AnandTech: CPU & Chipset Section

AMD's Athlon II X3 435 & New Energy Efficient CPUs: Killing Intel Below $90

cpuchipsets

Hot on the heels of last months' $99 quad-core, AMD is back with a higher performance alternative to Intel's Pentium E6xxx series. It's the return of the triple core with the Athlon II X3 435 and 425. Both priced under $90 and both delivering better than Intel dual-core performance. For the first time in a while, AMD's biggest competition is itself.

October 20, 2009, 127 comments

Marvell's ARMADA: Custom Designed ARM SoCs Break 1GHz

cpuchipsets

Anyone can license ARM's microprocessor architectures, Marvell chooses to license only the instruction set and build its own designs. We look at Marvell's architecture to see if it's what you may want in your next smartphone.

October 19, 2009, 28 comments

The Real Conroe Successor: Clarkdale & All You Need to Know about Westmere

cpuchipsets

Intel's 32nm Nehalem tick is almost upon us. Westmere isn't a radical departure from Nehalem, but there are a few enhancements worth talking about. We go through the on-package graphics, GPU turbo, and even share some preliminary performance data of the next dual-core desktop CPU.

September 24, 2009, 95 comments

The Lynnfield Followup: Turbo Mode and Overclocking Investigated

cpuchipsets

You asked for results with turbo disabled. You asked for overclocking results. We aim to please: here are the additional tests you requested of Intel's Core i5 and Core i7 for the LGA-1156 socket.

September 18, 2009, 46 comments

The Intel Core i7 860 Review

cpuchipsets

The missing link in the Lynnfield lineup is the Core i7 860. Priced at $284 it's no more expensive than a Core i7 920, yet it runs at a higher clock speed and has much more aggressive turbo modes. Is it the better buy? For most people, it is.

September 18, 2009, 121 comments

AMD Athlon II X4 620 & 630: The First $99 Quad Core CPU

cpuchipsets

AMD's pricing department has struck gold. Armed with a brand new die, the Athlon II X4 620 performs like a $160 CPU but at 60% of the cost. This is the best budget quad-core CPU on the market.

September 16, 2009, 146 comments

Intel's Core i7 870 & i5 750, Lynnfield: Harder, Better, Faster Stronger

cpuchipsets

Today Intel unveils the Nehalem that we've all been waiting for. Starting at $196 and outperforming nearly everything on the market, Lynnfield is here. It's more than just another fast CPU, it's the first processor that redefines the way we classify CPUs. Lynnfield is not only the best quad-core processor at $196, $284 and $562, but it's also the best single, dual and triple core chip. Today we look at the Core i5 750 and Core i7 870 and explain why these are the best processors of 2009.

September 8, 2009, 335 comments

How Much Does it Cost to Build a P55 Motherboard?

cpuchipsets

Recent discussions of P55 motherboard pricing inspired us to do some digging and figure out exactly how much it costs to build a motherboard. While we'll see ~$100 P55 motherboards at launch, it's going to be tough to pull off. Find out why.

August 21, 2009, 52 comments

Phenom II X4 965: A Look at CPU/MB Bundle Pricing

cpuchipsets

AMD promised attractive bundle deals for the new Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition from North American vendors. We took a quick look at the current state of 965 bundles and see exactly how much you can save.

August 13, 2009, 40 comments

AMD's Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition

cpuchipsets

It's literally the fastest chip AMD has ever shipped. At 3.4GHz this is the closest you're going to get to a Core i7 performance without going Nehalem. At least until next month...

August 13, 2009, 54 comments

Globalfoundries Starts on 22nm Fab & Announces First non-AMD Customer

cpuchipsets

What used to be AMD's manufacturing arm is now officially known as Globalfoundries. The new company has started work on its first 22nm fab, due to start production in 2012 and as of today has officially signed on its first non-AMD customer: ST Micro. We take you through AMD and GF's manufacturing roadmap for the next 3 years, including when you can expect ATI/NVIDIA to begin producing there.

July 29, 2009, 50 comments

Intel Quietly Announces Core i5 and Core i3 Branding

cpuchipsets

Intel quietly announced the Core i5 and i3 branding for future Nehalem CPUs. I hope to add some additional light to the announcement.

June 17, 2009, 56 comments

Intel’s Core i7-975 & 950: Preparing for Lynnfield

cpuchipsets

The world's fastest processor gets faster. The new Core i7-975 runs at 3.33GHz but will hit 3.60GHz when only one core is active. The end result is the fastest CPU regardless of how many threads you're running.

June 3, 2009, 43 comments

The Athlon II X2 & Phenom II X2: 45nm Dual-Core from AMD

cpuchipsets

After months of begging, we finally have 45nm dual-core from AMD. And these new parts perform. Competition is alive and well in the lower price points.

June 2, 2009, 55 comments

The Lynnfield Preview: Rumblings of Revenge

cpuchipsets

If executed properly, Lynnfield may be *the* chip to get in 2009. We've got the benchmarks and data to answer why.

May 29, 2009, 95 comments