computing in the data center, the next generation of technology will require an unprecedented level of performance, power efficiency and cost-effectiveness to deliver on its full potential,” Grose said. “At the same time, leading-edge process technology is becoming increasingly cost-intensive, and design companies are developing chips with staggering complexity. This confluence of factors is leading us toward a new model where chip design companies must redefine relationships with their manufacturing and technology partners to pool resources in order to capitalize on these inflection points.”

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AMD Fusion Partner Program Designed to Help Drive Global AMD Channel Growth and Partner Success

Press Releases - AMD

Written by Chris Tom

Thursday, 01 October 2009 12:16

New Program Intended to Expand Delivery of Complete AMD Platform into Channel; Offers Tailored Incentives and Resources for Channel Partners SUNNYVALE, Calif.--AMD (NYSE: AMD) today announced the AMD Fusion Partner Program, its first global partner program designed to provide its channel partners with tailored tools and resources to help them gain sales traction based on their unique business models. By fusing its four existing partner programs, AMD now gives partners customized incentives and resources to help accelerate sales – especially when selling all-AMD (AMD CPU, AMD GPU and AMD Chipset) solutions. Partners also will receive more personalized tools, training and resources - both in person and online - that mesh with their specific business objectives. AMD Fusion Partner Program Structure To structure the program to provide meaningful differentiation and customized incentives to partners, AMD is categorizing its partners into Elite, Premier and Select tiers, with Elite being the first tier and Select the third. The new system will provide meaningful differentiation across tiers and reward AMD’s highest-performing partners based on their sales records for all-AMD solutions. Partners will also be placed into one of six business tracks, which are designed to align programs and offerings to partners’ business models to reflect the diversity of the channel landscape. These business tracks include channel providers, e-tailers, retailers, commercial solution providers, consumer solution providers and commercial volume resellers. Fusion Partner Program Benefits Starting immediately, AMD plans to phase in the AMD Fusion Partner Program over the next four quarters. During this time, AMD plans to roll out a number of new benefits. Many benefits, such as better online training tools, enhanced incentive programs and new co-marketing programs, are available to channel partners with today’s launch. Additional benefits planned to appear throughout 2010 include an enhanced partner Web portal and new loyalty programs. For more information on the AMD Fusion Partner Program, please visit AMD’s channel resource page at: http://www.amd.com/fpp.

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HIS Radeon HD 4890 iCooler x4 Review

News - Video Cards

Written by Chris Tom

Wednesday, 30 September 2009 11:14

Legion Hardare has posted a review of the HIS Radeon HD 4890 iCooler x4. As you can see here Radeon HD 4890 prices are starting to get cheap with the 5850 rolling out today. The HIS Radeon HD 4890 iCooler x4 is not simply just another Radeon HD 4890 graphics card. Furthermore it is not just another Radeon HD 4890 with an improved cooler. Rather the Radeon HD 4890 iCooler x4 is a re-engineered version of the Radeon HD 4890 featuring an improved power plant, and this is what helped to make our overclocking ventures so successful.

AMD Announces Open Physics Initiative Designed

Press Releases - AMD

Written by Chris Tom

Wednesday, 30 September 2009 11:12

AMD Announces Open Physics Initiative Designed to Bring New Levels of Realism to Gaming, Simulations, Popular Applications Open and Industry Standards-based ATI Stream Technology Frees Industry from Proprietary Implementations Sunnyvale, Calif. --9/30/2009 AMD (NYSE: AMD) and Pixelux Entertainment announced a joint development agreement that is part of the AMD effort to greatly expand the use of real-time physics with graphics through the open source Bullet Physics engine. By encouraging development of physics middleware built around OpenCL™ and Bullet Physics, AMD and Pixelux offer a route toward physics simulation that spans game consoles, PCs and other hardware platforms. The latest graphics technologies, like the ATI Radeon™ HD 5800 series of GPUs, offer incredible visual fidelity and high performance physics simulation by taking the next step in realistically animating how rendered game objects move, deform and break. “Proprietary physics solutions divide consumers and ISVs, while stifling true innovation; our competitors even develop code that they themselves admit will not work on hardware other than theirs,” said Eric Demers, chief technology officer for graphics at AMD. “By working with Pixelux and others to enable open support of physics on OpenCL and DirectX® 11 capable devices we are taking the exact opposite approach.” As the latest software developer to take advantage of ATI Stream technology to leverage multi-core CPUs and GPUs to accelerate execution of highly parallel functions, Pixelux will enable game developers to offer improved performance and interactivity across a broad range of OpenCL capable PCs. AMD is also actively pursuing support of Bullet Physics via the DirectCompute API in DirectX 11.

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AMD Helps Customers Counter Rising Data Center Power and Cooling Expenses

SUNNYVALE, Calif. -- January 26, 2009 -- Addressing the number one challenge for data center managers¹, AMD (NYSE: AMD) today announced widespread availability of five new low-power 45nm Quad-Core AMD Opteron™ HE processors. At 55-watt ACP, these new highly efficient processors help meet the industry’s rising demand for low power, cost-saving data center technology. Now available in eight server systems from HP, the new processors can help customers immediately recognize power savings and increased virtualization performance. Rackable Systems will also have Quad-Core AMD Opteron HE processor-based servers available immediately and additional systems from global OEMs including Dell, Sun, and other solution providers are expected later this quarter ...

More here: AMD

AM3 CPUs comes in early February

Quads and Three cores DDR3

AMD is preparing to launch many three and quad cores based on new AM3 socket but they will all be based on Deneb / Heka architecture. AM3 finally brings overpricved DDR3 memory to Dragon platform as DDR3 was exclusively Intel’s thing for almost two years.

Some of these new CPUs might have less L3 cache compared to Deneb core while Heka is nothing more than Deneb with one core disabled. Heka is triple core and of course both are based on 45nm.

The fastest to launch AM3 CPU will work at 2.8GHz for Three core and 2.6GHz for quad core and the faster AM3 at 3GHz and 3.1GHz CPUs will come in Q2 2009. The will all be branded as Phenom II X4 8x0 for the quad core or Phenom II X3 7x0 for three cores.

The beauty of these CPUs is that they will work just fine in your old AM2+ motherboard, at least most of them...

Source: Fudzilla

AM3 boards overclock better

Compared to AM2+

We just recieved some good news for AMD fans. The new AM3 motherboards coupled with the new AM3 CPUs will overclock better than older, DDR2 based AM2+ boards.

We don’t have percentage figures but someone who is working hard to launch its boards in early February, 9th is the date so far, has told us that they've seen some better overclocking on the new AM3 platform.

The clock to clock performance of AM3 boards versus AM2+ DDR2 platforms is still not great, but there will be new bioses that will make things better. Since many AMD fans going for Quad and three core 45nm AM3 CPUs will be into overclocking, once you overclock - the AM3 platform wins.

These CPUs will also be very affordable and Intel will have some real difficulty in fighting for mainstream space...

Source: Fudzilla

Intel working on X55 and P55

Two chipsets for two CPUs

Intel has two chipsets based on what use to be called Ibex Peak chipset. One of the chips is made for Lynnfield, a cheaper quad-core Nehalem with a dual channel DDR3 memory controller is called P55 while the other one called X55 might come a bit later.

We are not sure which is which, but we are sure that both will hit the market. Havendale, a dual-core Nehalem with IGP, is coming to retail in Q1 2010, while OEMs might get them in Q4 2009 and this one will have its own chipset. We learned that both P55 and X55 will support both CPUs, but this might not be the case for slow, low cost boards.

Intel also plans to re-launch P45s for many Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Quads that will remain selling all the way until 2011...

Source: Fudzilla

Intel prepping Core 2 Duo E8700 for release

hen the Core 2 Duo E8600 was launched last August, Intel implied it could be the last dual-core Core 2 Duo processor that the company would offer before switching to Nehalem. However, the company may have changed their mind, as an E8700 CPU has popped up on Intel's CPU knowledge base...
More here: FiringSquad

AMD Phenom II X4 940 Overclocking Performance (TechSpot)

As things stand today, even with the improved overclocking abilities of the Phenom II X4, these processors are better used for building a low cost quad-core enabled system or as powerful yet relatively cheap upgrade solution for existing AM2+ systems. For the ultimate in performance, however, it is hard to go past the Core 2 Quad series, let alone the new Core i7...

More here: TechSpot

AMD now using Liquid Helium for Overclocks

A couple hours ago, one of the guys I know at AMD sent me a link to a video. This happens every once in a while and we appreciate it when someone such as this individual gives us a lead. In the past, AMD has used liquid nitrogen when doing presentations of Phenom II. Apparently someone thought that they could use something a little better. Below is part of the email that was sent to me. Enjoy and thanks for stopping by...

More here: AMDZone

AMD Posts Quarterly Loss of $1.4 Billion

AMD, one of the worlds largest designers and manufacturers of processors, motherboards, and graphics cards, is reporting a loss for the ninth consecutive quarter.

According to a press release from the company's investor relations department, AMD posted a USD $1.424 billion loss for the quarter. The rather lefty loss translates to roughly $2.34 a share. Compared to the same quarter one year previous which had a loss of nearly $1.8 billion, AMD is performing better, but still in the red...

More here: TomsHardware

Intel Chairman Retires in May

Intel announced this afternoon that Chairman Craig Barrett plans to retire this May.

Craig Barrett, who joined Intel back in 1974, will supposedly step down from active management during the company's annual stockholders meeting held in May. Barrett has performed many jobs over the last 35 years, serving as CEO from 1998 through 2005, and as an active participant in Intel's World Ahead Program. Barrett is also the current chair of the U.N. Global Alliance for Information and Communications Technology and Development. However, come May, Barrett will step down as chairman and member of the board of directors...

More here: TomsHardware

Phenom II DDR3 Benchmark

Tom's Hardware Taiwan had posted a benchmark of Phenom II 910 using a DDR3 setup. Below are some pics:







Source: Tom's Hardware TW

AMD doesn't pare 4Q loss as much as analysts hoped

Advanced Micro Devices trims 4Q loss but not as sharply as Wall Street hoped.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Advanced Micro Devices Inc. cut its fourth-quarter loss, but not as sharply as Wall Street had hoped, as the chip maker absorbed a big charge for the falling value of an acquisition.

AMD is suffering, in part, from the same affliction that has caused bigger rival Intel Corp. and software titan Microsoft Corp. to announce layoffs and post steep drops in quarterly profits. Evaporating sales of personal computers have sapped demand for the chips and software that go into those machines...

More here: Yahoo! Finance

Qualcomm Acquires Handheld Graphics and Multimedia Assets from AMD

— Technology and Resource Assets to Strengthen Qualcomm's Leadership Position in Mobile Multimedia —

SAN DIEGO and SUNNYVALE, Calif. -- January 20, 2009 --Qualcomm Incorporated (Nasdaq: QCOM) and AMD (NYSE: AMD) today announced that Qualcomm has acquired certain graphics and multimedia technology assets, intellectual property and resources that were formerly the basis of AMD’s handheld business. The acquisition enhances Qualcomm’s multimedia capabilities, allowing Qualcomm to strengthen its leadership position in delivering more advanced products that redefine next-generation mobile user experiences...

More here: AMD

Intel Core i7-920 Overclocking Guide

Processors with Core microarchitecture has become a true “overclocker dream” due to their remarkable frequency potential. New CPUs from Nehalem generation continue the good tradition set by their predecessors. However, how can we take advantage of the potential hidden in the newcomer? Our today’s article will reveal the details...

Overclocking the AMD Phenom II at -30°C

We didn’t have much time to spend with our shiny new Phenom II X4 940 processor and really wanted to do some more serious overclocking with it. As you have undoubtedly heard, the Phenom II loves the cold, loves voltage and has significant frequency headroom. Though we definitely confirmed that last point, achieving an impressive 3.8GHz on higher-end air cooling, we wanted to push it farther...

Top Deals of the Week (January 18, 2009)

1.AMD - HDZ940XCGIBOX Phenom II X4 940 Black Edition 3.0GHz Cache 8MB AM2+ 125W Processor - Retail
2.AMD - HDX920XCGIBOX Phenom II X4 920 2.8GHz Cache 8MB AM2+ 125W Processor - Retail
3.LG Electronics - Blu Ray-model:GGC-H20LK
4.PowerColor - Radeon HD 4870 Video Card
5.Sapphire - Radeon HD 4830 Video Card
6.AMD - AMD Phenom X4 9650 Quad Core Processor HD9650WCGHBOX - 2.30GHz 4MB Cache
7.Asus - ASUS M3A79-T Deluxe - Motherboard - ATX - AMD 790FX - Socket AM2+
8.KDS - K92bw Black 19" Widescreen LCD Monitor (1440x900, 5ms)
9.AMD - Phenom X4 9950 Quad-Core Processor (2.6GHz, 2MB, 2000MHz FSB, Socket AM2+)
10.Asus - GeForce 9600GT Video Card (512MB, PCI Express 2.0 x16, Dual DVI)

Hack: Run AMD Fusion Game Util on Intel CPUs

AMD recently released version 1.0 of its Fusion Gaming utility, but despite efforts to keep the software out of the hands of Intel users, the software can quickly be made compatible with all processors...

Intel Halts Production at Two Fabs, Closes Two Other Facilities

45nm production and 32nm ramp not affected

Intel intends to close two of their Assembly & Test facilities, located in Cavite and Penang. They will also halt production at two other facilities, laying off at least 5,000 people...

Intel Cuts Prices, AMD Cuts Jobs

Intel announced substantial price cuts for selected CPUs among its 775 series while AMD announced substantial job cuts and a $622 million goodwill write-down associated with the ATI acquisition...

AMD Will Launch Dual-core Neo CPU in 2009

AMD is reported to be ready to launch a dual-core Neo for the Congo platform in the second half of 2009...

Intel prepping lower-end Core 2 Quad

As a result of today's price cuts, Intel's quad-core processors are more affordable than ever. But as inexpensive as they've become, they still haven't reached the sub-$150 mark. Tech Connect magazine believes that's about to change though. The site claims that Intel is putting the finishing touches on a Core 2 Quad Q7500 part.

Clocked at 2.6GHz and built on Intel's 45-nm manufacturing process, the chip reportedly will sit on Intel's 800MHz FSB with just 2MB of L2 cache. The CPU is expected to sell for less than $150 and a TDP of 65W.

Intel to take on Athlon Neo with CULV platform; new 5-series chipsets coming in 2010

Like AMD, Intel believes the netbook isn't a suitable replacement for the traditional notebook PC. Yet despite this, ASUS, MSI, and others are increasingly offering pricier netbooks with larger displays and other features you expect to find in a notebook...

Leaked AMD roadmap surfaces

Chinese site PC Online managed to get their hands on an AMD presentation that lists their roadmap plans for the first three quarters of 2009. According to the roadmap, next month AMD plans to introduce a slew of new cheaper Phenom II CPUs. Up top the company will reportedly introduce a new Phenom II X4 925 running at 2.8GHz with 8MB of total cache, as well as a Phenom II X4 910 which is clocked at 2.6GHz, also with 8MB of cache...

AMD Phenom II X4 950 info surfaces

AMD could is preparing a new Phenom II processor clocked at 3.1 GHz for launch in April 2009, in the shape of the Phenom II X4 950. The chip, which is mentioned on a slide purportedly leaked from AMD themselves, has 8MB of total cache should be split as 6MB of L3 and 512KB of L2 per core) together with a 125W thermal envelope, support for DDR3 1333MHz memory, and a 4GHz HyperTransport interface speed...

AMD's Fusion Cloud Could Hurt GPU Biz

It's kind of old, but still interesting to read...

How often do you upgrade your graphics card to play the latest first person shooter games? Every six months? Every year?Graphics cards are the focal point in a system for gamers. A GPU is the break or make point for a high-end game to be playable. This in essence, is what AMD wants to address with its Fusion super computer. AMD wants to be able to deliver a game to users on any computer. Because of the way Fusion delivers graphics--essentially pre-rendered and them streamed over the Internet--gamers will be able to enjoy all the latest games, no matter what GPU they have in their system...

AMD cuts prices

With Intel cutting prices earlier this week, AMD has been forced to respond with price cuts of their own, with the Phenom II X4 920 seeing the biggest cut. AMD's Phenom II X4 920 now sells for $195, while the 940 goes for $235. The 9950 and 9850 also saw their prices reduced, as well as the Phenom X3 8750, which now sells for $119...

AMD Cuts Phenom II Prices

In response to Intel quad core price cuts, AMD cuts Phenom II prices.

As of tomorrow they will cost:
Phenom II X4 940 - 225$
Phenom II X4 920 - 195$
(in tray of 1000 CPUs).

Source: AMD.

Intel Sneezes, AMD Gets Pneumonia

Intel reported fourth quarter revenues down 19% with operating income down 50% compared to the third quarter; AMD has not reported yet, but if Intel is down, AMD's fourth quarter results will be much worse.

AMD's financial health is an oxymoron - any company reporting anything like AMD's recent financial statements would be a prime candidate for a Chapter 11 filing. AMD has successfully used its lifelines (eg from Germany, Abu Dhabi and NY State) to keep the ship afloat, but after hitting the global financial iceberg, one wonders if all that's left is re-arranging the deck chairs...