CPU

Sometimes an upgrade is really simple to understand. Other times you need a mini-computer, advanced maths degree and several hours of umm-ing and arr-ing to see if the new products is, in fact, better. KitGuru scans the spec sheet for the brand new FX-4130 and ponders motives and machinations. With …

Today we are going to look at the Corsair Hydro H110 which is the latest performance CPU cooler in their range, fitting in just above the H100i.  It marks Corsair's response to the NZXT Kraken X60 which utilises a larger 280 mm radiator than the 240 mm unit associated with …

Both Intel and AMD have been puffing out their collective chests when it comes to graphics in the integrated market. It's the one area where AMD has consistently beaten Intel in recent years. It's an area where Intel is working overtime to redress the balance while AMD is running like …

From the time we first saw the next generation of APUs (codenamed Richland) on AMD roadmaps, back in November, the general consensus among the press community was that ‘nothing much' would be delivered. The announcement from AMD is that things have got measurably better. KitGuru pulls out a stop watch …

The most powerful chip that most of us will consider buying is the Intel Core i7 3770k. It's fast, powerful and lives at the top end of affordable. Similarly, the Z77 is a great chipset. But, between them, there is one area where that kind of combination needs to bow …

Looking at all of the markets in which it wants to compete, it's hard to see AMD making a success of 2013 without a serious merger or acquisition. KitGuru reads the financials (and tea leafs) to see what might be brewing over in Austin. While AMD has a big brand …

While it might not be so unusual for Asus to help deliver a computer that comes in at 52 on the list of the world's most powerful supercomputers, the same machine hits the top of the Green500 list for energy-efficient systems – which is interesting. KitGuru follows up on the …

In one of the world's longest detours, technology sales guru Roy Taylor will be reunited with some of his oldest friends when he takes over the worldwide channel sales role for AMD in 2013. KitGuru adds some historical context and ponders what John Byrne's decision to bring Roy inside AMD …

IBM have been working on new optical communications advances. They are due to outline today how this is possible with a standard 90 nanometer semiconductor manufacturing process. ZDnet posted an article on this today which makes for interesting reading. IBM have called the technology ‘silicon nanophotonics' which they outlined in …

While IDC and Gartner battle it out to produce the best overall estimates of the market in terms of how many units will ship into the various markets, other analysts focus on a specific set of components within those systems – and use that as a way to predict overall …

AMD have announced that they will be focusing on ARM and x86 chips by 2014 and are improving their Opteron range. They have introduced new Opteron processors which are designed for use in cloud servers to process Web transactions. The new Opteron 4300 and 3300 x86 server chips have up …

While Brits are content with sending family gold off to a smelter in order to reap some much needed cash for the Xmas/new Year period, AMD is think about hocking assets on a significantly larger scale. If you were AMD Chief Executive Rory Read and wanted an extra $200m – …

You can supply systems to people in a number of ways. In the early days, everything followed the Apple pattern. You bought a computer with certain features and capabilities – and that was that. However, in the PC space, we have grown used to the idea of upgrades and self-builds. …

At CES in January 2011, Jen Hsun gave a big speech about the fruits from Project Denver, the idea of nVidia working with another company to incorporate important CPU technologies that the graphics giant lacked in its portfolio. Today, in San Francisco, AMD looks set to make a very similar …

KitGuru has spent time, possible too much time, analysing AMD's financial state in recent articles – but not really gone into any depth on Intel and what the future might have in store, financially, for the world's biggest CPU company and its investors. We pull out the trusty abacus and …

Having cemented its position as the dominant player at the top end of the processor market, Intel is looking to spread its wings over the coming years – to evolve and permeate every part of society – leaving no (st)one unturned. Now, it seams, the tech giant wants to get …

In October last year AMD released the FX8150 Black Edition 8 Core processor which met with a mixed reception. While the chip delivered good performance, it was priced too high and couldn't compete against equivalent Intel processors. Today we are looking at the latest AMD Black Edition, the FX8350, which …

Alongside the news that over 1,000 jobs would be lost to redundancy, last night's Q3 earnings call gave AMD the opportunity to discuss the changes it sees happening in the market – and how it sees itself ten years down the line. One thing was loud and clear, it won't …

During last night's Q3 financial call, AMD executives delivered the news that KitGuru has expected for almost a year – a significant reduction in workforce going forward. It simply doesn't need the same workforce going forward as it did in the past. KitGuru pulls out the abacus to calculate the …

Arriving at the plush downtown offices of Hill & Knowlton, one of the world's oldest PR companies, on a chilly October evening – you would have been greeted by the site of a heap of IT journalists squatting, jumping, dancing and laying around big screens playing what appeared to be …

Given that they are up against Intel, with the Tick-Tock processor delivery schedule and more FABs than McDonald's got buns – you have to give AMD credit for trying. AMD's CEO has ordered the launch of a faster range of FX processors before Halloween's night is out. Is it trick …

We've all watched the Olympics. How many times have we seen a close-fought race end in a new world record? How many times have we seen one person completely dominate an event, only to pull up before the finishing line and miss smashing the old record by a big margin. …

We pair the Z9 PE-D8 up with two flagship Intel 8 Core Xeon E5 2687W processors, two Corsair H80 liquid coolers, a Sapphire HD7970 6GB Toxic Edition graphics card, Seasonic Platinum 1000W power supply and 64GB of Kingston Predator 2,133mhz memory. Is this the ultimate Workstation system?

Two years ago, KitGuru analysed AMD and came to the conclusion that reducing the salary bill by as much as possible was a perfectly valid business technique – and one that AMD should get into more and more. Now, as we approach 2013, KitGuru takes another look at the thousands …

We have recently detailed a number of challenges being faced by Intel, mostly centred on ‘How do you build $7 billion fabrication plants when your average chip profit is $10?'. While there's no doubting Core's ‘King of the hill' for pure CPU performance credentials, KitGuru reads the A10 reviews and …

This is our second of two reviews today, focusing on the official launch of AMD's A10 5800K when paired up with partner motherboards. In our other review we have paired up the new AMD APU with a high end AMD discrete graphics card to see how it compares against a …

Regular readers of Kitguru may remember our review of the AMD E-350 in March 2011. I really enjoyed AMD's Fusion technology but it was never marketed properly and subsequently wasn't quite the success it should have been. AMD's A8 series chips made the headlines shortly afterwards and I particularly liked …

While the launch of nVidia's Fermi architecture and AMD's Bulldozer might have had investors running to buy stocks in electricity production companies, overall, the trend for power consumption has been downward. KitGuru listens to rumours coming out of the east about possible changes to mainboard requirements for Intel's Haswell in …

Over time, companies gain and lose people. In the natural sequence of events, when someone leaves, they are often replaced immediately by someone else with similar experience/salary demands. Right now, that's not the case at AMD. KitGuru looks at the latest changes and believes it has found a pattern. If …

Rumours off the grapevine this morning indicate a big set of changes down at AMD, with the new Chief Sales Officer determined to put the company on the right track in the face of the toughest market conditions the chip specialists have ever faced. KitGuru stands around the mini-kitchenette and …