In a surprising move, online vendors have begun to offer AMD’s latest quad-core processors a while before they have been actually displayed to the public. The new processors on offer are the quad-core Phenol II chips, designed to run at at speeds from 2.8GHz to 3GHz and come with 8MB of cache.
Among these the Phenom II X4 920 runs at 2.8GHz and is being retailed for between $271 and $317 USD while the Phenom II X4 940 which runs at 3GHz is being sold foranything between $304 and $373 USD, depending on the online store. They run on DDR2 platforms and will be moved to DDR3 platforms based on the AM3 sockets, later this year.

This move comes as a big surprise, because AMD has not yet introduced these processors. Their launch is earmarked for CES 09, which will be held in January '09.

Advanced Micro Devices upcoming Deneb processors have made it to the headlines within the past few weeks, and, as their launch date closes even more, new info on them seem to surface every day. The chip maker has already announced that the new chips will come under the Phenom II brand, which will include the high-end models, while the low-end parts will be branded Athlon.

According to the latest news, the first new line CPUs are expected to hit the market in January, on the 8th day of the month, to be more precise, and they will be compatible with the already-existing AM2 and AM2+ chipsets from the company. These chips should remain on the market for about half a year, during which the Sunnyvale company expects to complete the transition to the next-generation AM3 platform, designed to fit the needs of the new processor.

An article published by the guys from HKEPC shows both the names of the new Phenom II and Athlon parts scheduled for release at the beginning of the next year, as well as the market segments the chips are aiming at. It seems that the maker plans to release seven quad-core 45nm processors featuring core speeds ranging from 2.5GHz up to 3.0GHz. The 2.5GHz part would be Phenom II X4 805, which would also sport 6MB of cache, the same as the 2,6GHz Phenom II X4 810. Both chips are scheduled for February, along with the 2.6GHz Phenom II X4 910 with 8MB of cache.The other four Phenom II X4 chips are 920 running at 2.8GHz and 940 clocked at 3GHz, both featuring 8MB cache and coming on January 8th. The 2.8GHz Phenom II X4 925 comes in February as an AM3 part, the same as Phenom II X4 945 running at 3GHz, which will arrive in April next year with 8MB of cache.

Beside the quad-cores, AMD also plans launching two Phenom II X3 processors based on its code-named Heka chip, the Phenom II X3 710 featuring 2.6GHz and 7.5MB cache and Phenom II X3 720 with the same cache but 2.8GHz clock speed. Both chips are expected to arrive in February 2009. The Athlon series will include six processors based on the company's Propus, Rana and Regor cores, two for each of them. These chips will arrive in April and June next year, and quad, triple and dual-cores, respectively.

Forget about chocolate, flowers, or diamonds, because the real buying decision come Valentine's Day will be what processor to indulge in. It's no stretch to say the entire tech world will remain infatuated with Intel's Core i7 platform by the time February rolls around, but Intel won't be the only one trying to woo consumers. According to DigiTimes, motherboard manufacturers are busy preparing for a sextuplet of 45nm quad-core AM3-based CPUs from AMD in February.

* Phenom II X4 710 (2.6GHz, 6MB L3 cache)
* Phenom II X4 720 (2.8GHz, 6MB L3 cache)
* Phenom II X4 805 (2.5GHz, 4MB L3 cache)
* Phenom II X4 810 (2.6GHz, 4MB L3 cache)
* Phenom II X4 910 (2.6GHz, 6MB L3 cache)
* Phenom II X4 925 (2.8GHz, 6MB L3 cache)The same sources that have been whispering sweet-somethings to DigiTimes also say that AMD will follow up it's busy February release schedule with more 45nm CPUs in April, but they won't be Phenom parts. Instead, look for Athlon-branded chips without the shared L3 cache. Additionally, the chip maker plans to release the quad-core Athlon X4 600 family and tri-core Athlon X3 family at the same time. And if you can wait until June, sources say AMD will introduce it's 45nm dual-core Athlon X2 200 series.

As it is the case with almost every soon-to-be unveiled hardware product, details on AMD's next-generation desktop processors, the Phenom II X4 CPUs, have also leaked on the Internet recently, as they were listed on the web page of an Australian online retailer. The listed models were soon taken down, but luckily, the guys over at Fudzilla managed to get their hands on a couple of details on the processors, including models, clock levels, pricing and cache size.

As it turns out, AMD's new Phenom II X4 processors, which will be manufactured using a 45nm processing technology, will initially be available in two models, namely the Phenom II X4 920 and the Phenom II X4 Black Edition 940. As mentioned in previous articles, the resemblance to Intel's naming scheme is more than striking, as the Santa Clara, California-based chip maker has already launched its Core i7 920 and Core i7 940 CPU models.As far as specifications go, the upcoming Phenoms will be available with clocks speeds of 2.8GHz and 3.0GHz, for the 920 and 940 models, respectively. Both models will provide a 2MB L2 cache and a 6MB L3 cache, compared with Intel's 8MB cache across its entire Core i7 lineup. Price-wise, these two Phenom CPUs are expected to become available for approximately $471.9 and $532.4, although these prices are yet to be confirmed by the company itself, upon the official release. Also, you will have to remember that we are talking about Australian currency, which basically puts the new Phenoms at a price point of approximately US$300 and US$350.

It has already been said that the new Phenom II, quad-core, 45nm processors from AMD are great overclockers, but we shouldn't expect them to compete directly with Intel's highest performance CPUs to date. However, we could see the Phenom II processors taking a considerable part of Intel's mainstream product segment, as it is here that the old Core 2 Duo architecture, which still uses an FSB technology, will probably see some fierce competition from AMD's upcoming products.

Dell announces that its Alienware Aurora Desktop is now available exclusively at Best Buy. Offering a remarkable gaming experience and stunning graphics, this desktop will be available at 200 stores in the US and through BestBuy website.

“People are defining themselves by the products they choose and groups they associate with,” says Michael Tatelman, vice president, global consumer sales and marketing, Dell. “Individuals who choose the Alienware Aurora are saying I am a serious gamer and user who demands the best in personal computing.”

This high-end gaming desktop offers ultimate entertainment. It packs in powerful features including AMD Phenom X4 9550 quad-core CPU, Dual ATI Radeon HD 4850 GPUs with a combined 1GB of GDDR3 graphics memory, 500GB 7,200RPM hard drive and 4GB of DDR2 memory.“Best Buy constantly looks for the most exciting and in-demand consumer electronics to offer shoppers,” says Keith Bryan, director of desktop computing, Best Buy. “The addition of the Alienware Aurora is no exception. Its quality, design and performance features can draw people to Best Buy who want to experience Alienware first hand and experience a new standard in personal computing and gaming.”

The Alienware Aurora desktop retails for $1,699.99 (approx Rs. 83,333).