With its latest generation of client processors just a stone's throw away (into the mist, since there's still uncertainity surrounding the actual launch dates), AMD is preparing to retire its current front-line client processors, the six-core Phenom II X6. A company slide talking about "desktop processor longetivity" shows all current Phenom II X6 models, including 1100T Black Edition, 1090T Black Edition, 1075T, and 1065T, are scheduled for "end of life" (EOL) in Q4 2011, at the very latest by December. When a product reaches EOL, the company stops taking orders from distributors for it, clears outstanding orders, and stops its production. The company will continue to honor any warranty claims in accordance with its warranty terms and conditions.

At the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2011, AMD made its revival of the FX brand identifier official. The company steered clear of actually launching anything, but reran the audience through the AMD Bulldozer architecture, something AMD first did way back in August 2010 (yeah, it's been that long!). Knowing the audience needed a lot more than just that, AMD ran live demos of gaming PCs running the new FX series processors, again, without giving away any performance figures.

AMD first showed the final box art design. The box of the eight-core FX Black Edition processor is a classy metal canister, while the quad-core FX chip is housed in a more common-looking paperboard box, the design of which matches the one revealed in a box-art exposé back in March. The gaming rigs shown run the eight-core FX processor on an ASUS Crosshair V Formula motherboard, with Radeon HD 6900 series graphics, with an Eyefinity display setup.

Bigfoot Networks, the technology company behind the Killer line of high-performance networking products, today at Computex announced that ASUS has expanded its line of Killer E2100-based motherboards with their new ROG Crosshair V Formula/ThunderBolt Motherboard.

The new ASUS ROG Crosshair V Formula/ThunderBolt Motherboard supports AMD FX Series CPUs with up to 8-cores, DDR3 Memory with overclocking speeds up to 2133 MHz, multi-GPU technology for CrossFireX and NVIDIA SLI, 8-ch HD, SupremeFX X-Fi 2 audio from Creative Labs and more. Powered by Bigfoot Networks' Killer E2100 networking platform and a host of other gaming-centric features, this AMD FX-based motherboard combines innovative design and technical intelligence to make the PC gaming experience more rewarding and accessible. This is the second motherboard offering from ASUS to incorporate Killer E2100 gaming network capabilities, preceded by the ROG Rampage III Black Edition.

With the obvious intention to clear out higher-end Phenom II series processors from the market, and to make room for the new upcoming FX-series "Bulldozer" CPUs, AMD introduced a chain of price-cuts affecting all price-points. This comes after the introduction of the new Phenom II X4 980 BE part, earlier this week. The X4 980 BE pushes down prices of nearly all Phenom II X4 and X2 parts, while pulling down six-core models with it.

The six-core X6 1090T Black Edition with unlocked multiplier is priced on par with it, while the 1075T, 1065T, and 1055T are below it. The Phenom II X6 1100T Black Edition continues to be the fastest AMD has to offer, and it's just a little over $200, at $205, making it a heck of a deal against Intel Core i5-2500K. All the prices are tabled below.

Today AMD released to market its latest quad-core processor, the Pheonom II X4 980 Black Edition. The new, faster SKU was first reported to be taking shape back in March. Based on the 45 nm "Deneb" silicon and K10.5 architecture, the X4 980 BE is yet another speed-bump, clocked at 3.70 GHz (18.5 x 200 MHz), with room for some overclocking thanks to its unlocked BClk multiplier.

The Deneb die packs four x86-64 cores with 512 KB caches each, and a shared 6 MB L3 cache. Despite its high clock speed, the processor maintains TDP of 125W. Its IMC supports dual-channel DDR3/DDR2 memory, and is backwards compatible with AM2+ socket apart from its native AM3 socket. HyperTransport 4 GT/s is its chipset interconnect. The new processor is priced at US $195.

Apart from the 3.70 Phenom II X4 980, AMD's next, and probably (hopefully) final wave of Phenom II processors will include a 3.50 GHz clocked dual-core part, the Phenom II X2 570 Black Edition. This socket AM3 chip will be based on the "Callisto" silicon, which is essentially a "Deneb" quad core die used in X4 parts, with two of its four cores disabled. The chip features two cores clocked at 3.50 GHz (17.5 x 200 MHz), 512 KB dedicated L2 caches per core, and 6 MB shared L3 cache. The integrated dual-channel memory controller supports DDR3-1333 MHz on AM3 socket, and DDR2-1066 MHz on AM2+. As a Black Edition part, the BClk multiplier is unlocked, to help with overclocking. At these speeds, the TDP is rated at 80W.

AMD is looking to give its Phenom II series a finale, with a new quad-core Phenom II X4 model, the Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition. The new chip will be clocked at 3.70 GHz out of the box (18.5 x 200 MHz). It achieves this speed while staying within the 125W TDP envelope. Based on the 45 nm "Deneb" silicon, the X4 980 BE features four x86-64 cores with 512 KB dedicated L2 cache each, and a 6 MB shared cache. Compatible with AM3 and AM2+ sockets, the chip packs a dual-channel memory controller that supports DDR3-1333 MHz or DDR2-1066 MHz memory standards. AMD will unveil the new chip soon, as the company gears up to launch next-generation chips in June.

Here are the first box-shots of AMD's upcoming series of high-end desktop processors, under the FX series, referred to as "Zambezi" by the company, internally. Zambezi is based on AMD's newest Bulldozer architecture that improves instruction per clock-cycle (IPC), and packs the latest industry standard instruction sets. As stated in an older article, AMD will not assign a brand-name (such as Phenom or Athlon) to name its high-end desktop processors, but will instead refer to them as "FX" processors. To that extent, the processors will even feature a logo that resembles that of AMD Radeon to a very large extant.

AMD designed two iterations of box-art each for its FX eight-core and FX quad-core processors, puictured below. The processors look to be shipping in cuboidal paperboard boxes, very much like AMD's processors already do. The art looks very "energetic" and makes use of the AMD "arrow" motif pointing in the top-right direction. The background in each iteration is distinct, one shows splashes of red (eight-core) or orange (quad-core), the other shows flow of red/orange. It's interesting to note that all boxes denote Black Edition with its unlocked bus multiplier feature, leading us to speculate that unlocked multiplier could be standard issue with FX series processors. Also shown is the second generation TurboCore technology support, and AMD's claim to be selling the first eight-core processor [in the consumer market]. AMD's FX processors will be released to market in June.

ASUS unveiled a number of new gaming products at CeBIT in March this year, including Republic of Gamers (ROG) notebook PCs, high-performance motherboards, graphics cards, 3D monitors, router and headsets. All hold true to the ASUS promise to provide choice for everyone and complete its line-up of immersive gaming products.

The new Republic of Gamers (ROG) G Series notebooks lead the charge. Designed for hardcore gamers who want to be able to play anywhere, the G74Sx uses the latest Intel 'Huron River' Core i5 and i7 processors for outstanding performance with any application, while the latest NVIDIA enthusiast level graphics card ensure class-leading 3D performance. NVIDIA 3D Vision is supported as standard too, as is big-screen 3D output via HDMI 1.4 to a compatible display.

Come 2011, and AMD is looking to give Intel its much awaited fightback at all market segments of consumer processors including the enthusiast-grade models. It will be made possible with AMD's new Bulldozer architecture, which gives the processor a much higher degree of inter-core integration, sharing of common components, higher instructions per clock-cycle, and Advanced Vector Extensions (AVX). AMD's Bulldozer "Zambezi" desktop chips will be reportedly available in two ultra high-end SKUs: the 8-core AMD Vision Black FX, and performance segment AMD Vision Ultimate FX. AMD suspended the use of "FX" identifier with its Phenom and Phenom II series processors, because it couldn't compete in higher-end market segments, and didn't want to dilute the "FX" identifier. It was replaced with "Black Edition" to help identify models with unlocked BClk multipliers. AMD's Vision Black FX processors will be competitive with Intel's highest-end processors, including Extreme Edition models.

AMD rolled out three new processors today, the six-core Phenom II X6 1100T Black Edition, Athlon II X3 455, and the Phenom II X2 565 Black Edition. The new flagship of AMD's processor lineup, the Phenom II X6 1100T, is based on the AM3 socket, supporting DDR3 and DDR2 memory on older AM2+ motherboards. It carries a nominal clock speed of 3.30 GHz, is based on the 45 nm "Thuban" silicon, features 512 KB of L2 cache per core, and 6 MB of L3 between all six cores. It features the TurboCore technology, which bumps clock speed by a few hundred MHz when it senses high load. As a Black Edition chip, it features an unlocked bus multiplier. Despite its increased clock speed, the 1100T has a TDP of 125W. This chip goes for US $265.

Next up, is the Phenom II X2 565 Black Edition. Clocked at 3.40 GHz, the X2 565 is based on the Callisto silicon (which is Deneb with two cores locked), featuring 512 KB of cache per core, and 6 MB shared L3 cache. This one has a TDP of 80W, and is priced at US $115. Lastly, there's the Athlon II X3 455, a triple-core chip based on the "Rana" silicon (which is Propus with one core locked), it lacks an L3 cache, but features 512 KB L2 per core. With a TDP of 95W, this one goes for $87.

AMD today announced revenue for the third quarter of 2010 of $1.62 billion, a net loss of $118 million, or $0.17 per share, and operating income of $128 million. The company reported non-GAAP net income of $108 million, or $0.15 per share, and non-GAAP operating income of $144 million.

"AMD's third quarter performance was highlighted by solid gross margin and a continued focus on profitability, despite weaker than expected consumer demand," said Dirk Meyer, AMD president and CEO. "Our strategy to deliver platforms with superior visual experiences continues to resonate. We look forward to building on this momentum when we begin shipping our first AMD Fusion Accelerated Processor Units later this quarter."

After AMD's recent mass-release of Athlon II and Phenom II series processors that included the Phenom II X6 1070T Black Edition priced at around $250, AMD is working on a new flagship processor that's even faster than the Phenom II X6 1090T Black Edition (the current flagship), given the model number Phenom II X6 1100T Black Edition (surprise!), and as always, it's yet another speed-bump. This chip is based on the 45 nm Thuban die, and is clocked a whole 100 MHz faster, at 3.30 GHz, with a Turbo Core frequency of 3.70 GHz. Surprisingly, it retains its TDP rating of 125W. As with every other chip based on this die, it features six cores with 128 KB L1, 512 KB L2 dedicated caches, and 6 MB L3 shared cache, it comes in the AM3 package and is backwards compatible with AM2+, supporting dual-channel DDR3-1333 and DDR2-1066 memory standards.

The 1100T Black Edition isn't the only new Phenom II series member down the line, there's the Phenom II X6 1065T (2.90 GHz, non-BE, 3.40 GHz Turbo); the slower Phenom II X6 1045T (2.50 GHz, non-BE, 3.20 GHz Turbo), and the company's next fastest quad-core chip, the Phenom II X4 975 (3.60 GHz, Deneb). It's not known whether the X4-975 is a Black Edition SKU.

As predicted back in June, Intel has introduced a series of price cuts for a wide range of PC processors. The most notable of these is a 47.6% cut in the price of the Intel Core i7 950 quad-core processor, from US $562 to $294. This heats up competition severely in the $250~$300 bracket with Intel-AMD competition as well as competition among Intel processors of various platforms. In this bracket, you will now find the Core i7 860 priced at $283, Core i7 870 and Core i7 930 at $289; and now Core i7 950 at $294, quite a mix danger-close to each other. If you add AMD to the concoction, the six-core Phenom II X6 1090T Black Edition is going for $290. If you're a high-end dual-core fan, Intel has Core i5 670 for you at $299. In addition to this, Intel released some new chips that include Core i3 560 at $138, Pentium Dual Core E6800 at US$86, and Celeron E3500 at $53.

Seen on numerous occasions and teaser videos as in either its prototype form or just plain CGI drawings, XFX seems to have finally made a working, ready for release iteration of its HD 5970 Black Edition 4 GB graphics card in its wacky retail packaging, which it hype-marketed through teaser videos. TweakPC got to lay its hands on one of these limited edition packages, and went ahead un"boxing" it. The package is actually a bag meant to carry small sniper-rifles (good luck getting it through customs). Inside, the actual graphics card is enclosed inside a case shaped somewhat like a Belgian P90 submachine gun. If that wasn't enough, the magazine pockets on the bag contain accessory boxes that look like magazines.

The card itself has a redesigned cooling assembly, that looks different from what the first iteration looked like. It has grooves on its top, and a badge with a limited edition serial number. Internally, the GPUs are pushed far apart, each has its own heatsink. The fan is located in the middle, it blows air to those heatsinks located on either sides. Power is drawn in from two 8-pin PCI-E power connectors. Display connectivity includes 6 mini-DP (DVI adapters included), supporting Eyefinity6. Each GPU carries the same clock profiles as the Radeon HD 5870, 850 MHz core, 1200 MHz (4800 MHz effective) memory, but addresses 2 GB of memory each. XFX seems to have commenced selling, expect it to be priced over $1000.Pictures of the card follow.

AMD has expanded its Phenom II X6 market lineup with the Phenom II X6 1075T Black Edition model (model number: HDT75ZFBGRBOX), which has started hitting stores in Europe for as low as 227.35 EUR. Although the 1075T model has stayed in leaks and BIOS support lists ever since the series first surfaced, it is only now that we get to know that it's a Black Edition part. The chip carries a clock speed of 3.00 GHz, and with its unlocked BClk multiplier, helps with overclocking the chip. AMD already has a higher-priced, higher-clocked model, the 3.20 GHz Phenom II X6 1090T, and there's no indication that 1090T will be displaced from its current price point of ~250 EUR.

Based on the 45 nm "Thuban" die, the Phenom II X6 1075T features six cores, with a nominal speed of 3.00 GHz, that can increase by up to 400 MHz with load thanks to the TurboCore feature, the cores have dedicated L2 caches of 512 KB, and share an L3 cache of 6 MB. The chip comes in the AM3 package, and is backwards compatible with AM2+ socket, it supports both DDR3-1333 MHz and DDR2-1066 memory types, with room for higher frequencies. It has a TDP rated at 125W.

Corsair, a worldwide supplier of high-performance computer and flash memory products, today announced that the Corsair Dominator GTX4 ultra-high-performance memory module has achieved a new world record for dual-channel memory frequency on AMD processors.

Using an AMD Phenom II X6 Black Edition CPU, Corsair Hydro Series H50 CPU cooler, and a pair of Corsair Dominator GTX4 memory DIMMs with Airflow memory fan, Corsair Labs was able to achieve the world-record memory frequency of 2287.6MHz. Independent validation of this achievement can be found here.

Retailers have started shipping AMD's Phenom II X6 series of desktop six-core processors. The Phenom II X6 is AMD's first consumer six-core processor for desktops, which intends to compete with Intel at aggressive price-points. AMD is starting the series with two models, the Phenom II X6 1055T and Phenom II X6 1090T Black Edition. German retailer VV Computer priced the 1055T under 200€ at 198.7€, while the 1090T Black Edition goes for a little over 300 €, at 309.9€.

The Phenom II X6 1055T runs at 2.80 GHz, with Turbo Core speed of 3.30 GHz, while the Phenom II X6 1090T Black Edition runs at 3.20 GHz with 3.60 GHz of Turbo Core speed, and an unlocked bus multiplier to help overclocking. Both chips have 9 MB of total cache, and TDP of 125W.

XFX today releases their first salvo from their Eyefinity 6 series - The new Radeon HD 5870 Eyefinity 6 Edition - which facilitates massive visual real estate with the first-ever "wrap-around" 6 screen in-picture experience.

• 2 GB DDR5 memory
• 6 mini DisplayPort outputs
• Connect up to 6 displays, Up to 2560 x 1600 per output
• Supports up to 7680 x 3200 with 6 displays in Eyefinity

First spotted at the CeBIT event, the XFX Radeon HD 5970 Black Edition 4 GB graphics card is taking a new shape with the company redesigning its cooler. The older design borrowed heavily from AMD's reference cooler design. Its CGI drawings were released to the press, although the real card with its older cooler was shown off at CeBIT. The HD 5970 Black Edition from XFX sports two AMD Cypress GPUs with 1600 stream processors each, 4 GB of GDDR5 memory across 2x 256-bit memory interfaces, clock-speeds on par with single-GPU Radeon HD 5870 (850/1200 MHz, core/memory), and added overclocking potential. It uses Eyefinity6 display outputs, to single-handedly run six full-HD displays, and multiple Eyefinity display groups.

"XFX have always developed the most powerful, versatile Gaming weapons in the world - and have just stepped up to the gaming plate and launched something spectacular that may well literally blow the current NVIDIA offerings clean away," said XFX, in a statement to Nordic Hardware. "GTX480 and GTX470 are upon us, but perhaps the time has come to Ferm up who really has the big Guns." XFX is targeting high-end consumers, the HD 5970 Black Edition is to be made in Limited Quantities, though available shortly. It is expected to be priced at US $1000.

A set of new slides by AMD to sections of the industry spills the beans on AMD's processor offer outlook for perhaps the rest of the year. It shows AMD to maintain focus on value-oriented models that etch away Intel's market share on grounds of price/performance, while the higher-end of the spectrum keeps up with the latest technologies including the industry-wide advent of the six-core processor era, as well as new power-state management technologies such as TurboCore, which steps up clock speeds of certain cores of the processors while powering down others, which the load is low or less-parallel.

Front-line processor lineups include the Phenom II X6, and Phenom II X4, including a new T X4 series that includes TurboCore support. AMD's transition towards these chips from the existing Deneb-based quad-core ones starts within this quarter lasting throughout Q2 and part of Q3 2010. It includes Phenom II X4 960T, a 3.00 GHz (3.40 GHz turbo) chip based on the Zosma die. It goes up with the Phenom II X6 1035T, a six-core chip clocked at 2.60 GHz (3.10 GHz turbo). A notch higher up is the Phenom II X6 1055T, clocked at 2.80 GHz (3.30 GHz turbo), which comes in 95W and 125W variants. At the top is the Phenom II X6 1090T Black Edition, an overclocker-friendly chip that runs at 3.20 GHz (3.60 GHz turbo). A little later in Q3, AMD will add in the Phenom II X6 1075T, clocked at 3.00 GHz (3.50 GHz turbo).

Thermaltake, leading DIY chassis brand, is launching the latest edition to their mobile chassis series, the V5 Black Edition. The V5 Black Edition is catering specifically to the needs of LAN party enthusiasts and people on the move, who frequently have to schlep their PC along. An extra large and reinforced handle on top of the V5 Black Edition guarantees for a firm and comfortable grip. The stealth black color coating inside and outside in combination with the blue exhaust LED-fan on top and a transparent window on the left side panel, lend this chassis its stylish and characteristic looks.

Despite the V5 Black Edition being very portable, it still offers all the advantages and conveniences of a regular mid-tower. Overall there is room for up to 9 drives, in different combinations of 5.25", 3.5" or 2.5" sized devices. The removable drive bay cage for three 3.5" drives at the bottom makes installation even easier. With an extra large CPU cooler installation hole in the motherboard tray exchanging or upgrading your cooler adds to your long-term ease-of-use with microATX and standard ATX motherboards.

AMD's lineup of six-core desktop processors under the Phenom II X6 banner indeed includes a high-end part. A Bahrain-based etailer disclosed prices of some of the models, which includes a Phenom II X6 1090T Black Edition. This chip operates at 3.20 GHz, with a TDP of 125W. Being a Black Edition part, it sports an unlocked BClk multipler that helps overclocking. AMD plans to sell this chip at US $295. The Phenom II X6 1055T is the other part with a price-tag. This 2.80 GHz chip also has its TDP at 125W, although we've lead to believe that AMD will release a 95W variant, too. The 1055T goes for US $199. Both chips are based on the "Thuban" core, which feature six cores on a monolithic die, with 9 MB of total chip cache (512 KB L2 per core, and 6 MB L3 shared).

It looks like Sapphire and ASUS will not be the only AMD board partners out with a custom design Radeon HD 5970 graphics accelerator that has higher clock speeds and twice the amount of memory. XFX seems just about ready with what it calls the XFX Radeon HD 5970 Black Edition 4GB. This limited edition graphics card borrows heavily from AMD's reference design, but adds some changes:

• The leaf-blower is centrally located, with a GPU system on its either sides.
• GPUs use higher clock speeds of 850 MHz (core), 1200 MHz (memory).
• Twice the amount of memory, 2 GB per GPU, 4 GB total.
• ATI Eyefinity6 display output configuration: 6 mini-DisplayPort connectors to support six physical displays (dongles may be included for DVI users).
• Power is drawn from two 8-pin PCI-E power connectors.

XFX may manufacture upto 1500 pieces in all, and could price each piece around US $1000, with sales starting later this month.

AMD's upcoming six-core desktop processor, codenamed "Thuban" is on course for a May 2010, suggests a report. The series is likely to receive the brand name Phenom II X6. There are four models planned for release within Q2, 2010. The Thuban core is AMD's desktop implementation of the Istanbul core, in the socket AM3 package, supporting dual-channel DDR3 memory. It is a monolithic multi-core design with six x86-64 cores, each with 128 KB of L1, 512 KB of L2 cache, and a 6 MB L3 cache shared between the six cores. Just as with K10 dual, triple, and quad core processors where AMD used a HyperTransport interface clock speed of 1800 MHz (3600 MT/s), or 2000 MHz (4000 MT/s), the new processor will take advantage of HyperTransport 3.x interface, with a HT speed of 2400 MHz (4800 MT/s). Thuban will be built on GlobalFoundaries' 45 nm node.

The table below lists out details of the four planned models. The model number of the top part isn't known. Most likely it is a Black Edition part, which comes with an unlocked BClk multiplier. It operates at 2.80 GHz, with a TDP of 140W. A step below is the Phenom II X6 1075T, which has an expected TDP of 125W, the 1055T is a notch below, and 1035T being the cheapest part. The exact clock speeds of the latter three models isn't known as yet. A month ahead of releasing these chips, AMD will announce the AMD 8-series chipset platform, led by 890FX (high-end, best for CrossFireX), 890GX (performance integrated graphics with CrossFire support). The AMD SB800 series southbridge chips will feature native support for SATA 6 Gb/s. Its on-die SATA controller gives out six SATA ports complete with RAID support. Some existing AM3 motherboards based on 7-series chipsets may also support Phenom II X6 with a BIOS update.