Despite the current situation in the enthusiast segment AMD has not given up hope for the FX series. AMD has now launched two new models, whereof one, FX-9590, is the first retail processor to ship with a Turbo frequency of 5 GHz.
In a press release AMD announces that this Summer it will ship two new processors in the FX series. One is FX-9370 with base frequency at 4.4 GHz and Turbo at up to 4.7 GHz, and the second one is the flagship FX-9590 that for publicity has a base frequency at 4.7 GHz and Turbo up to 5.0 GHz.
“The new FX 5 GHz processor is an emphatic performance statement to the most demanding gamers seeking ultra-high resolution experiences including AMD Eyefinity technology. This is another proud innovation for AMD in delivering the world’s first commercially available 5 GHz processor.” – Bernd Lienhard, AMD
Both models use the same socket as previous FX-8000 models, socket AM3+, and the Piledriver architecture at 32 nanometer and comes with four modules for eight logical cores. There is a total of 8 MB L2 cache and just as much L3 cache and the memory support runs up to 1866 MHz. Both processors operate in the 220 watt TDP envelope, which gives FX-9370 a bit more headroom for overclocking than big brother.
In the same press release AMD also mentions that back in 2000 it was the first to ship a processor with a frequency over 1 GHz, the first with a 64-bit X86 processor and the first genuine multi-core processors. The question is if the high frequency is enough to catch up to or at least reduce the gap to Intel, and how the boost in frequency affects overclocking potential.
For starters the new FX processors will be sold to system builders, but when they are released into retail and what they will cost then was not mentioned.
Source: AMD
Image: Pixelsmashers
