Last month, AMD earned a Guinness World Record for highest clocking speed ever recorded with its forthcoming 8-core CPU, code-named Bulldozer. Now, however, the company has pulled back the curtain on the new multicore processor line, which will come in four varieties, ranging from a $115 entry-level model to a $245 high-end configuration. The FX-8150 heads up the pack, and features an 8-core design that has a base clocking speed of 3.6GHz, which can be turbocharged to 4.2GHz. Dropping down to the FX-8120 affords you the same eight cores, but a base clocking speed of 3.1GHz and a max of 4.0GHz. The FX-6100 will provide users with six cores and a base clocking speed of 3.3GHz, which can be boosted to 3.9GHz. Finally, there's the four core FX-4100, which yields 3.6GHz base speeds and a max of 3.8GHz.



The FX-8150 and FX-8120 will cost $245 and $205, while the FX-6100 has a $165 MSRP and the FX-4100 will retail for $115.


However, speed-hungry PC lovers will also be able to get their hands on a new Asetek cooling bundle early next year, which comes with the FX-8120 and a liquid cooling system for $345. The bundle will provide up to 800MHz of extra clocking capability but will be exclusive to Japan this year, with only 500 units produced, but it is expected to be available in additional regions in Q1 2012.


What makes the new FX line unique? AMD says the chips will provide drastically better performance than preceding models, and will provide added boosts for gaming applications. Moreover, the company will also be shipping the chips completely unlocked, allowing users to determine specific clocking speeds for each core, establish preset configurations for certain applications or games, and more.

Posted: Oct 12, 2011 1:04 pm

Source: http://uk.gear.ign.com/articles/119/1199751p1.html