14 DAY TRIAL // The next-generation series of Bulldozer FX central processing units from Advanced Micro Devices, called Vishera and powered by the x86 Piledriver architecture, have been put up for pre-order.
While we have encountered them priced before, the new tags from PC Componentes concern prospective buyers from Europe, not the US. We'll start at the bottom, in terms of performance, and work our way up from there.
The quad-core AMD FX-4300, with 8 MB L3 cache memory, 3.8 GHz / 4.0 GHz clock speed and 95W TDP, is listed for 128 Euro.
The six-core AMD FX-6300 has the same TDP and cache memory, but 3.5 GHz / 4.1 GHz performance and a price of 137 Euro.
The third processor, and the first 8-core, is called FX-8320 and has 8 MB cache and 125W thermal design power. Its price is 159 Euro.
Finally, the FX-8350, the flagship as it were, is a 4.0 GHz / 4.2 GHz 8-core unit with the same cache as its peers and 125W TDP. It carries a tag of 199 Euro.
Those who already own an AM3+ motherboard should have no reason not to upgrade. The chips will bring 15% better power efficiency, but alas, we still have to wait before we know exactly what a boost in performance we are in for.
All we know is that, after the disappointment that the first batch of FX chips turned out to be, the Sunnyvale, California-based IT player, some feel, has a lot to make up for.
We would convert the prices in dollars, but that would be useless since they don't reflect exchange rates between the US and Europe. Everyone would be much better off going here and seeing the actual US tags, even if they probably won't be the same after AMD finally makes the launch.
Speaking of which, the company will formally introduce the processors on October 23. At least that's the tale that the rumor mill has been spinning.