In recent years, AMD has offered more cores for fewer dollars, but hasn’t managed to make a dent in Intel’s high-end crown. None of that changes today with the introduction of AMD’s Bulldozer desktop processors. Today, AMD’s launching four CPUs with the brand-new architecture, topping out at just $245 for the flagship 3.6GHz FX-8150 with eight processing cores. However, early reviews show that -- despite a new turbo mode that can boost the chip up to 600MHz -- AMD’s silicon lags the competition in scenarios that don’t take advantage of all that parallel processing horsepower. (It even loses to the Phenom II X6 hexacore predecessor in a few stray benchmarks.) In other words, AMD’s not rocking the boat here, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t value to be had: the quad-core, 3.6GHz FX-4100 starts at only $115, cheaper than the cheapest Sandy Bridge-infused Core i3, and every one of these chips is fully unlocked for overclocking. We’re just a little sad AMD’s back to square one, rather than pulling an Athlon 64 again. Find some early reviews of the FX-8150 at our source links.
AMD’s 8-core FX CPUs enter the consumer realm, starting at $205
is a senior editor and founding member of The Verge who covers gadgets, games, and toys. He spent 15 years editing the likes of CNET, Gizmodo, and Engadget.
Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.
