AnandTech: CPU & Chipset Section

The Core i7 980X Review: Intel's First 6-Core Desktop CPU

cpuchipsets

It's got 6 cores, 12 threads and it's good. Meet Intel's Core i7 980X, the first Gulftown CPU. If you've got the money, there's nothing better.

March 11, 2010, 87 comments

AMD's 890GX Chipset - Same Graphics, Better South Bridge

cpuchipsets

AMD's 8-series chipsets are upon us and despite the name, all of the innovation is in the south bridge. Graphics performance and feature set are unchanged but are the new South Bridge and SATA controller enough to make this interesting?

March 2, 2010, 67 comments

AMD Reveals More Llano Details at ISSCC: 32nm, Power Gating, 4-cores, Turbo?

cpuchipsets

AMD shared some more details with us about Llano. The 32nm processor will feature power gating and a host of other power optimizations that lead us to believe we'll see CPU & graphics turbo in AMD's first APU.

February 8, 2010, 53 comments

New Westmere Details Emerge: Power Efficiency and 4/6 Core Plans

cpuchipsets

Intel let loose some new information on Westmere today about power efficiency as well as its upcoming quad-core and 6-core chips. Updated: Desktop quad-core plans not certain!

February 3, 2010, 43 comments

Unlocking the Phenom II X2 555: 3.2GHz Quad-Core for $99

cpuchipsets

No I'm not talking about bypassing multiplier locks, the Black Edition takes care of that already. I'm talking about flipping a switch to enable the two disabled cores on the Phenom II X2 555. And you thought the Athlon II X4 635 was a bargain quad-core.

January 28, 2010, 45 comments

Why Pine Trail Isn't Much Faster Than the First Atom

cpuchipsets

We were puzzled by Pine Trail's lack of performance. In some cases it was faster than the original Atom, but in most it hardly showed a difference - particularly in the single-core netbook version. We found out why.

January 27, 2010, 32 comments

AMD's New Year Refresh: Athlon II X4 635, Phenom II X2 555, Athlon II X2 255 & Athlon II X3 440

cpuchipsets

It's time for AMD's response to Intel's Clarkdale launch. Cheaper prices and higher clock speeds thanks to yield improvements at Global Foundries.

January 25, 2010, 61 comments

The Intel Core i3 530 Review - Great for Overclockers & Gamers

cpuchipsets

It costs $113 but with minimal effort you can reach 4GHz with the stock cooler. At those speeds (and at stock) it's a great CPU for gamers. We update you on Clarkdale and review Intel's first real answer to the Athlon II and Phenom II X2.

January 22, 2010, 97 comments

The Clarkdale Review: Intel's Core i5 661, i3 540 & i3 530

cpuchipsets

Intel's first 32nm chips are here. It's time for competition below $200 as Clarkdale takes AMD's Phenom IIs and Athlon IIs head on with more than just performance. Clarkdale attracts HTPC enthusiasts with its TrueHD/DTS-HD MA bitstreaming. It targets the corporate market with Bitlocker accelerating AES-NI. It is even a great chip for gaming. But is it priced too high for a dual-core CPU?

January 4, 2010, 92 comments

AMD Athlon 2650e & X2 3250e - Better than Atom for SFF Desktops

cpuchipsets

We call them the Dell zino HD CPUs, because they're found in Dell's zino HD. You can buy a decent nettop based on Intel's Atom processor or one of these low clocked, low TDP AMD CPUs. Which one should you buy? Read on to find out.

December 31, 2009, 40 comments

The Core i7 Giveaway Winner, Next Contest Soon

cpuchipsets

AnandTech reader Gregory Peng sent in his first impressions of the brand new Core i7 system he won last month.

December 22, 2009, 51 comments

Intel Atom D510: Pine Trail Boosts Performance, Cuts Power

cpuchipsets

After over a year, we finally get our first real update to Intel's Atom processor. An integrated memory controller boosts performance by roughly 10%, and we finally get to say goodbye to the power hungry 945 chipset. If you're going to buy an Atom based system, you want a Pine Trail. But it's not quite enough to kill off NVIDIA's Ion. The forbidden platform does have a couple of advantages...

December 21, 2009, 40 comments

The FTC Sues Intel Over CPU & GPU Competition

cpuchipsets

With settlement talks breaking down, the FTC has sued Intel over anti-competitive actions in the GPU and CPU markets. We take a look at the charges, and what the FTC wants done to remedy matters.

December 16, 2009, 114 comments

AMD Core Counts and Bulldozer: Preparing for an APU World

cpuchipsets

Updated! We clarify one of the more confusing points of AMD's nomenclature with regards to Bulldozer. AMD is referring to integer cores whenever it mentions core count in its roadmaps.

November 30, 2009, 94 comments

Core i7 Giveaway Winner, AT on Kindle, Site Redesign Preview and More

cpuchipsets

We have a winner! We've also got AnandTech offered on Amazon's Kindle and a preview of the new AnandTech site redesign. I hint about a call to writers and a potential reader meetup in India.

November 13, 2009, 97 comments