Beyond dual core: 2007 desktop CPU road map

02.01.2007

It's too early to say for sure, but the native single-die nature of these CPUs and the shift to 65nm should result in a massive performance boost. One other interesting attribute of the Agena FX processors is that using them with the Quad FX platform, which uses two CPU sockets, will likely allow AMD to be the first chipmaker to release an eight-core platform. By the end of the summer, high-end enthusiasts will be able to run two Agena FX processors at the same time.

CPUs for the masses: Socket AM2+ and Kuma

AMD's rapid embrace of quad-core processing at the high end of CPU performance does not mean that the chipmaker is leaving mainstream dual-core computing out in the cold.

In the middle of 2007, AMD will revise Socket AM2 to increase energy efficiency and bus speed. Currently scheduled for release at the end of Q2 2007, this revision will be named Socket AM2+.

Finally, in Q3 2007, AMD will release a new series of 65nm native dual-core processors aimed squarely at the mainstream consumer market. Currently code named "Kuma," these processors -- which emphasize power consumption and high performance-per-watt yields -- will operate at clock speeds from 2 GHz to 2.9 GHz and will contain 1MB of shared L2 cache and 2MB of shared L3 cache.