Hasta La Gadget!

We can beat about the bush or we can just admit that Intel has AMD beat on pretty much all fronts right now. Cognizant of this, AMD sprung the Istanbul server chips months ahead of schedule, and is now seeking to maintain momentum by adding meat to the bone. Three new chips are being added to the server-focused HE (Highly Efficient) Opteron line — all clocked between 2GHz and 2.1GHz and dissipating 55 watts of heat — while pure performance considerations are addressed with the SE 2439 and SE 8439, both running at 2.8GHz with 6MB of L3 cache. If we were paranoid, we might think today’s leak of Intel’s mobile CPU schedule was a coordinated attempt by the market leader to steal some of the limelight from this announcement by Advanced Micro Devices. Those of you who actually need to buy processors in batches of 1,000 or more should hit the read link for a full price breakdown.

[Via Daily Tech]

Filed under: Desktops

AMD six-core Opterons get new ‘Highly Efficient’ and ‘Special Edition’ siblings originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Jul 2009 16:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AMD has recently cooked up a little something they like to call the Phenom II X4 TWKR Black Edition, a hand-picked, limited edition processor that is designed to be overclocked “to the extreme.” Currently labeled “Not for Sale,” with no serial numbers and only one hundred of these bad boys in existence, just a few lucky folks have got their hands on one, so we’ve dug up some reviews (and previews) so you can see what the fuss is all about. According to the company, one of these guys could be pushed by 100MHz with air cooling, which doubles to about 200MHz with “extreme cooling.” As far as impressions go, the reviewer at Neoseeker quickly decided that the units aren’t meant to be overclocked on air only, and that dry ice isn’t much better. Hot Hardware says pretty much the same thing. Though they weren’t able to test with liquid nitrogen or liquid helium (the only way to get real speed) they did put a Koolance LN2 pot (and about 20lbs of dry ice) to the test for 4.73GHz. For best results, according to Tom’s Hardware Guide, bench the processor at -190°C or cooler. But for the real overclocking experience you simply must check out the video of the “world renowned overclockers” K|ngp|n, chew*, and Gomeler as they run the gamut of “extreme overclocking techniques” after the break.

Read – AMD Phenom II TWKR Edition CPU Preview
Read – AMD’s Phenom II X4 TWKR: We Give It The LN2 Treatment
Read – AMD Phenom II 42 TWKR Black Edition Processor
Read – AMD Phenom II TWKR Black Edition Processor

Continue reading Video: AMD’s Phenom II X4 TWKR CPU for extreme overclocking lunatics

Filed under: Desktops

Video: AMD’s Phenom II X4 TWKR CPU for extreme overclocking lunatics originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Think the megapixel race is bad? Now we’ve another to worry about, with both Toshiba and Intel hastily approaching 0.01nm technology in order to make chips faster, more nimble and smaller. According to undisclosed sources at Digitimes, Intel has actually canned production plans for its 45nm Havendale processors, which were originally slated to slip into machines later this year. The cause? It’s heading straight to 32nm, reportedly hoping to ship its Clarkdale line in Q1 2010 with entry-level prices ranging from $60 to $190. In related news, Toshiba is joining the likes of IBM, Samsung and Globalfoundries in an effort to dish out chips based on 28nm process technology. Needless to say, the move is being made in an effort to “stay relevant in an area dominated by the likes of Intel Corp and Texas Instruments.” Now, if only we could get one of these potent, low-power chips inside of a netbook, we’d be pleased as punch.

Read – Intel cans Havendale in move to 32nm
Read – Toshiba speeds to 28nm

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

Nanometer wars heat up, Toshiba and Intel enter unofficial race originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Jun 2009 10:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Well, well — what have we here? HP‘s newly unveiled Pavilion dv2z just so happens to have a bit of fresh silicon within, as AMD’s latest Neo chips are front and center in the configuration options. The thin-and-light machine can be ordered with single- or dual-core AMD Athlon Neo and Turion Neo dual-core processors, and if you’re looking for specifics, you’ll find the new 1.6GHz Athlon Neo X2 L335 and 1.6GHz Turion Neo X2 L625. Other specs on the 12.1-incher include a LED-backlit WXGA panel, optional Blu-ray drive, discrete ATI Radeon graphics, up to 500GB of HDD space, a built-in webcam, WiFi, optional WWAN (Verizon, Sprint or AT&T) and a 6-cell battery. It’s up for order right now starting at $599.99, but if you’re looking to leave that aged Neo MV-40 behind, you’ll have to pony up a bit more than that. Full release is after the break.

Continue reading New AMD Neo Athlon / Turion chips emerge in HP Pavilion dv2z

Filed under: Laptops

New AMD Neo Athlon / Turion chips emerge in HP Pavilion dv2z originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Jun 2009 09:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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So, here’s an interesting one. Intel has yet to officially launch the two newest members of its Core i7 crew, but that little factoid isn’t stopping BFG Technologies from doing the honors. Today, the company has introduced its freshest gaming rig, the Phobos, complete with Core i7 950 (Phobos Advanced) and Core i7 975 (Phobos Elite) CPU options. Furthermore, BFG is claiming that these new machines are the first ever to offer one-touch CPU and GPU overclocking, as all that can be handled on the front-mounted touch panel on the tower itself. Heck, there’s even an integrated iPhone / iPod dock on the top of this bad boy. The Phobos rigs are yours to order right now starting at $5000 (Advanced) / $8000 (Elite), and the full release is after the break.

Continue reading BFG inadvertently outs new Intel Core i7 950 / 975 CPUs in Phobos gaming PC

Filed under: Desktops, Media PCs

BFG inadvertently outs new Intel Core i7 950 / 975 CPUs in Phobos gaming PC originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 01 Jun 2009 17:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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