14 DAY TRIAL // Sunnyvale, California-based Advanced Micro Devices is said to be planning the release of its own line of six-core desktop processors, in an attempt to counter Intel's own six-core initiative. The new desktop parts, which are codenamed Thuban, are expected to debut sometime in the third quarter of 2009 and be part of the company's new wave of high-performance desktop processors, according to sources familiar with the company's plans.
AMD's next-generation desktop processors are expected to provide users with a six-core architecture and will be the chip maker's first desktop CPUs to be featured with six processing cores. According to available details, the new parts should be compatible with the existent AM3 platforms, boasting an integrated dual-channel DDR3 1333MHz memory controller. Although details are scarce at this time, AMD's Thuban processors are likely to be designed after the company's current Istanbul processors, which means that they will boast 3MB of L2 cache (512KB per core) and 6MB of L3 cache.
Based on the company's current 45nm manufacturing technology, the Thuban (which means 'dragon' in Arabian) processors could be part of the company's current high-end desktop platform, codenamed Dragon. However, considering previous reports that AMD's next-generation enthusiast platform is due out in April 2010, the said Thuban processors could also be part of the chip maker's new product lineup. The new 'Leo' platform will be based on the 890FX and 890GX chipsets and will deliver a number of new features for enhanced performance. Unfortunately, these details are still to be established.
Intel's six-core initiative for the consumer desktop market is based on the company's next-generation Gulftown chips, which are reportedly planned for release in Q2 2010. If AMD manages to ship its first six-core CPUs in Q3, then it shouldn't be that far behind Intel, in the high-performance segment.