AMD Radeon HD 7950 graphics cards have shown up for pre-order on a number of websites. In line with our previous article detailing the expected specs, all models have 3 GB GDDR5 running at 5000 MHz, with 384-bit bandwidth, with 1.5 GB models expected later. There are 1792 Stream Processors. The cards require one 150W (8-pin) PCI-E power connection and one 75W (6 pin) connector. All the cards have 1 x DVI-I, HDMI, 2x Mini DisplayPort, and double slot coolers.   [Full story]

In March Intel is expected to launch Romley server platform, which will be comprised of Xeon E5 microprocessors, and "Patsburg-B" C600 series chipset. Later in the first half of this year Intel will introduce another platform, codenamed Crystal Forest-Server. This platform will also work with Xeon E5-2600 processors, but it will utilize Cave Creek chipset. Cave Creek chipset will be also used by embedded platform, codenamed Crystal Forest-Gladden. The platform will be available in the second quarter 2012.   [Full story]

Typically, when you buy electronic parts and equipment they are only guaranteed to work according to published specs. If you overclock a part of your computer (usually the CPU, memory and/or graphics card) and it burns out you are not covered by the standard warranty. Most companies offer a limited warranty, which doesn't cover damage done by overclocking (classed as misuse), although some companies offer more flexible replacement terms as long as a non-working part cannot be seen to have been modified. Intel are now offering an added level of warranty protection, at a price, for those who wish to overclock their recent, high-end unlocked desktop SKUs.   [Full story]

As was originally reported by VR-Zone, three new Core i5 microprocessors are coming in February. In addition to i5 standard features, such as 4 CPU cores with Turbo Boost technology, 6 MB L3 cache and no Hyper-Threading, all three models will also have one thing in common: they will lack on-chip graphics unit. Last week Gigabyte added new SKUs to socket 1155 CPU support lists, confirming previously reported specifications.   [Full story]

Next Intel micro-architecture, codenamed Ivy Bridge, will launch in less than three months. Along with desktop and mobile microprocessors, based on new microarchitecture, Intel will release several embedded models. We previously reported on 5 embedded Core i7s, and now we found details on Core i3-3220ME and i3-3217UE embedded CPUs.   [Full story]

Fudzilla have published specs of nVidia's GK104 GPU core, the successor to GF114 (GTX 560/560Ti). The first 28 nm Kepler GPU, that most sources are expecting in April, will most likely be known as the GTX 660, and will contain the GK 104 core. With an estimated 768 CUDA cores, this will have more than 2 TFLOPS raw performance, more than the current single-GPU flagship product, GTX 580.   [Full story]

Following close on the heels of the Radeon HD 7970 GPU, we have now seen detailed specs for the cut-down Radeon HD 7950. Donanimhaber published some initial information, while a reader at TechPowerup provided detailed specs of an overclocked card from Sapphire. Based on the Tahiti core, this is basically the same core with a few parts disabled, and with a default speed of 800 MHz (approx 14% slower than the Radeon HD 7970).   [Full story]

In October, AMD released various processors based on the Bulldozer core. Much hyped as the next best thing, these processors were shown to perform much worse than expected, partly due to the new multi-module architecture, and poor scheduling (ie no support) in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2. Microsoft have now released a pair of hotfixes which aim to improve support and hence improve the performance.   [Full story]

There has been a lot of conflicting information, mostly originating from a small number of leaks, about NVidia Kepler GPUs and their release dates. A source at Chiphell now says the flagship single-GPU cards will be released in February, before AMD can dominate the market with the HD 79x0 series 28nm cards.   [Full story]

As you may already know, in February Intel plans to introduce Core i5-2380P, i5-2450P and i5-2550K microprocessors. All three are quad-core chips, incorporating 6 MB L3 cache and most of the Sandy Bridge features with the exception of Vpro. In addition to 100 Mhz higher core and Turbo Boost frequencies than currently produced Core i5-2320, i5-2400 and i5-2500K SKUs, new CPUs will have on-chip graphics disabled. Specifications of upcoming processors were originally revealed by VR-Zone, although launch prices of these Core i5s are not yet known. All three models can be now pre-ordered in two US online stores, MacMall and eCost.   [Full story]

In the past two months we published several stories, detailing Core i5-2450M, Core i3-2370M and B970 Sandy Bridge CPUs, spotted ahead of launch in specifications of Dell and Hewlett Packard notebooks. We also reported on a few mobile Celerons, that were going to replace older models, released in the middle of last year. Yesterday Intel added specifications of new processors to the ARK product database, and all CPUs now have status as launched in the first quarter 2012. The company also posted details on previously unheard-of Pentium 977.   [Full story]

This quarter Intel will launch the first two Xeon E5 families for socket 2011, followed by E5-2400 series next quarter. E5-2400 processors will work in single- and dual-CPU systems, and they will utilize socket 1356, which supports only 3 memory channels (one fewer than socket 2011) and only one QPI link. We already reported on specifications of Xeons from E5-2400 series, and now we have more details on their pricing.   [Full story]

AMD's flagship new single-GPU graphics cards may not be the best they have to offer. The Radeon HD7970 may be the fastest production graphics card currently, but the high overclocks reported by many reviewers show that the cards can perform better than even AMD claimed. With a stock speed of 925 MHz, several reviewers have reported clock speeds of 1100 MHz and more without increasing the core voltage. According to Fudzilla, AMD are considering releasing a faster single-GPU graphics core.   [Full story]

Computerbase.de have published some slides that AMD revealed at CES, providing an overview of the upcoming Trinity APUs. With a look at some of the features that will be available, and some performance expectations, there are also details of a 17W low power version that targets "ultrathin" notebooks, AMD's answer to Intel's "Ultrabook" devices.   [Full story]

The Intel Medfield platform has now been officially announced by Intel, in the form of the Intel Penwell SoC, otherwise known as the Atom Z2460. Atom Z2460 is a true single-chip SoC solution, which has a 1.6 GHz Atom core with hyper-threading. Graphics will be provided by an Imagination Technologies PowerVR SGX 540 GPU running at 400 MHz. It will be shipped in a 12mm square package.   [Full story]

VR-Zone and Fudzilla recently revealed launch dates of several desktop Intel processors, as well as introduction date of "Romley" platform and Sandy Bridge-EP server chips.   [Full story]

Following hot on the heels of the recently released Radeon HD 7970, the next model in the new line-up is the HD 7950. Initially available with 3 GB GDDR5, a cheaper 1.5 GB model is expected in the future. Other models are expected to follow in February.   [Full story]

First microprocessors, built on "Ivy Bridge" microarchitecture, will be launched in about three months. The initial lineup will be comprised of desktop products from Core i5 and Core i7 families, mobile Core i7 processors, and, as was disclosed by VR-Zone earlier last month, there will be three OEM-only mobile chips, Core i7-3610QM, i7-3612QM and i7-3615QM. One of these chips, Core i7-3610QM is now available for pre-order as a standalone CPU, and in Samsung NP700G7C-S01US notebook.   [Full story]

ZiiLABS, a subsidiary of Creative Technology Ltd, last week revealed new ZMS-40 StemCell Media processor. The media processor, optimized for use with Android operating system, packs four 1.5GHz ARM Cortex-A9 CPU cores along with 96 ZiiLABS' StemCell media processing cores. Using 96 StemCell processors, double the number in the previous generation ZMS-20, it is possible to achieve double the performance, or to run the processors at lower speeds for the same performance, gaining double the power efficiency. This combination of power saving and performance boost gives a number of benefits for hand-held devices based on the ZMS-40.   [Full story]

A few days ago AMD posted new technical document, titled Software Optimization Guide for AMD Family 15h Processors. Although the guide is intended for developers, it includes some useful information about AMD Family 15h, i.e. Bulldozer. The document not only describes features of current Bulldozer processors, which have model numbers 00h - 0fh (0xh), but also refers to two future generations with model numbers 10h - 1fh (1xh), and 20h - 2fh (2xh). We believe that microprocessors with 10h and higher model numbers will be based on Piledriver cores.   [Full story]

Following the paper launch last month, AMD Radeon HD 7970 single-GPU graphics cards for desktop PCs are officially on sale today (December 10). AMD have also announced the availability of mobile devices using Radeon HD 7000M series mobile graphics this week, raising the bar for immersive video output and image quality. Built using a 28nm process, this card represents the first in a range of new GPUs offering a significantly higher performance for a lower power usage.   [Full story]

On December 20 AMD announced five new socket FM1 desktop Accelerated Processing Units (APUs), including two unlocked A6-3670K and A8-3870K models with 100 Watt Thermal Design Power, and A4-3420, A6-3620 and A8-3820 SKUs with 65 Watt TDP. Unlocked CPUs were released about a week later, while three 65 Watt chips are still not available anywhere, even for pre-order. The processors did emerge in specifications of several Hewlett Packard PCs, which confirms our suspicion that the 3420, 3620 and 3820 APUs may be shipped only as OEM parts.   [Full story]

As well as the high-end HD 7900 series GPUs which have started to roll out, there are 6 other known HD 7000 GPU series that have been reported on recently. The HD 6300/6400/6500 are all budget, entry level products. The HD 7600 series will be mid-range entry level cards, with HD 7700 offering slightly higher performance, and then the mainstream cards that are expected to be the most popular will be the HD7800 series. It is currently believed that only the Tahiti-based cards that will use the new GCN architecture, with other cards believed to be built using VLIW-4 technology.   [Full story]

Forthcoming Intel Xeon E5 family will be separated into 4 subfamilies, based on intended market. Xeon E5-4600 will support up to 4-way servers, E5-2400 and E5-2600 will target 2-way servers and workstations, and E5-1600 series will work in uni-processor systems. In the past months we reported on details of E5-1600, E5-2400 and E5-2400 families, whereas model lineup of E5-4600 family was not known up to this moment. Today Intel added Xeon E5 box part numbers and S-spec numbers to Material Declaration Data Sheets (MDDS) database. This addition confirmed processor numbers of one- and two-way Xeon E5 chips, and revealed E5-4600 processor numbers.   [Full story]

Single-core Celeron 925 and 763 processors have been on a market since January of last year. These two models are from Penryn group of families, which are two generations behind current Sandy Bridge CPUs. Their replacements, mobile Celeron B710 and ultra-low voltage 787, were launched in June - July 2011 time frame, as a result Penryn Celerons are now set to retire.   [Full story]

On January 3 we published an overview of the AMD HD7000 family of GPUs. The first series to be launched are the HD 7900-series (TAHITI) GPUs, of which the HD7970 was launched on paper on December 22. HD7950 is due in the first week of February, and HD7990 is currently unannounced. For fans of AMD graphics cards, this is very good news, as the HD7970 is faster than any current single-gpu graphics card.   [Full story]

The New Year is always a good time to get an overview of what to expect for the next 12 months. We have already seen what AMD are offering for the graphics market, and the first new products from their range have already launched. NVidia have also got a new range planned for this year, known as Kepler. Information about Kepler is still scarce, although NVidia have received in-house samples of some chips.   [Full story]

After delays, at the last week of December Intel launched N2600 and N2800 "Cedar Trail" Atom microprocessors for netbooks and mobile devices. At launch time, the company published revised version of Atom D2000/N2000 series datasheet, available here (PDF file). The datasheet included specifications of two just released N2600 and N2800 models, two previously released D2500 and D2700 CPUs, and also information on three unreleased Atoms with processor numbers D2550, N2650, and N2850. All three chips were spotted in November in a list of CPUs, licensed for Windows 7 starter operating system.   [Full story]

Four engineers were recently arrested in Taoyuan, Taiwan, for selling sample CPUs on eBay. China's Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said on January 2 that they are all engineers working for OEM manufacturers in Taiwan. The CIB were informed last September that the 4 men were selling the stolen chips on eBay for a huge profit.   [Full story]

Traditionally, graphics cards have primarily been designed to take data from your CPU and convert it into images on your screen. For a few years, NVidia have extended the goalposts, and have had the GPU taking a lot of work off the CPU, and in many cases have processed that data faster than a CPU core. AMD have not kept up with NVidia in the compute capabilities of their GPUs. Until now, that is.   [Full story]

In the first half 2012 Intel is going to introduce several new families for server market. On the high end, the next generation of Itanium CPUs with Poulson core should be available in the second quarter. Mid-class 2- and 4-way servers are targeted by Xeon E5-2400, E5-2600 and E5-4600 families, that will be launched in the first and second quarters. In the Q1, the company will introduce Xeon E5-1600 CPUs for single-processor servers and workstations, followed by Xeon E3-1200 v2 family in the Q2.   [Full story]

Earlier this month Donanim Haber published specifications, release dates and prices of unlocked FX-6200, as well as A-Series A6-3670K and A8-3870K microprocessors. A-Series APUs were announced on December 20, and they surfaced in stores a week later. FX-6200 SKU, which was supposed to be released on December 26, is not yet available in stores. However, as was already reported by many hardware news sites, FX-6200 specifications already appeared on AMD website.   [Full story]

There has been much speculation recently about the upcoming Core i5-2550K, and it's specs and price. One of Sandy Bridge's selling points has been the integrated GPU, but it appears this will no longer be the case for the whole range. VR-Zone have now revealed preliminary details of three new i5 processors, including Core i5-2550K, which will not have an active iGPU.   [Full story]

It would appear that Intel are unable to meet the target supplies for the Ultra-Low Power version of it's Ivy Bridge processors, due in April. An article published on December 29 at VR-Zone indicates that as a result the specs for the U-Series processor TDP have been adjusted, in order to increase the available yield.   [Full story]

There has been a lot of talk recently about Intel reducing prices of Sandy Bridge CPUs in the run-up to the launch of Ivy Bridge. Digitimes today (December 28 ) published details including pricing and release dates for various Ivy Bridge processors and chipsets. Initial SKUs will be released on or around April 8 2012, with a few more parts following over the following few weeks.   [Full story]

On December 26, VR-Zone published an article about Intel's newly formed "Mobile and Communications" division and the Medfield SoC. Formed from the merger of four separate divisions (Mobile Communications, Mobile Wireless, Netbook & Tablet PC and Ultra-Mobility), the new division will be producing a 32nm chip called Medfield, Intel's first complete SoC solution. In contrast to some of their older platforms (such as two-chip solutions that actually needed 4-5 chips to work), Medfield is Intel's first true, highly-integrated solution.   [Full story]

More than a week ago we published specifications of Ivy Bridge-based Core i7-3610QE, i7-3612QE and i7-3615QE embedded processors. Basic characteristics of those quad-core CPUs are very similar to forthcoming Core i7-361xQM OEM chips. The embedded parts will also incorporate several advanced features, such as ECC support and Vpro technology. In addition to 361xQE quad-cores, Intel will also release Core i7-3517UE and i7-3555LE dual-core embedded models in the second or third quarter of 2012.   [Full story]

Over the next few months, Intel will be releasing several server and workstation class processors based on Sandy Bridge. Entry level workstation offerings include E3-1200 v2 and E5-1600, both reliable alternatives to regular desktop offerings. Dual socket processors include the E5-2400 series and the higher performing E5-2600. Finally, we have the quad socket E5-4600 series. We have now seen some initial performance comparisons between Sandy Bridge-EP and Westmere-EP.   [Full story]

Last Friday Turkish site Donanimhaber published a few slides, one of which revealed release date and official prices of A6-3670K and A8-3870K Accelerated Processing Units (APUs). Two processors will be launched on December 26, priced at $115 for A6 model, and $135 for A8 model. AMD today added specifications of these processors to their product database, thus confirming imminent release of both CPUs.   [Full story]

Ivy Bridge micro-architecture, planned for the second quarter 2012, will bring a number of enhancements to CPU and graphics portions of the chip. The CPU cores will feature up to 15%, sometimes even higher performance due to micro-architecture improvements and 100 MHz - 300 MHz higher Turbo Boost frequencies. HD 4000 and HD 2500 graphics will add support for DirectX 11, and it will be considerably faster than current HD 3000 and HD 2000 on-chip graphics. What's more important, better performing Ivy Bridge CPUs will come with 20% lower Thermal Design Power. It's great that upcoming CPUs will run cooler and faster, but at what price? Based on pricing information, that we've seen, desktop Ivy Bridge SKUs will have prices, in most cases identical to Sandy Bridge predecessors.   [Full story]

One month ago Intel launched socket 2011 enthusiast platform, comprised of X79 chipset, and Core i7-3960X and i7-3930K microprocessors. Both Core i7s are six-core CPUs, that boast better performance than previous generation of Extreme Edition consumer chips, at a premium price. The good news is that much less expensive socket 2011 processor is coming in the first quarter 2012. As was previously reported, Core i7-3820 will be released in February, and it will be priced at $294 in 1K tray quantities. This CPU is now available for pre-order in Provantage online store.   [Full story]

On December 5, we published preliminary details of AMDs Llano A6-3670K, A8-3820 and A8-3870K APUs. Turkish site Donanimhaber have now published the release dates and initial pricing for A8-3870K and A6-3670K, as well as revealing more information about the A8-3820.   [Full story]

On December 14, Global Foundries and ARM revealed details of the latest SoC solutions based around the ARM Cortex-A series processor. Developed using ARM Artisan advanced physical IP and Global Foundries' leading-edge process technologies, the companies have announced a 2.5+ GHz chip built around a dual-core Cortex-A9 processor. They also announced the testing of a 20nm development process for Cortex-A9 based SoCs.   [Full story]

As you may know, next year Intel is going to release next generation of Itanium microprocessors, codenamed "Poulson". Details of these processors were disclosed earlier this year on Hot Chips conference. The Poulson processors will have 3.1 billion transistors, and will be manufactured on 32nm process. They will integrate 54 MB of memory, and pack 8 cores, that is twice as many cores as current "Tukwilla"-based Itanium 9300 CPUs. Forthcoming processors will be compatible with Itanium 9300, and they will be coupled with 7500 chipset.   [Full story]

On November 29 we published details of Ivy Bridge performance expectations. We can now reveal benchmarks results of an i7-3770K sample that was tested by a user on the chiphell forums. Each test was executed at stock settings, so the results are easily compared to those of an i7-2700K at stock settings.   [Full story]

While the Mobile Intel 7 Series chipsets have much in common with the desktop chipsets that we reported on earlier today, there are a number of important differences in which features are implemented. There are 6 different mobile chipsets, all of which are expected to be available in Q2 2012.   [Full story]

Last week VR-Zone leaked several slides with specifications of Intel Ivy Bridge mobile processors, and the slides revealed that Ivy Bridge lineup will include three quad-core chips, Core i7-3720QM, i7-3820QM and i7-3920XM.More recent VR-Zone story stated that there will be three additional quad-core models for OEM market: Core i7-3610QM, i7-3612QM and i7-3615QM. These processors will have 6 MB L3 cache, and they are going to be clocked lower, than i7-37xx and i7-38xx. VR-Zone article suggested that these three models will have 35 Watt Thermal Design Power.   [Full story]

Much has been written about Ivy Bridge, Intel's next generation processors. As is usual for any new processor, there are many new features that are provided by the accompanying chipset, in this case Panther Point. For the desktop computer user that initially consists of 6 chipsets in Q2 2012, with USB 3.0 as standard, Intel Rapid Start technology and a host of other features.   [Full story]

Two new Celeron processors were released this week. Today Intel updated official price list, and added Celeron G460 microprocessor. Earlier in the week, specifications of embedded Celeron 807UE were added to the ARK product database with the status "launched". Both Celerons are quite interesting, as each of them has at least one unique feature, which is Hyper-Threading on model G460, and ultra-low power on 807UE.   [Full story]

The latest Intel desktop roadmap, leaked two weeks ago, stated that current Core i5 Sandy Bridge processors will be replaced with Ivy Bridge models in the second quarter 2012, and there are no Sandy Bridge Core i5s planned. It comes as a surprise that the company indeed has one new SB model in the works, Core i5-2550K with unlocked clock multiplier. S-spec and box part numbers of this processor were revealed in today's update of Material Declaration Data Sheets database.   [Full story]

In the wake of the launch of desktop Ivy Bridge microprocessors, coming in the second quarter 2012, Intel prepares to discontinue large number of desktop models due to low demand. In the past two days, the company published several Product Change Notification (PCN) documents, that notify customers of upcoming discontinuation of 19 socket 1366, socket 1156, and socket 1155 chips. Full list of retired SKUs includes.   [Full story]

On December 5, MIPS Technologies, Inc. and Ingenic Semiconductor announced the world's first tablet with "Ice Cream Sandwich" version of Android, or, more officially, Android 4.0. The new Novo7 tablet utilizes MIPS-compatible JZ4770 system-on-a-chip (Soc), developed and produced by Ingenic Semiconductor. The 7" tablet boasts 300 hours standby time on one battery charge, and can last up to 6 hours when playing games, and up to 8 hours when playing video. The Novo7 device has capacitive multi-touch screen, dual front-and rear cameras, 2D and 3D graphics support, 1080p decoding, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n support, USB 2,0, HDMI 1.3 and a few other interfaces, and it retails for less than $100.   [Full story]

Current AMD mobile "Sabine" platform was launched in June of this year, and, as we reported in October, was due for refresh this quarter. Today AMD quietly added details on seven new SKUs to Sabine platform specifications, and to notebook APU product information pages. That usually means that processors are either officially released, or will be released within days. Newly introduced A-Series microprocessors are a mix of dual-core and quad-core models, targeting either higher performance on "MX" chips, or power consumption on "M" parts.   [Full story]

On November 14 we reported on the upcoming Celeron G460. On November 18, Fudzilla published some further information, which was mostly confirmed by recently leaked Intel Desktop Roadmap.   [Full story]

The launch of Ivy Bridge micro-architecture is still a quarter away, but we already have plenty of information on upcoming desktop microprocessors, thanks to a series of leaks of Intel roadmap slides. Not only desktop roadmap has been leaked. VR-Zone published yesterday a few slides, containing release schedule and specifications of Ivy Bridge mobile microprocessors. According to published slides, Intel will launch 3 quad-core CPUs in April, followed by 3 dual-core mainstream models and two ULV processors in May.   [Full story]

I'm leaving for vacation today, therefore there won't be any big updates on the site for about a week. I will have access to the site, and I expect that I will be able to do simple administration work, like approving comments, and possibly posting news stories. I wish all site visitors Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!