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AMD CPUs - Bulldozer FX-series chips

The new generation desktop CPUs from AMD – Bulldozer, FX-series chips

The latest (un)official announcement stated that the FX-series (code named Zambezi) chips will be available in Q4 2011. Nothing is certain but there is enough credible information (for example, leaked pricing info and record braking overclocking session) out there to confirm with certain level of confidence that the release will happen this year but most likely towards the end of Q4.

There are numerous articles about the Bulldozer chip architecture and how will it compare to Sandy Bridge chips but nothing is certain. As of now, there were no true engineering or any other sample CPUs released for benchmark testing so how will they perform – is anybody’s guess.

The (leaked) price range is a clue (based on the historical pricing and performance data) that the new AMD FX-series chips should be slightly better or slower than Sandy Bridge chips, namely i5-2500K and i7-2600K.
One more thing to remember is that the new FX-series AMD CPUs will require AM3+ slot so the motherboard upgrade is required for the most (some AM3 motherboards might be compatible after a BIOS update but will not fully utilize the new CPU architecture/features).

According to AnandTech the pricing is as follows:

AMD FX-series CPU pricing
Name	Cores	CPU clock	L2 Cache	L3 Cache	TDP	Price
FX-8150	8	3.6 GHz (4.2 Turbo)	8MB	8MB	125W	$266.00
FX-8120	8	3.1 GHz (4.0 Turbo)	8MB	8MB	125W	$221.00
FX-6100	6	3.3 GHz (3.9 Turbo)	6MB	8MB	95W	$188.00

What do I think about all this…… good news for AM3 socket fans?! Early adopters will jump on the new CPUs with wide array of mixed opinions ranging from excitement to disappointment. Good luck to all but what I am looking forward to the most is the huge price drop for the current generation of the AMD chips. Phenom II chips, including the Black Edition pricing should drop by 10-30% compared to the current pricing!! Time to upgrade to the best Black Edition chips from the previous generation and wait till price drops on the FX-series chips.

Cheers!

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Why Intel's chipset flaw is not a big deal...

UPDATE 02/08/2010

Intel decided to let OEMs use potential faulty chipsets – the chipsets that might malfunction after a few years of being used. I think this is the right decision and this is why….

Click for the statement from Intel:

On January 31, 2011, Intel disclosed a design issue with a support chip, the Intel® 6 Series Chipset that has the potential to impact certain PC system configurations. Intel subsequently initiated extensive discussions with computer makers about this topic. Both Intel and its customers are focused on delivering the highest quality PC systems based on Intel® 2nd Generation Core® Processors. As a result of these discussions and specific requests from computer makers, Intel is resuming shipments of the Intel® 6 Series Chipset for use only in PC system configurations that are not impacted by the design issue.
Only computer makers who have committed to shipping the Intel® 6 Series Chipset in PC system configurations that are not impacted by the design issue will be receiving these shipments.

Facing a huge financial loss (1 billion according to some estimates) due to faulty motherboard chipsets Intel makes the decision to make a bet. No one knows if this is the right decision but it is a highly calculated bet with the odds on Intel’s side.

Is Z68 motherboard (chipset) right for me?

Ever since Intel launched the new 1155 socket, the P67 and H67 chipsets brought awesome features but forced us to make important choices (sacrifices). Simply put we had to choose between “overclocking and discrete GPU – P67” OR “Quick Sync and integrated GPU – H67”!

Of course, we wanted it all together in one package! Z68 is supposed to provide the solution by combining all the features so let’s see if it does!

Pricing
So far, only a few manufacturers (ASRock and ASUS) are offering Z68 motherboards but that will change soon. The price is expected to be initially around $210 but it will change with more offering and I expect pricing to be anywhere between $140 - $350 depending on the included features.
Features

Graphic cards battle heats up - PC gamers benefit!

NVIDIA's big PC gaming announcement thunder (GTX 560 Ti release) was silenced by the (counter-)news from their biggest competitor ATI. After the years of sometimes fierce competition this has become a predictable procedure and even though no one can predict the outcome we can try to anticipate it.

If you are in the market for a gaming PC or video card read on....

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AMD CPUs - Bulldozer FX-series chips

Why Intel's chipset flaw is not a big deal...

Is Z68 motherboard (chipset) right for me?

Graphic cards battle heats up - PC gamers benefit!