AMD ships 3 new processors with speed bumps

AMD continues to expand their current desktop CPU line, just in time for holiday shoppers. The first of these processors being released today is the AMD Athlon II X3 455 (HDZ565WFK2DGM). The new Athlon II X3 455 is the triple core processor which replaces the Athlon II X3 450. The Athlon II X3 455 features three cores running at 3.3GHz. The second processor today is the Phenom II X2 565 Black Edition. The Phenom II X2 565 is a dual core processor that runs at 3.4GHz. The Phenom II X2 series has become a favorite for the potential of unlocking the unused cores on the processor. This presents an opportunity to purchase a quad core processor at a lower cost, though there is no guarantees that the third and fourth cores will work properly, so you need to keep that in mind if that is your goal for the Phenom II X2 series.

The third and final processor being release today, is the flagship processor from AMD, the Phenom II X6 1100T processor (HDE00ZFBK6DGR). The 6-core THUBAN 1100T takes over the top spot in AMD's CPU line from the 1090T, and does it at a suggested retail price of only $265.00. The clock speed improvements over the 1090T are minimal: both the standard and Turbo Core speeds increase only 100MHz, to 3.3GHz and 3.7GHz, respectively.


Paired with AMD's new 800 series chipsets, which offer extra PCI-E lanes for CrossfireX, SATA 6G and USB 3.0 without needing expensive add-ons like the NVIDIA NF-200, AMD's Thuban processors offer the enthusiast a way to build an affordable, yet very powerful and versatile 6-core production or gaming system.

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Upcoming AMD CPU & GPU Update

New Phenom II and Athlon II are scheduled for launching on September 21. Leading the new batch will be the Phenom II X6 1075T. With a $230-240 price tag and a 3GHz clock speed (or 3.5GHz with Turbo Core), that part should bridge the gap between the $199 1055T and the $295 1090T.

At the same time, the 3.5GHz Phenom II X4 970 should become AMD's new quad-core flagship. There will be two types of AMD Phenom II X4 970 BE CPUs: boxed versions aimed at retail market will be based on the well known code-named Deneb design that has four cores in total; tray flavours of the chips designed for system integrators and OEMs will be based on Zosma design, which is basically six-core Thuban chip with two disabled cores that can be unlocked on certain mainboards.

Also coming : a couple of CPUs priced at around $100: the Phenom II X2 560 and Athlon II X4 645. The new parts will indeed be 100MHz quicker than the existing Phenom II X2 555 and Athlon II X4 640, or 3.3GHz and 3.1GHz.

Meanwhile, AMD is preparing to introduce the Radeon HD 6000-series (Southern Islands) formally in October with retail availability to follow in November. DigiTimes claims that changes in foundry firm TSMC's roadmap led AMD to scrap plans for 32-nm GPUs (code-named Northern Islands) and build Southern Islands products using the same 40-nm process as today's Evergreen chips. Build on the same 40nm, savvy pricing and architectural improvements should be the only weapons at the new Radeons' disposal.

DigiTimes adds that AMD will cut prices across the Radeon HD 5000 series "in the near future".

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AMD's Refresh : Phenom II X4 910e, X2 555 BE; Athlon II X4 635, X3 440, X2 255

AMD has released 5 new CPUs for the New Year. Thanks to continued improvements in Global Foundries' 45nm process, AMD is delivering slight clock bumps for its dual, triple and quad-core processors while dropping prices of others.

The new line-up of processors AMD is introducing today consists of the following products...
Phenom II X2 555 - $99
Athlon II X4 635 - $119
Athlon II X3 440 - $84
Athlon II X2 255 - $74
Phenom II X4 910e - $169

The Phenom II X2 555 BE - AMD's Fastest Dual-Core

Remember the Phenom II X2 550 BE? That was a quad-core Phenom II with two cores disabled, but a full 6MB L3 cache. It was a beast of a dual-core CPU but AMD quietly pulled it off its price list months ago. You could still find the chips in retail and priced quite effectivley at $99, but the Core i3 530 manages to offer better performance at nearly the same price.

AMD's response? The Phenom II X2 555 BE. Still an unlocked Black Edition part, the 555 pushes its clock speed up to 3.2GHz. The extra 100MHz won't do much for performance but the price remains at $99. This chip now supports hardware C1E, like the first Athlon IIs. The hardware C1E means lower idle power consumption and it's courtesy of the new C3 Phenom II stepping.

Reviews :
AnandTech
Hot Hardware

Anandtech has unlocked the Phenom II X2 555 and managed to get it to a quad core at 3.2GHz. They used Gigabyte's GA-MA790FXT-UD5P motherboard. In its BIOS there's an option for Advanced Clock Calibration. All you need to do is set EC Firmware Selection to Hybrid, and ACC to Auto:


Overclocking is affected. With only two cores active the Phenom II X2 555 BE could run at 3.8GHz without any additional voltage. With four cores active, that number drops down to 3.6GHz.

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Asus Eee PC 1201T is AMD-based

So far, Asus has stuck with Intel's Celeron and Atom processors for its Eee PC line of netbooks. That could soon change, since Asus is preparing a 12.1", Eee PC-branded system based on AMD's Congo ultraportable platform.

Eee PC 1201T, has a 12.1" 1366x768 display, a 1.6GHz Athlon Neo MV-40 processor, 802.11n Wi-Fi, up to 320GB of mechanical storage, and a six-cell battery rated for up to four hours of run time. It has weight of 3.2 lbs (1.46kg) and a thickness of 1.07"-1.3".


The Congo platform brings two advantages over the Atom and GMA 950 combo found in majority of netbooks: the Athlon Neo processor has a full-featured core with out-of-order execution, and the AMD780-based chipset offers Radeon HD 3200 integrated graphics—a considerably more powerful solution than anything in Intel's portfolio.

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MSI announces Neo X2-based X-Slim X430

This time, MSI has introduced a new member of its X-Slim family with an Athlon Neo X2 processor and Radeon HD 3200 integrated graphics, AMD's latest second-generation Ultrathin Platform Congo.

Equipped with 14-inch, 1366x768 display, MSI has still managed to keep it thin and light. A weight of 3.3 lbs (1.5kg) and a thickness of only 0.96" (24.5mm) at the machine's thickest point. Internally, the new X-Slim also features 2GB of DDR2 RAM, a choice of 320GB or 500GB hard drives, 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Windows 7 Home Premium, and a battery with either four or eight cells.

MSI blends graceful and gentle feather-like lines into a special luminous exterior that features customizable colors around the frame. This gives the X430 a design that embraces a metro fashion sense and displays the individual taste and professional self-confidence that is representative of MSI's craftsmanship and skill. The X430, an ultra-thin, power-saving platform with AMD's latest VISION technology, provides dual-core processing performance and consumer-friendly pricing.

Read MSI News HERE. Product Catalogue HERE.

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Lenovo Readies World’s First AMD-Based ThinkPad

Lenovo is getting ready to unveil the first ever ThinkPad computer with a microprocessor from Advanced Micro Devices. Neither IBM, the original creator of ThinkPad brand, nor Lenovo have ever used AMD chips inside their laptop line.

Lenovo ThinkPad X100e is based on AMD Athlon Neo MV-40 (single-core, 1.60GHz, 512KB cache, 15W, 65nm SOI) and AMD 780V core-logic with integrated ATI Radeon DirectX 10-supporting graphics core. The laptop features 11.6” display with unknown high-def resolution, media card reader, 3 USB ports, Gigabit Ethernet, Wi-Fi, 0.3MP webcam and so on. The mobile computer may be equipped with up to 4GB DDR2 memory; up to 500GB hard drive; various connectivity options, including WWAN, 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth, GPS and so on, reports Netbooknews.de web-site.


Considering that this is still a ThinkPad, the X100e is equipped with high-quality spill-resistant keyboard, UltraNav trackpoint, business OS support, basic manageability functions and some other functions.

Lenovo plans to offer its ThinkPad X100e globally starting at $449 starting early January, 2010.

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Dell Zino HD Nettop

Dell has started offering the Zino HD, a low-cost, small-form-factor, Athlon-powered PC. Measuring just 7.8" x 7.8" x 3.4" and weighing 3.53 lbs, the base Zino HD model carries a 1.6 GHz AMD Athlon 2650E processor, Radeon HD 3200 integrated graphics with HDMI output, 2GB of DDR2 memory, a 320GB 7,200-RPM hard drive, a DVD burner, 802.11n Wi-Fi, an external Serial ATA port for additional storage, and Windows 7 Home Premium x64.

Slated for pricing as low as $199, Dell's cube-shaped Zino is targeted at households wanting a handy and moveable multimedia center low on energy consumption. The device outfitted in interchangeable "lids," or tops, which will come in an assortment of colors and patterns.


We can customize the Zino HD with dual-core Athlons, discrete Radeon HD 4330 graphics, Blu-ray, up to a terabyte of storage, and up to 8GB of RAM.

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Athlon II X3 "Rana" Introduced

AMD today announced several new AMD Athlon™ II processors that offer outstanding performance and low power consumption, while enabling sleek desktop PC designs and attractive price points. In addition to the standard power processors, the full AMD Athlon II processor family now delivers high-performance, low-power dual-, triple- and quad-core processors to meet a range of computing needs.

The highlight today is the new triple-core 45 nm CPUs are priced starting at $76! The Athlon II X3 435 is a triple core Athlon II processor clocked at 2.9GHz. As with all the Athlon II processors there is no L3 cache, it's built using a 45nm process, features 64K of L1 cache per core and 512KB of L2 cache. It's derivative of the Phenom II architecture but isn't built using die harvesting from Phenom II CPUs.

News & Reviews:
AMD Press Release
Tech Report
X-bit Labs
AMDZone

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Callisto and Regor launched during COMPUTEX 2009

COMPUTEX 2009 (TAIPEI, Taiwan) — June 2, 2009 — AMD today announced two new dual-core desktop processors. Building on 10 years of AMD Athlon™ processor innovation, the new 45nm AMD Athlon™ II X2 250 processor gives mainstream consumers exceptional performance, efficiency and value. For enthusiasts and overclockers, AMD also announces the AMD Phenom™ II X2 550 Black Edition processor, the first ever dual-core AMD Phenom II CPU. With this latest addition to the AMD Phenom II processor family, users can now experience the power of AMD platform technology, codenamed “Dragon,” with dual-, triple- and quad-core configurations.



The new Phenom II X2 500 inherit all the major features from their elder brothers due to the fact that they are based on the same semiconductor die. The primary ones are compatibility with Socket AM3 mainboards and support of fast DDR3 SDRAM. Of course, the new dual-core processors can also be installed into the Socket AM2/AM2+ mainboards, just like all other Phenom II CPUs. In other words, new dual-core Phenom II X2 can be used in the new systems and as an upgrade for the existing ones.

Besides a 6MB L3 cache (the same size cache as that of Phenom II X4 900 processors), these solutions have pretty high clock speeds. The top Phenom II X2 550 processor works at 3.1GHz frequency, which is only 100MHz lower than that of the flagship Phenom II solution – Phenom II X4 955. Moreover, the calculated heat dissipation of the Phenom II X2 500 series processors is lower than that of all triple- and quad-core Phenom II CPUs due to fewer active cores (the only exception are the energy-efficient models). It equals only 80W.


AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition (CALLISTO) Details

AMD Black Edition processors, like the AMD Phenom™ II X2 550, help users to take control and unleash the maximum potential of Dragon platform technology’s unprecedented performance tuning capabilities. The same massive headroom that set world records in recent months is at users’ finger tips, offering impressive performance at a price the competition can’t beat.

Users can also maximize their overclocking experience by utilizing the new features and capabilities of AMD OverDrive™ 3.0, designed to enable quick and effective tuning of their PC experience for optimal performance.

With dual-, triple- or quad-core processors, AMD provides platform level solutions at multiple price points, each of which exceeds expectations for virtually any user.

AMD Athlon II X2 250 (REGOR) Details

The AMD Athlon II X2 250 performs exceptionally well when combined with AMD chipsets and integrated graphics solutions to create an all-AMD platform. Platforms featuring all-AMD technology can deliver up to twice the graphics performance of those with Intel integrated graphics.

Windows® 7 is optimized for multi-core processors like AMD Athlon™ II processors to give consumers an amazingly fast, simple and engaging PC experience. For example, Windows 7 is tuned to make the most of these new processors’ power management features, such as AMD PowerNow!™ 3.0 technology. AMD power management technologies, in combination with Windows 7, can help OEMs and partners to build exceptionally green, cool and quiet PCs.

Based on AMD’s acclaimed 45nm process technology, the AMD Athlon II dual-core processor has a TDP of 65W and can slash power consumption by up to 50 percent when doing basic tasks, up to 40 percent when running heavy workloads and up to 50 percent when at idle.

Press looking for more information on AMD Athlon II X2 250 and AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition, click here.

Reviews:
X-Bit Labs
AMDZone

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Athlon X2 7750 Black Edition "KUMA"

Most of the news out of AMD lately has been out of ATI with their video cards lately and most new attention is focused on Phenom II which should be coming out very soon from AMD. But AMD is also launching a new CPU series codenamed Kuma.

AMD today announced the Athlon X2 7750 – a STARS-based processor that is a brand new dual-core processor based on the Kuma core. Since this processor is based off the Phenom core it has L3 cache, this should make it competitive in terms of both price and performance to the $82.99 Intel E5200 dual-core processor. The AMD Athlon X2 7750 is launching today with a $79 price tag.

The AMD Athlon X2 7750 is a dual-core processor with a 2.7GHz clock frequency. This is a Black Edition processor, which means that even though it comes set at 200MHz x 13.5, it has an unlocked multiplier that you can change for improved overclocking. The Athlon X2 7750 has 2 x 512MB of L2 Cache and 2MB shared of L3 Cache. The Athlon X2 7750 uses the same HyperTransport 3.0 bus that Phenom processors used. The Athlon X2 7750 has the HT set to run at 1800MHz an will work just fine in any socket AM2+ motherboard. The X2 7750 features a maximum Thermal Design Power (TDP) of 95 Watts, which means that it should be able to work in nearly any motherboard with the proper socket.

Some Reviews:
AMDZone
TweakTown
Legit Reviews
Guru3D
Hexus
Overclockers Club
X-Bit Labs

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AMD Brings in New Desktop CPUs, Cuts Prices

AMD has announced another refresh of its desktop processor line-up with four new products and price cuts to most of the rest.

Here are the new CPUs :

Phenom X4 9950 Black Edition 125W - $186
Phenom X3 8750 Black Edition 95W - $139
Athlon X2 6500 Black Edition 95W - $105
Athlon X2 5050e 45W - $90

Changes to the prices of existing processors are as followed...

For the Phenom X4 series:

Phenom X4 9950 Black Edition 140W drop from $235 to $186
Phenom X4 9850 Black Edition slips further down from $194 to $180
Phenom X4 9750 moves from $215 to $170
Phenom X4 9650 moves from $195 to $156

For the Phenom X3 series:

Phenom X3 8750 from $175 to a new low $134
Phenom X3 8650 from $145 to $123

Some Athlon X2 parts get double-digit prices:

Athlon X2 6000+ from $112 to $95
Athlon X2 5600+ from $102 to $88
Athlon X2 5400+ from $87 to $78
Athlon X2 5200+ from $76 to $68

The following products have also had their prices cut but we were unable to confirm the new prices at time of writing: Phenom X4 9350e, Athlon X2 5400+ BE, Sempron LE-1300, Sempron LE-1250.

Source: Hexus

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AMD GAME! Platform for Gaming PCs

AMD has pulled a certification for gaming PCs out of its sleeve. Machines that bear the new AMD GAME! badge couple AMD processors with Radeon HD 3000-series graphics cards, and AMD guarantees them to deliver "an enhanced and simplified mainstream PC gaming experience."

To qualify for an AMD GAME! logo, a system must include at least an Athlon X2 5600+ processor, an AMD 770 or Nvidia nForce 500-series chipset, a Radeon HD 3650 graphics processor, and 2GB of RAM. AMD says such PCs should crank out 30 frames per second or more at 1280 x 1024 in current games like Enemy Territory: Quake Wars, Half-Life 2: Episode Two, World of Warcraft, Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars, and Sims 2 Deluxe.

There's also an AMD GAME! Ultra spec that mandates at least a Phenom X4 9650 CPU, AMD 780G chipset, and Radeon HD 3870 graphics. GAME! Ultra machines should manage a 30 FPS minimum at 1600 x 1200 with the same titles.



The idea is to help consumers more easily identify systems suited for increasingly demanding gaming applications. And it aims to do so with a special logo on machines with AMD microprocessors and graphics chips.

AMD says its target is the 52 million people, or 20% of PC users, who play games with 3-D graphics. AMD says two-thirds of PCs sold in 2007 weren't capable of playing sophisticated video games adequately, and shoppers need to be better educated about which PCs will provide a good gaming experience.

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Energy Efficient AMD Athlon X2 4450e and 4050e

AMD today announced two new 45-watt processors, the Energy Efficient AMD Athlon X2 4450e and AMD Athlon X2 4050e. The former is clocked at 2.3GHz and the latter at 2.1GHz. Both feature 1MB of L2 cache, and the chips are based on AMD's 65nm process technology.

Designed for mainstream and enthusiast power users who run multiple processor-intensive applications, these desktop processors can reduce power consumption by nearly 30% when compared to previous generation AMD processors for greater performance-per-watt over AMD's standard power desktop processors without compromising performance.

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Price Reduction & Toliman Update

Advanced Micro Devices has notified its partners that starting from the 8th of October, it plans to decrease the pricing of some of its dual-core AMD Athlon 64 X2 chips. The price corrections will allow the world’s second largest maker of x86 microprocessors to get better positioned for holiday season. This will be a great opportunity to upgrade customers to dual-core, as the AMD Athlon X2 5000+, 5200+, 5600+, 6000+ and 6400+ processors will be more affordable. Here is the pricing:



AMD plans to launch the new Triple-Core processor family by Q1 next year and it will be called Phenom 7-series instead. The codename for the Triple-core processors is Toliman, a 65nm quad-core Agena core based with one core disabled.

VR-Zone has learned that there will be 2 models at launch; Phenom 7700 and 7600 clocked at 2.5GHz and 2.3GHz respectively. Both will be AM2+ based, 3 x 512LB of L2 cache, 2MB of shared L3 cache and has TDP of 89W. We can expect DVT samples to be available by January, production by February and launch by March 2008. Further down the roadmap, we can see 3-core Heka based on 45nm quad-core Deneb with one core disabled supporting AM3 in H1 2009.

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