In yet
more news about the perpetually forthcoming
Fusion CPU / GPU combos from AMD, new details have been leaked regarding the chips' sizes, configurations, and other bits of insufferably tedious details that only Professor Frink could truly love. According to this latest report, the "first" Fusion processor will be called "Shrike," sport a dual-core Phenom CPU, an ATI RV800 GPU, and a footprint of just 40nm. Another chip, codenamed "Falcon," will debut in 2010 at a 32nm size, based around a platform known as "Bulldozer," and will be launched to combat Intel's 32nm offering. Of course, we've been hearing about these chips since 2006, so we're not exactly on the edge of our seats hearing new details of what essentially amounts to vaporware.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Mehdi Cheddadi @ Aug 4th 2008 10:59PM
AMD? Intel's where my money at!
Flashpoint @ Aug 4th 2008 11:20PM
AMD will be completely left behind when nvidia/intel release their newest CPU / GPU combination which not only allows us to run Crysis in VERY HIGH modes, but allows us to step into a new era of communications designed to completely obsolete digital communication.
This new form isn't just 1's and 0's....its 1's 0's and 2's which makes it a tri-state fluctuating processor.
they call it...
TRIGITAL
Abuzar Baloach @ Aug 4th 2008 11:33PM
But she is too fat for DX10!
Steffen Jobbs @ Aug 4th 2008 11:45PM
I also thought that AMD was down for the count and the only thing that was leaking was revenue along with their rapidly declining stock price. I'll say my money is on Intel. Anything AMD can do, Intel can do better. Intel has too much clout for AMD to get any traction.
If Intel is the 800 lb. gorilla of processor manufacturers, then AMD is an 8 ounce Capucin monkey that fits in a teacup. What friggin' company uses AMD processors in quantity, anyway? AMD is so weak now, they might get bumped off by Apple's P.A. Semi.
JohnTitor @ Aug 4th 2008 11:51PM
seriously though what's intel got on those < $100 AMD CPUs, obviously its not where the money is at as a company but they are still a good deal for PC builders
Carl Vitullo @ Aug 5th 2008 12:32AM
yeah, i love amd.
i build systems for my friends, and a $45 2.3ghz dual core is awesome for keeping costs down.
Muhammed @ Aug 5th 2008 12:33AM
@ Phanbouy: LMFAO!
@Mehdi: your money is obviously in the wrong hands
My money has much higher value in AMD's
I'm now running the tri-core Phenom and believe me, I couldn't ask for more.
will upgrade to quad-phenom as soon as possible, AMD FTW!
Abuzar Baloach @ Aug 5th 2008 10:54AM
OR you could buy a 65 dollar Pentium Dual core(basically a Core 2 Duo) and OC it to 3.2 Ghz easy.
RaynorWolfcastle @ Aug 4th 2008 11:04PM
The footprint will clearly not be 40 nm. 40 nm is the minimum feature size (usually what you'd call the lithographic node). As an aside, 40 nm is a half node, since the full nodes are 45 nm (as in what Intel uses) and 32 nm. CPU makers typically avoid using half nodes while foundries and GPU makers will use them. AFAIK, half nodes are usually just optical shrinks of the previous full node.
quag @ Aug 4th 2008 11:07PM
Doh... for a moment I thought there has been some sort of announcement about a new OS from Palm.
Of course not... how silly of me.
mmendoza27 @ Aug 4th 2008 11:08PM
FAIL. I low ranked you because that was completely unnecessary. And I have a MacBook Pro and an iPhone and am an Apple Fanboy and still thought it was unnecessary.
mmendoza27 @ Aug 4th 2008 11:09PM
Looks like I FAILED too. That was supposed to be for Dingis Fargle. Stupid comment system.
Eric @ Aug 5th 2008 1:30AM
engadget god hates you.
dtomilson @ Aug 4th 2008 11:17PM
Leave it to engadget to make AMD look inferior to Intel.. AMD will take the crown, just wait and see.... Yes I have a 3G iPhone!
Ignatius @ Aug 4th 2008 11:25PM
32nm? Holy crap... them chips are-a shrinkin'! :O
andres @ Aug 4th 2008 11:41PM
honey i shrunk the chips?
JohnTitor @ Aug 4th 2008 11:41PM
is it just me or is www.Dell.com not working?
thedesolate1 @ Aug 4th 2008 11:51PM
Oh yeah well i created a Time flux capacitor that allows me to go back in time and reinvent the wheel. However I am stuck in the past so I cant go to the future and show you all my great invention...
Nastro @ Aug 4th 2008 11:54PM
You fanbois realize that without AMD competing with Intel your bitch asses wouldnt be able to afford the slowest Intel CPU right?
Muhammed @ Aug 5th 2008 12:39AM
This sir is the best comment I've seen in this whole topic, Good Job.
YpoCaramel @ Aug 5th 2008 3:25AM
More like Intel would still be trying to shove Netburst down your throat.
Stevo @ Aug 4th 2008 11:58PM
I hate all the idiots around here going iPhone this, and iPhone that, but this one made me laugh.
phanbouy @ Aug 5th 2008 12:08AM
Stevo: now with more troll encouragement
bulls96 @ Aug 5th 2008 12:08AM
Cant understand the comparison to Palm OS II... please explain :D
Craig @ Aug 5th 2008 9:44AM
It's a lame attempt at implying Palm OS II is vaporware, which it's not, as many of us have seen it in action. Since I'm sure none of us have seen these new AMD chips actively being used in a reference design, it's a poor comparison.
radia @ Aug 5th 2008 12:24AM
a footprint of 32 nm? A footprint of one gate-length? Someone needs to learn what these statistics mean.
Carl Vitullo @ Aug 5th 2008 12:29AM
...was the palm II good?
hope so :P
KeegdnaB @ Aug 5th 2008 12:43AM
once again i go to bed praying AMD can get it together and come back to what they were pre-core2 days.....here's hoping
JerkfacedFed @ Aug 5th 2008 12:47AM
loser.
Blink @ Aug 5th 2008 1:04AM
I actually LOLed from the title. awesome, maybe its funnier after 10 summits. who knows
melvz @ Aug 5th 2008 1:13AM
boooohoooo... all but vaporware!!!
strang @ Aug 5th 2008 1:19AM
Umm do you guys even realize that these are single chips manufactured on a 40 nm footprint that incorporates a CPU, GPU together... Right? That is a very sophisticated design. It may very well kill if the chipset is also designed just right.
Manuel @ Aug 5th 2008 1:37AM
So who thinks our best hopes to unseat Intel from the throne now falls upon Via?
AMD Fusion is what I've said before....a very cheap low budget processor. I can't believe people actually believed Fusion would make NVIDIA go out of business.
I want AMD to stick around by all means but sadly AMD doesn't give us anything to get excited about in the foreseeable future. They are only competitive in the $130 and under price range. Heck, I just recently bought an AMD Athlon 64 5000+ X2 Black Edition because for under $100, they have the best bang for the buck. But my Q6600 which I picked up a long time ago still beats AMD's highest end offering today sadly.
Doug @ Aug 5th 2008 4:05AM
I just installed my new 5600+ AMD Dual Core.. After I stuck my 4Gigs of G.Skill ram with my Radeon 3870 in there... I Don't even play computer games anymore.. I just sit here and talk to my computer all day.. I think it can read my thoughts...
OddManOut @ Aug 5th 2008 4:07AM
Vaporware snarkiness aside, I have mixed feelings about this new road map addition.
AMD is doing what they did the last time they took the lead away from Intel, take a chance. Or rather a risc. AMD went RISC when intel was pushing CISC. They went x86 compatible 64-bit when Intel was trying to convince people it was Itanium or an abacus. DDR in lew of RAMBUS. Once again, they're trying something new...this whole fusion deal. I'm pleased with the innovation (complacency seems to be what keeps biting BOTH chipmakers in the rear), but the use of Phenom cores disturbs me. Pentium D vs. X2 pretty much proved that simply adding more cores doesn't help if your opposition can add just and many (or more) and core for core they're still better. And I think Phenom has not proved to be a match for Core2.
But I'm encouraged to see AMD entering the world of fabbing below 65nm. We can hope I suppose that the Phenom will improve with the shrinkage. And I think dedicating the cores is a good way to leverage multicore technology in single thread software world...
As far as AMD having a foot in the grave and customers...meh. Things are definitely not looking too god for them now, but they are still in the game. HP still uses them, and they are currently the number one PC maker in the US (of course they probably sell more Intel CPUs, but still...).
Phenom was kind of a flop, but so was Pentium D. But what came next for Intel ? Core! And soon after Core2. If AMD has anywhere near as much success with Fusion, it will be quite a fight from there on out...
vampritt @ Aug 5th 2008 5:41AM
The only way the fusion chip gonna put a dent on intel dominance on UMPC and netbook (hint: atom) is only when they are able to run on the same TDP as atom processor when they are both idle.
We are yet to witness the holy grail of mobile computing where every netbook,notebook and UMPC will have mini express card slot that can accept GPU extension for HYBRID crossfire with their fusion chip. Either for video transencoding or for a major boost in your gaming experience.
Hope this fusion is the first step towards that.
NB: 3850 AGP version only slightly below the 3850 PCIe version. Hope this PCIe mini cardbus can accomodate HYBRID gaming experience with their tiny bus.
Hallx @ Aug 5th 2008 10:32AM
That is a very balanced comment I saw after long time on engadget.
husssh to all fan bois and hurray to OddManOut
Benhur @ Aug 5th 2008 7:18AM
Yeah, and another chip called "Bankruptcy" will promptly follow, soon after the release of the long awaited "I ran with your money to some obscure state in africa" platform.
azu @ Aug 5th 2008 8:08AM
they can't go bankrupt.
itd be a monopoly then.
then your stupid intel chips would cost a fortune idiots.
andy @ Aug 5th 2008 8:21AM
How is it vaporware when they're still on track for release? Doesn't this "tedious" type of information usually mean that they're actively working on making their stated release date?
I love some vaporware, like the palm os, but why don't you wait until their first official release date to call it vaporware?
"This product is due for release in 2010."
"Look at these leaked production notes... Vaporwarez for evaz."
"This product, fusion, will be released on April 12, 2010 at 200 per unit volume of 1000 plus."
"VaporWAREZ."
"We've sold 1 million units to date."
"vaporwares?"
Assuming they keep on trucking, you guys are just going to make yourselves look dumb. This is like the foleo debacle. You guys rode them into the ground for what, with a couple of changes, would have been the first Eee pc.
NDPTAL85 @ Aug 6th 2008 11:14AM
Uh no Engadget didn't make themselves look like fools. Though it may have been the first EEE PC that doesn't mean it would have earned Palm any profits. The large EEE PC vendors are holding off on increasing shipments because they say the economics don't make sense.
That means there's no profits there yet.
neofolklore @ Aug 5th 2008 8:53AM
KABOOM
thats how I imagine it
Keri @ Aug 5th 2008 8:55AM
iDiot
Tubalcain @ Aug 5th 2008 12:21PM
They'll bounce back eventually. They did against Nvidia and they will with their CPUs. AMD is doing what they do best and that is making affordable and efficient products. They'll probably finally get in the range of Intel's top performers but will cost considerably less just like the Thunderbird days and cost is one of the main things people look at. AMD's 10 stage pipeline VS. Intel's 20 stage pipeline, remember who won that one.Intel, went back to the drawing board and basically improved on AMD's design and thus was birthed the Core2duo series of procs that put them back on top. AMD just needs to do the same.
Darren @ Aug 5th 2008 5:09PM
the 'next PalmOS' has been coming for about 6 years now, so Fusion has a ways to go before hitting that status....
4cr JaXs @ Aug 6th 2008 1:08PM
AMD FTW