quad-core

AMD: Barcelona on time, but Budapest slips

Citigroup analyst Glen Yeung has begun suspecting that Advanced Micro Devices' quad-core "Barcelona" processor is late, but the chipmaker said Tuesday that it remains on schedule. However, shipments to supercomputer maker Cray of a close Barcelona relative code-named Budapest have slipped.

There is "no delay" for Barcelona, spokesman Phil Hughes said Tuesday. The chips, and some systems using the chips, will be available in the third quarter, he said.

Barcelona is a strategically important chip for AMD, as it tries to regain market share lost to Intel's newer Core 2-based Xeon server processors, the dual-core … Read more

Gateway's quad-core PCs hit store shelves

Searching for a sign that quad-core processing is heading to the mainstream? Look no further than Gateway putting PCs based on Intel's Core 2 Quad Q6600 chip on the shelves of major retailers. Best Buy's site lists the $2,100 Gateway FX8020 model, while Circuit City is selling the $2,300 FX8030, which adds a second 500GB hard drive for an even terabyte of storage. In addition to the quad-core 2.4GHz Q6600 chip, both models feature 2GB of 667MHz DDR2 memory, a 512MB ATI Radeon X1950 Crossfire-capable graphics card, and Vista Home Premium. These Gateway systems aren'… Read more

Intel's newest quad-core chip, by way of a new ABS desktop

Keep in mind that the following benchmark results feature systems, not isolated CPU scores, and have a look at our test scores for the new ABS Ultimate X Striker Elite, which features Intel's newly announced 2.93GHz Core 2 Extreme QX6800 quad-core chip. It might not look like it at first, but the system actually did very well on our tests compared to other high-end desktops.

The reason the ABS doesn't sit higher on our charts is because the other systems either a) have an older 2.66GHz Core 2 Extreme QX6700 overclocked to 3.2GHz, b) run … Read more

Apple planning more power to attract gamers?

You thought that an Apple strategy to attract gamers was nonexistent. A certain ad appearing on Apple's U.K. site last night seems to indicate otherwise.

The site had an ad for a Mac Pro that stated: "Now quad-core or 8-core processing power. Configure yours today."

Don't bother checking out the U.K. Apple site. The ad is no longer there, but here is a screen shot thanks to our friends over at ZDNet. They managed a screen capture before it was taken down.

When asked whether a dual quad-core processor for a Mac Pro was … Read more

Intel squares off with new quad-core chip

It's not exactly quad-core for the masses, but Intel this morning released a lower-end, non-Extreme, quad-core desktop CPU. The Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 joins the Core 2 Extreme QX6700, Intel's first quad-core desktop chip, which it released last November. The new quad-core part is very similar to the preceding Extreme chip. it's priced just $150 less, at $851. And like the Extreme QX6700, the Q6600 features 8MB of L2 cache and operates on a 1066MHz front-side bus. The Q6600 is clocked at 2.4GHz compared with the QX6700's 2.66GHz clock speed. The biggest difference … Read more

AMD's Quad FX crammed with cores

Like the Onion's Jackie Harvey, we incorrectly referred to AMD's quad-core desktop platform as " Socket 4x4" when we first learned about it, mostly because we couldn't get confirmation of the name of the thing during the investor phone conference in which it was announced. Our bad on that. But with AMD's unveiling today of Quad FX, aka simply "4x4," we can finally address the whole package with a little more clarity.

Aimed strictly at PC enthusiasts, AMD's answer to the Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6700 is a bit more convoluted than … Read more

Eight-core PC wipes out Third Reich

Technology demonstrations at hotels are always sort of weird. You go to the hotel, the staff knows you're not a guest but they still let you walk on by, and then you go to a suite. The door opens and there are a bunch of guys with desktops and half-eaten lunch plates. Now I know how gigolos feel.

This week Intel is showing off how machines outfitted with its new quad-core chips perform on games at the Palomar Hotel in San Francisco. The topper of them all is pictured here, a custom desktop with two four-core Xeon chips. The … Read more