AMD's Bulldozer 8.4 GHz+ OC Achievement: Cooled to Near-Absolute Zero

TechPowerUp recently brought you news on AMDs fantastic overclocking achievement with their new processors. Now we can tell you how it was done: cherry-picking the chips and slapping on some water cooling isn't quite enough. AMDs new processors can operate at much lower temperatures without displaying the "cold bug" - where it just gives up and goes home - and performance scales very well at super-low temperatures. The problem is that the cold affects lots of things such as timing, but more importantly, power circuits, which stop switching and just fry everything in sight - surely one to avoid. AMD senior manager of social media, Simon Solotko explains in detail how it was all done, using both liquid helium and liquid nitrogen to make the poor processor really cold. The new processor had these great qualities, according to Solotko:

It was able to take a lot of voltage, extremely low temperatures, extremely high frequencies," he said. "It was very durable under extreme overclocking. So that was awesome. So it worked well, it scaled well, it responded to cold well - all the right variables.

This overclock is an impressive feat and it will be interesting to see if Intel can match it.

SAPPHIRE Technology has just announced a new model in its successful HD 6800 series of graphics cards - the HD 6870 1GB Dirt3 Edition with Dual fan cooler and a voucher code for the full game in the package.

The SAPPHIRE HD 6870 Dirt3 Edition has the same internal architecture as the standard model, with 1120 stream processors and 56 texture processing units, but clock speeds are increased to 920MHz for the core and 1050Mhz (4.2Gb/sec effective) for the 1GB of GDDR5 memory giving users a boost in performance. The new SAPPHIRE exclusive cooler design has Dual fans to keep this model cool and quiet even when under load conditions, keeping even extreme gamers happy! This new design has two 90mm fans with thin impellers that can move the same amount of air at 10% lower rotation speeds than conventional fans, keeping noise low, and their special dust repelling bearings contribute to high reliability.

AMD showed off a notebook powered by its next-generation "Trinity" A-Series accelerated processing unit (APU). Trinity makes use of the Piledriver x86-64 micro-architecture (a more evolved version of Bulldozer), packs two Piledriver modules (four cores), and a faster DirectX 11 compliant Radeon graphics component. AMD displayed a Trinity-powered notebook running Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Trinity will be built on the 32 nm process, and will make use of the new socket FM2 platform. There's no word so far pointing that FM2 will be incompatible with FM1.

AMD showed off its first graphics processor (GPU) built on TSMC's cutting-edge 28 nanometer silicon fabrication process, the next foundry process standard for discrete GPUs. Bulk manufacturing at TSMC's Fab 15 facility at 28 nm is still taking shape, TSMC will take volume orders only later this year. For the moment, it can run small batches for designers to test their designs. The GPU was running on a mobile platform (pictured below, the red PCB), cooled by a compact copper-channel air cooler, leading us to believe that this is a mainstream segment GPU, if not lower. The demo platform was showcased running DirectX 11 title Dirt 3. Besides that, absolutely no other details were shared, not even a company codename for the GPU board.

AMD announced today that it has created drivers to enable support for the upcoming Windows 8 operating system on AMD-based tablets, netbooks, PCs and servers. Continuing a long history of collaboration, AMD is working closely with Microsoft to empower a new generation of innovative PCs and small form factor computing devices.

Currently available Windows 7-based PCs powered by AMD VISION technology deliver multi-core processing for amazing performance, discrete-level graphics for brilliant HD experiences, and AMD AllDay Power for entertainment on the go. Furthermore, AMD VISION Engine Software is uniquely tailored to unlock visual computing with AMD Radeon Cores and video accelerators that enable vivid HD, AMD Steady Video software and accelerated applications like blazing fast Internet browsing.

Weeks ahead of its market launch, AMD pulled off a nice PR feat by setting making its trusty squad of overclockers, Sami Mäkinen, Brian Mclachlan, Pete Hardman, and Aaron Schradin set a new clock speed world record (as in Guinness World Record). With just one of its four modules enabled, the eight-core FX-8150 engineering sample was overclocked to a stunning 8429.38 MHz. The chip was able to tolerate a brutal core voltage of 2.016V. Even for a one-in-a-million cherry-picked chip, those are staggering numbers.

8429.38 MHz was achieved using a base clock of 271.92 MHz, with 31.0X multiplier. The memory used was a Corsair Dominator GT single module, which apparently tolerated 3:10 DRAM ratio and timings of 2-16-2-22. That's right, 2-16-2-22. ASUS Crosshair V Formula seated the platform. Cooling was care of a custom liquid-nitrogen evaporator setup. The team used liquid nitrogen as its cooling medium, and switched to liquid helium halfway, which has a lower boiling point. The team cherry-picked chips from the best lots on-site.A video of the feat follows.

At last, AMD's highly-anticipated performance desktop processors, branded under the FX-Series, are up for pre-order, letting buyers book their chips so they could have it up and running on release date. American retailer Bottom-line Telecommunications (BLT) has the FX-8150 and FX-8120 eight-core chips; and FX-6100 six-core chip up for pre-order. Its price for the FX-8150 is US $266.28, the FX-8120 is priced at US $221.73, while the FX-6100 is priced at $188.32. BLT ships over ground for free to the 48 contiguous American states.

The new FX-Series processors are based on AMD's brand new "Bulldozer" micro-architecture, and come in the AM3+ package. The FX-8150 will lead the first wave with its eight cores clocked at 3.60 GHz, 16 MB of total cache (4x 2 MB L2 + 1x 8 MB L3); followed by the FX-8120 at 3.10 GHz, also with 16 MB cache. The FX-6100 six-core processor is clocked at 3.30 GHz, with 14 MB cache (3x 2 MB L2 + 1x 8 MB L3). Market release is expected in October. You can be ready for the new chips by purchasing socket AM3+ motherboards, ideally those based on the AMD 9-series chipset, as they are already available in the market.

AMD today announced availability of the AMD A-Series Accelerated Processing Unit (APU) A4-3300 and A4-3400 desktop processors, bringing the entry-level desktop APU price down to just $70 (U.S. suggested retail price) for consumers who want PCs with brilliant HD graphics, advanced performance, and fast application and connectivity speeds.

The AMD A4-3300 and A4-3400 desktop APUs each combine two x86 CPU cores with 160 Radeon cores, enabling powerful DirectX 11-capable discrete-level graphics and dedicated HD video processing on a single chip. These dual-core APUs enable responsive and energy-efficient performance for everyday PC productivity and multitasking, as well as an amazing gaming experience.

In the fourth quarter of 2011, AMD will unveil new A-Series APUs in the socket FM1 package, these include not one (as reported back in July), but two models that come with unlocked base clock multipliers. Unlocked multipliers made overclocking significantly easier. While AMD won't use the "Black Edition" moniker, it will use the "K" extension. Incidentally, "K" stands for "black" in the CMYK colour model.

AMD's unlocked APUs include the A8-3870K and the A6-3670K, which are 100 MHz faster than the A8-3850 and A6-3650, respectively. With its four x86-64 cores clocked at 3.00 GHz, the A8-3870K features 400 stream processors running at 600 MHz on its Radeon GPU component, while the A6-3670K CPU cores are clocked at 2.70 GHz, and the chip has 320 stream processors running at 444 MHz. The two chips, however, will not feature TurboCore technology for the CPU cores.

Today, AMD (NYSE: AMD) announced revenue shipments of the first processors based on its new x86 "Bulldozer" architecture. Initial production of the world's first 16-core x86 processor, codenamed "Interlagos," began in August and shipping to customers is already underway. Compatible with existing AMD Opteron 6100 Series platforms and infrastructure, "Interlagos" is expected to launch and be available in partner systems in the fourth quarter of this year. Many of the initial shipments have been earmarked for large custom supercomputer installations that are now underway.

"This is a monumental moment for the industry as this first 'Bulldozer' core represents the beginning of unprecedented performance scaling for x86 CPUs," said Rick Bergman, senior vice president and general manager, AMD Products Group. "The flexible new 'Bulldozer' architecture will give Web and datacenter customers the scalability they need to handle emerging cloud and virtualization workloads."For more information, visit the pages of Opteron 6000 series and Opteron 4000 series.

Even as there are rumors that the launch of Opteron processors based on the Bulldozer architecture is imminent, there is news that AMD has rescheduled the launch of its FX series performance desktop processors to October 2011, sources told X-bit Labs. The reasons for the delay are known, but when the processors do come out, AMD wants to make sure that they target as many performance price-points as possible, and so the first wave of FX processors will include 7 models, that's four 8-core FX-8000 series chips, one 6-core FX-6000 series chip, and two 4-core FX-4000 series chips.

The first wave is going to include the 3.60 GHz FX-8150, the 3.10 GHz FX-8120 that will be available in 95W and 125W variants, and 2.80 GHz FX-8100 eight-core models; 3.30 GHz FX-6100 six-core model; 4.20 GHz FX-4170 and 3.60 GHz FX-4100 quad-core chips. As you can see, AMD does seem to have tweaked the clock speeds of some of the models compared to older clock speed tables by other sources. The next wave of FX series processors is slated for Q1 2012, which includes faster models across the three lines. According to data compiled by X-bit Labs, the FX series can now be tabulated as shown below.

In a major embarrassment to the people behind the AMD Radeon Dirt 3 promotion, as many as 3 million Steam product redeem codes of Dirt 3, the new rally simulator game, were leaked to the internet, according to a post on Steam forums by a Bohemia Interactive representative. AMD is running a promotion where select models of Radeon graphics cards across various AIB partners and AMD's own A-Series APUs, come with free Dirt 3 keys that can be redeemed in Steam for a copy of the game.

According to the representative, those millions of keys were stored in an SQL database that could have been easily accessed by a simple missing .htaccess exploit. Steam might blacklist all those keys, and ask users with valid codes to re-register their products with AIB partners for fresh keys. Steam users reported a "Steam Key Giveaway" running on an infamous imageboard, to which the Bohemia Interactive representative responded.Update 09/06

ASUS released a new embedded micro-ATX motherboard based on AMD's Fusion "Zacate" processor platform. The new E45M1-M PRO from ASUS resembles the E35M1-M PRO, except that it's powered by the newer AMD E-450 dual-core APU. Clocked at 1.65 GHz, the E-450 combines two Bobcat architecture x86-64 cores with Radeon HD 6320 DirectX 11-compliant graphics packing 80 stream processors, and a DDR3-1333 MHz integrated memory controller. The E45M1-M PRO measures 244 x 183 mm, and makes use of all of its expansion area to provide four expansion slots: a PCI-Express 2.0 x16, a PCI-E x1, and two legacy PCI.

The board draws power from standard 24-pin ATX with 4-pin CPU power. A 3-phase VRM handles APU power, it is backed by ASUS EPU chip that works to improve energy efficiency. The APU is wired to two DDR3 DIMM slots, for single-channel DDR3 memory. A large heatsink cools both the APU and Hudson M1 chipset, optionally a fan can be attached to cool it better.

TechPowerUp today announced the latest version of GPU-Z, the graphics hardware information and diagnostic utility trusted by the PC enthusiast community at large. Version 0.5.5 comes with support for the latest graphics processors, makes the interface a little more accessible to users, and improves stability and reliability.

To begin with, GPU-Z 0.5.5 adds full support for AMD A-Series accelerated processing units (the Radeon GPU component embedded in them), a load of new and lesser-known GPUs from NVIDIA including GeForce GT 560 Ti OEM, GT 545, GT 530, GeForce GTX 580M, GT 555M, GeForce 520MX, GT 520M, 410M, 305M, Quadro 5000, Quadro 4000M, Quadro 400; from AMD including Radeon HD 6290, Radeon E6760 & E4690, FirePro V8800, FirePro V3700, FirePro 2460 (FireMV); and the recently launched ASUS ROG MARS II, which probably got Santa's inbox flooded by now.DOWNLOAD: TechPowerUp GPU-Z 0.5.5 | TechPowerUp GPU-Z 0.5.5 ASUS ROG Edition

An internal presentation slide leaked to the press reveals some details of AMD's next generation "Trinity" APUs that succeed current generation A-Series "Llano" Fusion series. The presentation was run by AMD's principal foundry partner, Global Foundries, outlining upcoming products built on the 32 nm High-K metal gate transistor (HKMG) process. With Trinity, AMD is expecting a 50% improvement in gigaFLOP performance over the present generation, which doesn't sound far-fetched considering it will use next-generation Piledriver CPU core architecture and Radeon HD 7000 series graphics, which uses VLIW4 stream processor architecture.

Piledriver is an evolved x86 architecture that uses the modular shared resource design of Bulldozer, with much higher IPC compared to Stars architecture. VLIW4 stream processors ensure higher performance per square millimeter die area. Trinity will be available for notebooks as "Comal" and "Virgo" for desktops. They will be branded in the A-Series. AMD expects a 2012 market entry for the two.

The CPU support list in the product page of Gigabyte's top of the line socket AM3+ motherboard, the GA-990FXA-UD7, spilled out details of upcoming AMD FX series processors, days ahead of actual product launches. Tables listing out specs of FX processors aren't new, but in older occasions, they were posted by the media citing sources. This table comes from a leading motherboard manufacturer. In this case, the 990FXA-UD7 will support FX series processors from BIOS version F4.

The table lists out FX 8000 series 8-core processors, and one each of FX 6000 and FX 4000 series 6-core and 4-core chips. A new detail emerging with this table is the system interface speed, which has been bumped all the way up to 5200 MT/s, up from 4000 MT/s of the previous generation. The faster 8-core chips have TDP rated at 125W, while every other FX series chip is rated at 95W. FX 8000 series chips include the 3.60 GHz FX-8150, the 3.10 GHZ FX-8120, 2.80 GHz FX-8100; FX 6000 series includes the 3.30 GHz FX-6100; while the quad-core FX 4000 series includes the 3.60 GHz FX-4100. The FX series is expected to launch in this month.

ZOTAC International, a leading innovator and the world's largest channel manufacturer of graphics cards, motherboards and mini-PCs, today debuts the palm-sized ZBOX nano AD10 series mini-PCs. The new ZOTAC ZBOX nano AD10 series shrinks the standard ZBOX form factor and adds more home theatre PC friendly features for your digital media needs.

Powered by the AMD "Brazos" E-350 APU Platform with Discrete-Class AMD Radeon HD 6310 graphics, the ZOTAC ZBOX nano AD10 series packs plenty of performance with hardware video decode acceleration technologies for popular high-definition video formats, including Blu-ray and Adobe Flash, into a miniature 127mm x 127mm x 45mm form factor that fits in the palm of your hand.

Thermaltake, a premium computer components designer and supplier, an expert in creating leading-edge innovations and fascinating environment for gamers and enthusiasts, has provided customers with the ideal blend of high quality, performance, and efficiency power supplies to improve system performance and bring the users to the up most potential. Since the end of 2010 on the release of Toughpower Silver Series 1350W 80Plus Silver certified, this is the well-proven success formula and showing the intelligent interaction with technical innovations. Thermaltake globally adding three more silver stars (80Plus Silver Certified) to the series in August, 2011.

Now the Toughpower Silver Series 80Plus Silver series will includes 1000W, 1200W, and 1500W along with 1350W for today's dynamic systems and power hungry enthusiasts. This Toughpower Silver Series high-efficient power supplies offer high-end features and exacting performance standards, but are still energy efficient and targeted at high-end users. With the proof of 80 Plus silver certification, Toughpower Silver Series power supplies stands out from the crowd and inherit the Thermaltake's passion to technological craft and application of life entertaining culture.

AMD announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Rory P. Read, 49, President and Chief Executive Officer of AMD, effective today. Mr. Read has also been appointed to the Company's board of directors. Read joins AMD from Lenovo Group, Ltd., where he was most recently President and Chief Operating Officer responsible for leading day-to-day global operations while overseeing the development and implementation of the company's growth strategy.

"Rory is a proven leader with an impressive record of driving profitable growth," said Bruce Claflin, Chairman of AMD's Board of Directors. "He is ideally suited to accelerate AMD's evolution into the world's leading semiconductor design company. As President and COO of Lenovo he helped take the company into dynamic new markets while growing market share and expanding profitability. His sound strategic thinking and natural customer orientation will help amplify the voice of the customer inside AMD."

SAPPHIRE Technology has just announced a new high performance model in its extensive series of graphics cards - the HD 6850 Vapor-X Edition with SAPPHIRE exclusive Vapor-X cooler. The SAPPHIRE HD 6850 Vapor-X Edition has the same internal architecture as the standard model, with 960 stream processors and 48 texture processing units, but clock speeds are increased to 800MHz for the core and 1100Mhz (4.4 Gb/sec effective) for the memory giving users a considerable boost in performance.

The SAPPHIRE exclusive Vapor-X cooler ensures that the card runs quietly and efficiently. Together with other special hardware features including on-board 10-phase power control and SAPPHIRE's highly efficient, cool running second generation Black Diamond chokes this ensures there is a good margin for performance tuning (overclocking) by enthusiast users. SAPPHIRE's overclocking tool for these models - TriXX - is available free for anyone to download from a link on the SAPPHIRE website.

AMD's release of APU processor is a huge revolution. The new Llano architectures are a shot in the arm for integrated graphics, delivering the most powerful discrete-level graphics performance in mainstream market. Following the great launch of ASRock A75 mobo platform, ASRock is delighted to introduce its fantastic APU Motherboard Series based on the AMD A55 chipset. Supporting AMD Fusion A-Series APU, Socket FM1, DirectX 11 technology and a wide range of ASRock signature functions, ASRock brand new A55 APU Motherboard Series will surely bring the perfect components and combos to build up the ultimate rig.

Commenting on the new release, James Lee, V.P of ASRock Sales and Marketing, is with confidence. "ASRock A55 APU Motherboard Series has more to offer than just the combined powers of integrated graphics processor, as ASRock motherboards are best known for its perfect balance between price and performance. If users are looking for a value mobo supporting AMD's full-power 32nm Llano processor, then ASRock A55 platform is unambiguously the best choice!" He stated.

FinalWire, the company behind AIDA64, and the people behind its predecessor Everest, announced the latest version of the popular system diagnostic and benchmarking suite, AIDA64 1.85. Apart from the usual load of security and stability fixes, AIDA64 1.85 packs a number of new features, including advanced multi-device Logitech LCD support; improved support for socket FM1 motherboards; temperature, fan and voltage measurement corrections; preliminary support for next-generation AMD Trinity accelerated processing units (APUs); support for NVIDIA GeForce 510 and GTX 580M; and support for detecting a GPU's compliance with OpenGL 4.2 API.DOWNLOAD: AIDA64 1.85 Installer | ZIP Package

Kanex, maker of audio-visual solutions for Apple computers, is excited to announce the C24DL, a full resolution dual-link digital video inverter (DVI) to 27 inch Apple LED Cinema Display (ACD). The C24DL is a simple dual-link DVI with USB to Mini DisplayPort converter designed for users with legacy Macs (2006-early 2008 MacBook Pro, 2005-mid 2007 Mac Mini) or PCs with high-end graphics cards to connect specifically to a 27 inch ACD.

The Kanex C247DL supports the native HD resolution (2560x1440) of the ACD not available with other standard DVI adapters. The innovative converter actively converts the video signal from the dual-link DVI delivering pixel perfect resolution. The included USB cable powers the C247DL, allows for audio transfer to the ACD speakers, and supports all USB 2.0 functions including use of the iSight camera.

Along with its first triple-core APU, the A6-3500, AMD released the first Athlon branded processor in the socket FM1 package. The Athlon X4 631, as it's called, is a quad-core processor. Notice I said processor and not APU, because this chip lacks the integrated graphics core. Or at least it's there on the silicon and permanently disabled. The processor still has integrated dual-channel DDR3 memory controller, and more importantly, the integrated PCI-Express 2.0 root complex.

The Athlon X4 631 has its four x86-64 cores clocked at 2.60 GHz, lacking TurboCore. There is 4 MB of total cache, arranged as 1 MB dedicated L2 cache per core. The processor has a rated TDP of 100W, above the 95W TDP of the socket AM3 Athlon X4 chips, but given that the northbridge is completely fused with the processor, the 5W TDP jump is fair. The chip is compatible with all socket FM1 motherboards based on the AMD A55 and A75 chipsets. It is priced at US $79 a piece in 1000-unit tray quantities.

AMD released its first triple-core accelerated processing unit (APU), the A6-3500. Armed with three x86-64 cores, the A6-3500 socket FM1 APU is positioned to offer superior performance and performance per dollar compared to Intel's Sandy Bridge-based Pentium Dual Core processors. The A6-3500 features Radeon HD 6530D graphics, which is DirectX 11 compliant, and makes use of 320 stream processors. The CPU component of the A6-3500 is clocked at 2.10 GHz with 2.40 GHz in TurboCore mode, while the GPU component runs at 443 MHz.

There is 3 MB of L2 cache on the chip (1 MB per core), the dual-channel DDR3 memory controller natively supports DDR3-1866 MHz memory. The TDP of the chip is rated at 65W. AMD's A6-3500 triple-core APU is priced at US $95 in the PIB (processor in box) retail package, which includes the certified heatsink, while in 1000-unit tray quantities, it is priced at $89 a piece.