We’re only a few days removed from the launch of the affordable Radeon HD 6790 and AMD is already at it again, this time with a new entry-level DirectX 11 GPU targeted at users looking to upgrade from integrated graphics solutions, the Radeon HD 6450. The Radeon HD 6450 shares many of the same features as its higher-end counterparts...Read more...
AMD has revised its purchase agreement with Global Foundries in a move that will allow the CPU design firm to recognize a $492 million non-cash gain in Q1. Instead of purchasing 45nm and 32nm wafers on a "cost-plus" basis, Sunnyvale will pay GlobalFoundries a fixed price for products through the end of the year. Reactions to the change have...Read more...
There comes a time in each parent's life when they have to have "the talk" with their children. Sometimes, this video shows, the talk it not necessarily about the facts of life. In this case, the video below shows "the talk" about desktop video cards. The foolish son is looking at an NVIDIA card when the video begins, but the father wants...Read more...
When AMD and NVIDIA release a new batch of next-generation graphics processors, gaps typically form in their respective product stacks as the entire top-to-bottom line-up of new products is fleshed out over time. When new GPUs are introduced, they usually offer increased performance at a given price point, which drives the cost of comparable...Read more...
When AMD and NVIDIA release a new batch of next-generation graphics processors, gaps typically form in their respective product stacks as the entire top-to-bottom line-up of new products is fleshed out over time. When new GPUs are introduced, they usually offer increased performance at a given price point, which drives the cost of comparable...Read more...
Earlier this year, we gave you a taste or two of what AMD's new Fusion APU-based Brazos platform has in store for notebooks and netbooks. We've since then followed-up with a review of retail shipping product and as we reported, we were genuinely impressed yet at again at what AMD's budding Fusion line-up had to offer. These low...Read more...
Some might argue that the netbook's heyday is over, but there's still a growing number of them finding the market. In fact, we'd argue that the netbook may be on the rebound, thanks largely to AMD's Fusion platform. While Intel's Atom was revolutionary for its time, the chip never seemed to improve quickly enough. Even new Atom CPUs feel sluggish,...Read more...
Enthusiasts and professionals alike have long been curious about Bulldozer's performance. It's been hard to predict how the CPU will perform compared to Intel's Nehalem and Sandy Bridge; Bulldozer's unique shared execution units are a considerable departure from anything else on the market. Leaked benchmarks courtesy of openbenchmarking.org...Read more...
Two weeks ago, we discussed Asus' claim that certain AM3 motherboards would function properly when paired with AM3+ processors. We've since spoken with both companies and have a (slightly) clearer idea of what to expect. Asus' announcement is not, in any way, a refutation of AMD's previous comments on Bulldozer...Read more...
AMD's Fusion platform is easily one of our favorite silicon innovations, and compared to the Atom, we see lots of performance reasons to choose AMD. Now, MSI is issuing two new machines based on that very platform, one laptop and one desktop. First, the former. The CR650 media notebook is one of the few 15.6"...Read more...
Over the last couple of weeks, the two most powerful graphics cards released for the PC to date made their respective debuts, the dual-Cayman GPU powered AMD Radeon HD 6990 and the dual-GF110 GPU powered NVIDIA GeForce GTX 590. Without a doubt, both of these cards offer performance that puts any current-generation, single-GPU powered graphics...Read more...
NASA tells us that "contrary to popular misconception, lightning often strikes the same place twice." This would certainly explain why MSI is launching not one, but TWO 'Lightning' videocards, the N580GTX Lightning and R6970 Lightning. These cards play for different teams obviously, the N580GTX representing Nvidia and the R6970 entrenched...Read more...
One downside of the upcoming Phenom II - Bulldozer transition is that the new processors won't be compatible with current AM3 motherboards. This news disappointed certain AMD enthusiasts, given that Sunnyvale typically focuses on chipset longevity, but the company justified the mood by stating that the only way to...Read more...
When you finally ship a product you've been teasing for years, you can brag a little. It's okay. No one will be upset. In fact, we're still pleased that AMD finally came through with Fusion, and if they now need to gloat a bit on how much everyone likes it, well...go ahead! After the Fusion APU found its way into a number of nettops and notebooks...Read more...
Today, Intel formally announced a new class of low-power Xeon processors meant to fill the growing demand for cloud computing servers. Intel has dubbed such servers micro servers, and believes they'll be the major source of server market growth in the next four years. Micro servers are defined by the company as...Read more...
The Chinese have been climbing up the supercomputing staircase for some years; the country's upgraded Tianhe-I system is currently in the lead out of the TOP500. Despite Tianhe-I's success, it may be the last supercomputer China builds using both Intel and NVIDIA parts. (The Tianhe-I originally used 2,560 Radeon 4870 X2 cards, these were later...Read more...
In this latest episode of Two and a Half Geeks, Dave, Iyaz, and Marco discuss the all new AMD Radeon HD 6990 monster dual-GPU graphics card, the new Core i7 990X Extreme Edition six-core processor, Intel's SSD 510 Series Solid State Drive, Apple's Reality Distortion Filter (RDF) at the iPad 2 launch and hints of our...Read more...
One of the unfortunate consequences of AMD's inability to match Intel's performance at the ultra high-end of the CPU market over the past few years is that there's been a substantial decline in the number of high-end AMD motherboards. NewEgg presently stocks just two AMD motherboards in the $200-$300 price range compared to 36 Intel products....Read more...
One of the unfortunate consequences of AMD's inability to match Intel's performance at the ultra high-end of the CPU market over the past few years is that there's been a substantial decline in the number of high-end AMD motherboards. NewEgg presently stocks just two AMD motherboards in the $200-$300 price range compared to 36 Intel products....Read more...
As of this week, there's a new champion when it comes to world's fastest graphics card. AMD's Radeon 6990 blew through our benchmarks in testing, and if you were holding out for a card just like this to buy in a new pre-fabricated PC, CyberPower has the option for you. The company today announced that their line of high-end desktops would...Read more...
Sure, it's partially gloating, but it's also factual, and it speaks volumes about the bright future ahead for AMD's long-awaited Fusion platform. Consumers have literally waited years for Fusion to become a reality, and now that the Zacate APU is finally shipping in notebooks, it's still tough to believe this is all really happening. And now,...Read more...
The product we’ll be featuring here today, the AMD Radeon HD 6990, should come as no surprise to anyone that even remotely stays on top of the PC graphics scene. News of the Radeon HD 6990’s arrival has been circulating for many months now, although back in the early days it was referred to by its codename—Antilles. Antilles...Read more...