AMD Reveals Two New Processors

AMD revealed two new x86 processors to be released sometime in 2011 on Wednesday. Both chips will be made using a 32nm process, with each directed at a specific market. The Bobcat is aimed at mobile and System on a Chip applications, and is intended to compete with the Atom and Via Nano. AMD is aiming for the processor to take less than 1W of power, with higher end chips below the 2.5W range. The Bobcat will use at most 50% of the silicon of current generation processors, and is written in high level code. The design is then created by an automation tool, removing much of the legwork at the transistor level and allowing for easier integration with other components.

The second new chip is code named Bulldozer and is targeted at desktop and server markets. The processor will be a “dual core” offering with the cores sharing fetch and decode units, along with a floating point unit. This allows the chip to appear as one core to the OS, which should allow the hardware to assign tasks to either processor at its discretion.

Bad News For LGA-1156 Foxconn Socket Users

As some of you might know by now there has been some issues regarding the LGA-1156 Foxconn socket, but it looks like it's getting worse. Foxconn said they corrected the cause of the problems back in May, however even with the new revision of the socket the number of damaged motherboards and processors keeps growing. At first the issue was only reported by users with extreme overclocking and after demanding benchmarking runs, but now it's starting to appear with average overclock settings and on a higher number of motherboard models. There are already full stocks of motherboards on the market that use the socket behind this problem, with the highest number of them being from Gigabyte and ASUS (a recent AnandTech review suggests both may be considering switching socket providers on some boards at least). Some brands, including EVGA and MSI have suspended the use of Foxconn and are now using TYCO AMP and LOTES parts for their P55 motherboards. The problem is apparently caused by bad contact between some of the CPU pins and the socket eventually leading to the death of both of them. Let's hope Foxconn gets over this issue soon.

Next-gen Intel Atom Platform to Launch in January

Intel is supposedly planning on a "fast transition" to Pine Trail, the next generation Atom platform according to documents seen by X-bit labs. The current N270 and N280 Atom CPUs have been ubiquitous in netbooks and nettops for a while now, and while capable for most basic tasks a lot will welcome an update to the platform that should see improvements to the already meagre power consumption, as well as hopefully some performance improvements for tasks that current netbooks struggle with. As Intel is also pushing its CULV platform I wouldn't expect a night and day difference between the two, but anything extra would be welcomed. The new Atom processor will take on the main functions of the Pine Trail platform, with an integrated graphics core, built in DD2 memory controller, a Broadcom video decoding processor and improved core-logic. The, Atom N450, D510 (dual-core) and D410 all come in with a clockspeed of 1.66GHz and 512KB cache per core (so 1MB on the D510). Intel is expected to reveal more details about the platform on December 21st, with systems launching on January 4th ready for manufacturers to show them off at CES a few days later.

AMD's 6-Core Processor Details Appear

AMD's upcoming 6-Core processor codenamed Thuban will be released sometime during the first half of 2010. The processor, which could be branded as Phenom II X6, will come equipped for AM3 (but will maintain backwards compatibility with AM2+ and DDR2), will be built on the 45nm fabrication process, and will come with 3MB of L2 Cache (512kB Per Core) and 6MB L3 Cache (Shared). What's nice to know is that, because it will be based of of its server counterparts, it should have similar characteristics, such as the D0 stepping, a TDP near the 115Ws of the server parts which would probably be 125W (or even around 75W for the energy efficient parts) and should be priced around $300-$500. What's new is that it is said to start off clocked at 2.8 GHz, which means that there could be  a bit of headroom for some overclocking. Time will tell what AMD holds in store for us, so stay tuned!

Tilera Creates 100 Core Processor

Tilera, a two-year-old startup, has announced a series of CPUs that will feature up to 100 cores. The Tile-GX processors are being aimed at server markets that deal with web-related functions. The chips can run Linux, and can function as both a co-processor and a standalone. The Gx100 will draw an amazingly low 55 watts under full load, while the 16 core version will max around 5 watts. The company is targeting the server markets as they would benefit greatly from parallel processing. Applications such as MySQL and Apache have already been ported to the new architecture, and future programs can be ported over using C. The Tilera chips use a mesh network to prevent any data gridlock that could occur if too many cores were trying to use the data buses at once. The processors will run at 1.5GHz, and will be available in 2011 starting at $400.

ARM Partners With GlobalFoundries

GlobalFoundries has announced a partnership with ARM to produce the Cortex A9 processor on its 28nm process. This opens the door for ARM to work with current GlobalFoundries customers. A customer of GlobalFoundries may find it easier to use the ARM chips for system-on-a-chip solutions. Intel has done something similar by outsourcing its Atom production to TSMC. In going to GlobalFoundries, ARM opens up the possibilities of working with AMD, GlobalFoundries biggest customer, in the future.

Clarksfield Brings Nehalem to Laptops

Intel is using its Developers Forum event this week to introduce plenty of new tech. Today saw the official launch of the company's Clarksfield processors, which bring the Nehalem architecture to laptops. There are three chips, with the Core i7-920XM taking on the mantle of the top of the line mobile chip, which can run as fast as 3.2GHz with Turbo mode enabled (2.0GHz normally). That comes with 8MB of cache, which also features on the Core i7-8200QM (1.73GHz / 3.06GHz Turbo mode). The Core i7-7200QM drops the cache to 6MB and clock speeds to 1.6GHz / 2.8GHz. All support hyper-threading with four physical cores for a total of 8 threads.

The chips should already be popping up in a number of products, with Dell offering the Core i7-7200QM and Core i7-8200QM in its Studio 15, 17 and XPS 16 models. Alienware (also part of the Dell stable) are going that bit further by offering the Extreme edition Core i7-9200XM in its Area-51 M15x laptop. Others are also introducing the new CPUs, such as Toshiba in its X500 Gaming Laptop.

Intel Planning 22nm Processors

While AMD made an announcement for more cores, Intel is going for more transistors. Moore's Law appears alive and well, as the new 22nm process from Intel will be able to pack 2.9 billion transistors onto a chip the size of your fingernail. Eventually the physics of transistors will stop the progress, but who knows when that will be. Intel displayed a wafer of chips built on this technology, with SRAM and logic circuits built into the chips. The processors should be available in the second half of 2011.

AMD Confirms Six-core Processor for 2010, AM3 Compatible

AMD has already introduced six-core CPUs in the server market, and it has now confirmed that it will also be bringing a consumer desktop model to the market in 2010. The release date is likely to be behind that of Intel's own six-core 'Gulftown' CPU and the AMD part, codenamed 'Thuban' will be built on a 45nm process compared to Gulftown's 32nm. The die size is therefore going to be pretty large and will likely pack in around 904 million transistors. It is reported that it will have an expected 3MB of L2 cache and 6MB of L3 cache, though the most important piece of information is that the new CPU will be backwards compatible with existing AM3 and AM2+ motherboards, which makes for an easy upgrade path for existing AMD users. Clock speeds will likely be down from quad-core equivalents (probably due to the extra thermal output) though it is not said by how much.

You can see what our members think of this story in our forums.

MIT Making Next Advancement in CPU Design

A team of engineers and computer scientists from MIT have announced a new development in processor technology. The new method involves using two semiconductor materials instead of just one in the substrate layer. This is important as the current processor technology will hit a wall at some point due to current leakage among other things. The technique is currently in the early stages and cannot yet match the wafer dimensions of current technology. The researchers are working on this, and hope to have the technology ready for mainstream adoption within a few years.

Hardware Roundup: AMD Athlon II X4 620 Quad Core Processor Edition

AMD has released its first quad-core processors under the Athlon II name with two new CPUs - the Athlon II X4 620 and X4 630. The processors are based on AMD's Socket AM3 and support both AM3 and AM2+ motherboards with DDR2 and DDR3 memory via its on-board dual-channel memory controller. Unlike its beefier Phenom II X4 siblings, the Athlon II X4 chips forgo the shared L3 cache and come with 512KB of L1 cache (64K of instruction and 64K of data cache per core) and an L2 cache of 2MB (512KB of data cache per core). Based on a 45nm manufacturing process, the processors have a TDP of 95 watts. The X4 620 is clocked at 2.6GHz and the X4 630 will come in at 2.8GHz. Today's roundup includes several reviews on the X4 620 which is targeted at the mainstream market an will be priced at $99 which should make it an excellent choice for budget-minded users, especially when paired with a 785G chipset motherboard.

AMD Athlon II X4 620 Quad Core Processor @ OCC
AMD Athlon II X4 620 and X4 630 Quad-core Processors Review - Redefining Budget Machines @ PC Perspective
AMD Athlon II X4 Processors Debut: Enter The $99 Quad-Core @ HotHardware
AMD Athlon II X4 620 Processor Review - Quad-Core for Mainstream @ TweakTown
Quad-Core on the Cheap: AMD Athlon II X4 620 Processor @ TechSpot

Intel Claims 80.6% of Processor Revenue for Q2

According to figures from iSuppli, Intel clawed back the market share it had lost to AMD and others in Q1 and also put on a little more for good measure. Though PC shipments were up slightly from the first quarter, they are still down from the same period last year and means that companies took less revenue than they did in Q2 2008. That Intel managed to claim 80.6% of the market puts it in the strongest position it has been in for around four years (82.4% back in Q3 of 2005). With recent new additions to its CPU line-up and further to come in the near future (with manufacturing getting underway on 32nm process parts) it seems likely that Intel will retain this strong position, at least for the mean time.

Next-Gen Nehalems Will be More Green

Intel has announced the next generation Nehalem chips, a series of Xeons known as Jasper Forest. The new chips will feature a 27 watt reduction in power, making them a great choice for systems where low power is desired. The reduction in power is achieved by placing the I/O hub directly on the chip, removing the need for a separate controller. The chips will be able to handle creation and management of both RAID 5 and 6 arrays, making them good candidates for NAS systems. The chips will come in single, dual, and quad core varieties and will be available in December.

Hardware Roundup: Intel Core i5 750 and Core i7 870 Processors Edition

After all the previews and marketing hype the official launch today of Intel's Core i5 and Core i7 "Lynnfield" processors comes as somewhat of a relief. The corresponding LGA1156 socket motherboards based on the P55 chipset also come out from under wraps, although we have been seeing previews of the boards for quite some time. The new processors are intended to bring Intel's Nehalem architecture to the mainstream market with the initial launch of three new processors - the Core i7 870 and 860 along with the Core i5 750. Briefly, you're looking at clock speeds of 2.93 GHz for the Core i7 870, 2.8 GHz for the Core i7 860 and 2.66 GHz for the Core i5 750. The Core i7 processors will feature Intel's Hyper Threading technology as well. The Lynnfield processors also use a dual-channel memory controller, reducing the pin count to 1156, hence the need for a new LGA1156 socket motherboards based on the P55 chipset. With all the reviews in the roundup, you can read about the rest of the details by checking out the links below.

Intel Core i5 750 Core i7 870 @ OCC
Intel Lynnfield Core i7-870 and Core i5-750 Processor @ PC Perspective
Intel's Core i5-750 and Core i7-870 processors @ Tech Report
Intel Lynnfield Core i5 and Core i7 Processors @ [H]ardOCP
Intel Core i5 750 Processor @ TechSpot
Intel Core i5 and i7 Processors and P55 Express Chipset @ HotHardware
Intel Core i7 870/Core i5 750/P55 Express chipset @ Motherboards.org
Intel Core i5 750 & i7 870 @ Neoseeker
Intel Core i7-870 & i5-750 - Nehalem for the Mainstream @ Techgage
Intel 'Lynnfield' Core i5 750 and Core i7 870 Performance Testing @ TweakTown
Intel i7 870 & i5 750 CPUs @ Bjorn3D

Intel set to Release Q9505

Intel is releasing a new quad core processor based on the Yorkfield cores, the Q9505. The Core 2 Quad has specs almost identical to that of the Q9550, with a clock speed of 2.83GHz, and a FSB of 1333MHz. The major difference here is the L2 cache, with the Q9505 having  2 x 3MB and the Q9550 having 2 x 6MB. The new processor will support all of the features of the series, including VT, and is selling in Japan for PY 22,770. Look for the processor to hit the states at a price of around $210 USD.

AMD to Release 6-Core, Low Power Opteron

AMD announced a new Opteron processor today, targeted at server environments and applications. The six-core chip will operate at 40 watts, making it perfect for areas where low heat is especially important. The Opteron EE is based on the Istanbul architecture, and will be able to replace current four-core chips based on the Shanghai architecture. The new chips will allow for greater efficiency over previous models, and could also reduce electric and cooling costs. The chips are designed to compete with the Intel 7400 series Xeon processors, which were released about a year ago.

AMD Getting Ready to Release Phenom II X3 740

Just as AMD has been updating its Phenom II X4 line, like with the newly released 965, so will it too update it's X3 line. AMD is preparing to release the Phenom II 740 processor, the updated version of its popular 720 X3 core. Based on the 45nm Heka core, it will feature a clock speed of 3.0 GHz, 512 KB of L2 cache per core as well as 6MB of shared L3 cache, and a TDP of 95W. It will have a bus multiplier of 15.0x, but the chip is expected to be a black edition and therefore have an unlocked multiplier, just like its predecessor. It is tentatively set to be released in late September, and expected to retail at around $130-150 USD.

Core i5 Processors Show Up In Fry's Stock Rooms

Earlier reports that we would be seeing the first Core i5 processors launch on September 6th seem to be right on track, with the new processors already starting to appear in at least a couple of Fry's stores. The processors were even listed for a while on the company's website as ready to ship for $205, but that listing has since been pulled. A Fry's employee got into work and noticed that some Core i5 750 had appeared in stock (though the product number hadn't been activated on the system yet) and even managed to snap a few quick and dirty pictures to prove the fact. You can check out the forum threads over at AnandTech or EVGA for more info, which also suggests that while some Core i5s may have arrived at Fry's, there are no P55 motherboards to go with them as yet.

Hardware Roundup: AMD Phenom II X4 965 Edition

There's nothing like a new CPU launch to generate review interest, AMD's release of its new flagship Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition processor being no exception, and OCC is here to bring you the latest reviews from around the Internet. In a nutshell, the Phenom II x4 965 is a 45nm AM3 processor clocked at 3.4GHz out of the box but as I sure you noticed, it's Black Edition chip meaning the multiplier is unlocked. The TDP for the 965 is 140W, up from 125W on the previous top-end Phenom II X4 955. The 965 has 2MB of L2 cache, which translates to 512KB per core, and 6MB L3 shared cache. As for pricing, the X4 965 comes in at $245 which is where the Phenom II X4 955 was when it was first released and also makes the Core i7 920 its closest competitor price-wise. Enough of the chit chat, we've got a nice collection of reviews in this roundup for you to read so get started!

AMD Phenom II 965 Processor @ OCC
AMD Phenom II X4 965 Review: Watt's the Problem Here? @ PC Perspective
AMD's Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition processor @ Tech Report
AMD Phenom II 965 Black Edition CPU @ HotHardware
AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition CPU @ Neoseeker
AMD Phenom II 965 Black Edition Processor @ Legit Reviews
AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition @ TechSpot
AMD Phenom II X4 965 BE @ Bjorn3D

Phenom II X2 BE: Intel Style

AMD's business model must have struck a chord (and nerve) with Intel. AMD has two great dual-core processors, the Phenom II X2 and the Athlon II X2. These newer processors run on the AM3 socket and are fabricated using the 45nm process, but the bigger news is that they are sub-$100 with loads of extras for our overclocking pleasures (unlocked multipliers, and even unlocking cores). Up until now, Intel's pickings in this market were slim. Now, they are unveiling the E6500K. The new processor is based off of the 45nm Wolfdale-2m core, and comes clocked at 2.93 GHz (11 x 266). It has a 2MB L2 cache, and a FSB frequency of 1066MHz (compared to 800MHz of the E5000 series). But the best part I saved for last (to keep you reading the article, of course): it has an unlocked multiplier! Currently, the chip is available in China for RMB 1299 ($190), but look for it to make its US debut soon for around $89.

Gulftown May Not Need Anything New on X58

A slide was recently leaked that showed some of the specs on Intel's upcoming Gulftown processor. Some information is already well known, like the fact that it will be Intel's first high-end CPU based on the 32 nm HKMG process. Also well known is the fact that it will have six physical cores, and with HyperThreading, will have twelve logical cores. It also will have the same integrated memory controller as the current i7 900 series, supporting DDR3-1066 (although the current 900 series can work at higher memory speeds). The best part is that all of these features have the same TDP rating as the current 900 series processors, at 130W. This could essentially mean that the processors could just drop right into the current LGA-1366 motherboards and hit the ground running. It is currently set to be released in Q2 2010.

Intel Lynnfield CPU Benchmarks Posted

If previous reports are anything to go by, we should be seeing the first LGA 1156 socket CPUs from Intel start to pop up sometime next month. In anticipation of that launch a Chinese site has published some benchmark results after some hands-on time with some of the new processors. Some of the salient information to come out of the article (translated) are the effects of the new Turbo Boost technology Intel has implemented bumping the core speed of a Core i7 870 to 3.2GHz from 2.93GHz stock, as well as pipping the existing Core i7 920 in overall performance despite the step down to a dual-channel memory set up and the old DMI rather than new QPI interconnect. The difference in frequency between the two processors naturally comes in to play here, with the Core i7 920 ceding nearly 300MHz in that regard. 

The Core i5 750 (2.66GHz) also puts up some pretty sturdy numbers, beating out the older Q9550 but falls behind the Core i7 920 to slot in neatly between the two lineups. The Core i7 870 therefore takes up a position somewhere between current Core i7 920 and 950. Testing also shows the new platform making improvements to power management at both idle and load, though that was also to be expected. The Chinese site also seems hopeful of the overclocking potential of the chips, though I will let you negotiate the broken English yourself and see what you can glean on that one (implications that 4GHz may not be too hard to reach with an i5 seem to be encouraging). We'll see how all these numbers hold up once the CPUs get officially released.

AMD Phenom II 965 to Debut on August 13th

That's right, AMD's newest Black Edition CPU, the 965, is getting ready for its debut. The Quad-core AM3 processor will add another 0.20GHz over the 955 to come in at 3.40GHz, and will of course sport the unlocked multiplier for those who want higher speeds still. The NDA is supposedly done on the August 13th, so keep your eyes peeled here for a review on it (because really, we do have the best reviews). The chip was briefly listed on an online retailer, Technologic, for 178.97 GBP (roughly 302.98 USD), while price predictions put it $250-270 USD, just like the 955.

Updated Intel Roadmap Leaked

Intel today released a confidential updated platform roadmap, which was then leaked to portions of the Chinese media. The leaked roadmap details Intel's planned CPU releases up to Q3 2010, divided into three categories: mainstream, performance and extreme. It also details Intel's changeover from the Penryn (Core) based CPUs to the Nehalem architecture CPUs and finally to its first 32nm Westmere CPUs. First off are three LGA 1156 CPUs: the quad-core Lynnfield Core i7 870 running at 2.93GHz with HTT, the Core i7 860 clocked at 2.80GHz also with HTT, both in the upper mainstream section, followed by the middle mainstream Core i5 750 at 2.66GHz with no HTT support. Secondly are the dual-core Clarkdale processors clocked at 3.20GHz, 3.33GHz and 3.46GHz, placed in their appropriate categories ranging from lower mainstream to upper mainstream. The Core i7 960 running at 3.20GHz (non-XE) will effectively replace the current Core i7 950 in Q4 this year. Lastly is the Gulftown six-core family of CPUs which have been pushed back for a Q2 release in 2010. Intel seem to be planning new CPUs like wildfire and I think it'll be an interesting couple of months ahead!

Thanks to PConline.com.cn for the roadmap.

Newer AMD Boards Still Support Core Unlocking

A while back, news came out that the new AMD Phenom II processors could have their dormant cores unlocked. This caused many people to consider buying into the red camp, as a cheaper tri- or dual-core processor and a cheap motherboard could. With the help of not-so-good BIOS-coding associated with the Advanced Clock Calibration (ACC), get you a quad core for half the price (or significant savings). As soon as news got out, AMD was quick to tell the motherboard manufacturers to release new BIOS updates to fix the issue, and while some did, many didn't (You have to wonder how hard they pushed, considering how well the items sold). Well, apparently the "problem" still persists in AMD's newest chipset, the 785G+SB710 chipset. At the Chinese website Coolaler.com, they were able to not only unlock cores using MSI's 785GM-E65 and a Phenom II X2 550, but also has good overclock stability to boot. They set  ACC to auto, which unlocked all 4 cores, were able to overclock it to 3.609 GHz (18 x 200 MHz, 1.344 V), and tested stability using two instances of Orthos. Seems like AMD is still champ for the "more for less" category.

NVIDIA ION Days Numbered?

It would seem as though NVIDIA's ION development team may get an early, and unwanted, holiday. Currently, Intel Atom platforms use three chips to get the job done - a CPU for the number crunching, a northbridge / GPU to do all the pretty graphics and a southbridge to talk to your storage devices, whereas the NVIDIA ION platform only uses two - the CPU and the 9400M northbridge / GPU, which also handles connection to storage devices. 

Now that the N270 has come to the end of its production life, Intel's new Pine Trail Atom platform will be coming to the fore. The main difference with this setup though, is that like the ION, only two chips are required, but not quite as it was before. Now the two chips in charge of the show are the CPU / northbridge / GPU all in one jobby, and an I/O hub, similar to current southbridges. This has the positive effect of reducing power consumption, and thereby reducing heat, and also giving enhanced graphics performance, but the other side of the coin is that now that the northbridge and GPU will be residing on-die, there's not much left for NVIDIA to develop.

Engineering samples have already been sent to OEM manufacturers of netbooks, and we will be likely to see the end results within the first half of 2010, but it will be interesting to see how this new setup affects competition in the mini-ITX motherboard market.

Frozen Atom Breaks Record

The Bright Side Of team is at it again.  After overclocking an Intel Atom 330 to 2.2Ghz using nothing more than a 120mm fan, they’ve gone and strapped on a single stage phase-change unit, chilled the chip right down to -42 degrees centigrade, bumped up the core voltage by 0.2V, and gone and recorded 2311MHz – the fastest validated dual-core Atom overclock to date, and the second fastest overclock of any Atom platform overall (currently held by Team Australia’s liquid nitrogen chilled N270).  Considering that ION based motherboards aren’t exactly targeted at enthusiasts, or developed for overclocking, it would seem like the future is bright for the Atom CPU.

It's Alive!?!

The Inquirer is reporting that some smarty-pants types from the Missouri Western State University and Davidson College in North Carolina have engineered the DNA of some Escherichia Coli bacteria (AKA E. Coli, the one that gives you a sore tummy after eating badly cooked chicken), and it can solve complex mathematical equations.

The research team have been able to make the new DNA solve a Hamiltonian Path Problem, and once successful, the bacteria glows red and green, and begins to create yellow colonies.

Obviously not something that will be available to Joe Public anytime in the near future, and I’m not exactly sure how one would overclock such a beast, but bacteria-based CPU’s have been long theorised as a viable replacement for Silicon wafers once that technology reaches its limit, and this is another step in that direction.

AMD Fusion Skipping 32nm, Moving To 22nm Instead

Don’t be expecting it any time soon though. This new technology which has already been delayed for a long time will be delayed even more until the second half of 2012. At least we can be sure that it will be a full job done, and that it won’t be rushed. Don’t be sad though because at least we can be sure about that launch date and there are slight chances that the date will be pushed closer. For those of you who don’t know AMD Fusion is AMD’s name for CPUs with IGPs on them. Intel will be releasing their CPU/IGP combo’s either during Q4 2009 or Q1 2010 on the 32nm fabrication process. AMD will also join the 32nm bandwagon in 2H 2010. Good luck to both companies!

AMD Releases Athlon II X2 240/245 Processors

AMD announced two new 45nm dual-core Athlon II processors Wednesday aimed at the mainstream market. The Athlon II X2 240 is clocked at 2.8GHz with the 245 coming in slightly higher at 2.9GHz. The new processors join the 3GHz Athlon II X2 250 in the lineup and come with similar specifications with 2MB of L2 cache and a 65W TDP. AMD is targeting these at users wanting to run mainstream applications without sacrificing too much in terms of performance. AMD has said the new CPUs will be priced under $67 and they can already be found online for around that price.