14 DAY TRIAL // AMD's launch of the Spider platform was a really close shave. We got used to AMD's delaying and setting timelines just for the joy of shamefully disrespecting them, but AMD has now entered the orbit of good luck. If we close our eyes regarding the errata issue, the Phenom CPUs will not lack in performance; plus, their price will be just what it takes for the buyer to set a bargain.
Advanced Micro Devices can actually do better for the next year, most likely after the company unveils the 9700 and 9900 quad-core horses. One of their objectives is to release the triple-core processors, inspired from Agena's architecture. The Agenas are average quad-cores, except one of them which will be disabled. That would be the cornerstone for the tri-cored Phenoms, also known as Tolimans.
If the AMD company succeeds in releasing their tri-cores, they will have two more processor lines to output 2.5 and 2.3 GHz CPUs, with a power consumption of about 89 watts. Intel's dual and quad-cored 45nm CPU would arrive just in time (late January next year) to witness AMD's dual-core Kuma processors to function at a currently unknown frequency (TDP would be set to 65 W, according to sources). All four processors will feature a HyperTransport 3 bus running through a Socket AM2+ interconnect.
Next on the timeline would be the adjustment of the entry-level market. AMD is cooking a surprise here with their single-core Athlon CPU (Lima) LE-1640 that will see daylight in January 2008, and with higher frequency Lima CPUs that will arrive by the end of the second quarter next year. Internal sources in the AMD lab also confirmed that the CPU manufacturer will launch the single-core Sempron (Sparta) CPU LE-1300 with a core frequency of 2.3GHz and TDP of 45W, in the first quarter of 2008.