Battlefield 4 minimum system requirements (MSR) lists released to the web show them to be largely identical to those of Battlefield 3, with a few changes in the GPU requirements. The RSR (recommended system requirements) list is interesting. There's no support for Windows XP, much like Battlefield 3, but contrary to rumors, Battlefield 4 doesn't mandate 64-bit platforms. It includes 32-bit executables, even if it can take advantage of over 4 GB of system- and over 3 GB of video-memory. Battlefield 4 needs at least a Windows Vista 32-bit installation, with Service Pack 2 and KB971512 update. An AMD Athlon X2 processor clocked at 2.80 GHz or Core 2 Duo 2.40 GHz processor, 4 GB of RAM (which 32-bit platforms don't fully make available anyway), and 2009-class DirectX 10 graphics cards, are part of the MSR.

Moving on to the recommended system requirements list, EA-DICE recommends 64-bit Windows 8, making us wonder why not Windows 7 64-bit, and if it has something to do with the fact that Windows 8 supports DirectX 11.1, which Windows 7 doesn't. Any six-core AMD CPU, and any Intel quad-core CPU will do. 8 GB of RAM is recommended. The developer recommends at least Radeon HD 7870 or GeForce GTX 660 graphics cards with at least 3 GB of video memory, which strangely disqualifies the Radeon HD 7870 from the RSR list, as there's no known HD 7870 variant with ≥3 GB of video memory. Hard drive space is consistent between the two lists, at 30 GB. It was 25 GB for Battlefield 3. In all, we expect Battlefield 4 to be another eye-feast, which rewards faster hardware, and perhaps even upgrading to Windows 8.

Zotac is working on five new MAG nettops under its ZBOX series. Each of these "anywhere PCs" measure 18.8 (L) x 18.8 (W) x 4.4 (D) cm, and offer enough power for basic computing. The five new models are based on a variety of nettop platforms. As standard features, these have 160 GB HDDs, SDHC card reader, USB 2.0 and eSATA, Gigabit Ethernet and WiFi. Zotac's new nettops will debut next month. Specifications and expected price of each of these are as follows:

• HD-ID11 model - 1.66 GHz Atom 510 dual-core CPU / 1GB of RAM / Next-gen ION (GT218 GPU with 512MB dedicated memory) / $255
• HD-ND21 model - 1.3 GHz Processor SU4100 dual-core CPU /2GB of RAM / ION (first-gen) / $300
• HD-ND02 model - 1.6 GHz Atom 330 dual-core CPU / 2GB of RAM (DDR3) / ION (first-gen) / $217
• HD-AD01 model - 1.5 GHz Athlon X2 Neo L325 dual-core CPU / 2GB of RAM / ATI Radeon HD 3200 / $242.

Acer has a history of designing Ferrari-branded notebooks powered by AMD processors. The newest in the league is the ultraportable Acer Ferrari One. This is one of the first implementations of AMD's Congo notebook platform that makes use of ULV tech friendly AMD Athlon X2 L310 dual-core processor clocked at 1.20 GHz, ATI Radeon HD 3200 graphics and a 11.6 inch 1366 x 768 pixel screen. The biggest selling point besides the Ferrari branding, colours and is its ultra-thin chassis that looks to have a dash of carbon fiber. Other specs include WiFi, HSDPA/3G, gigabit Ethernet, and a 6-cell battery. Slated for October 22, the Ferrari One will sell for 499 EUR, with Windows 7 pre-installed.

All-in-one PCs seem to be picking up in terms of demand with almost every big name in the PC industry having a couple of offerings. MSI's newest unveiling is the Wind Top AE2010, which succeeds the AE1900. The new Wind Top graduates to a 20-inch touchscreen with a native resolution of 1600 x 900 pixels. Under the hood is a major hardware change. While its predecessor used an Intel Atom dual-core processor atop Intel 945GC chipset, the AE2010 boasts of a more powerful AMD Athlon X2 low-wattage model, paired with an AMD 7-series chipset and ATI Radeon HD 3200 integrated graphics. It takes the memory offer all the way to 4 GB of dual-channel DDR2-533. 320 GB of storage, gigabit Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n wireless network, a DVD writer, six USB ports, and a 4-in-1 card reader makes for the rest of the package. MSI will start selling these next month.

AMD today announced the AMD Athlon X2 7850 Black Edition processor, delivering leading technology and strong performance to the mainstream PC user for under $70 MSRP. Focused on designing and developing new products and platforms over the last 40 years, AMD's unique technologies continue to create compelling user experiences at an exceptional value. As part of this anniversary celebration, the newest addition to the AMD Athlon X2 7000 series of processors delivers a superior dual-core, performance-per-dollar PC experience for solutions at home and at play.

Given the current economic environment, consumers are seeking the best computing value without sacrificing the performance required to maintain their digital lifestyle. This new processor enables AMD technology partners and OEMs to address the industry need for affordable, powerful and energy efficient desktop PCs that help consumers to quickly and easily create, enjoy and share their digital world.

AMD has implemented price-cuts for its desktop CPUs under the Athlon X2, Phenom and Phenom II series. The price cuts affect Athlon X2 model 7750, Phenom X3 models 8750, 8650 and 8450, and the company's current flagship product Phenom II X4 940. The Phenom X3 8750 in particular, is pushed into the $100 mark with its 26% reduction in price.

With the revised price-table, AMD looks to make space for three upcoming products that include the much awaited Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition. Expected to have reached retail in the US on April 20, the chip has been pushed to a later date, when the company plans four launches in all: Phenom II X4 955, Phenom II X4 945, Athlon X2 7850, and AMD Overdrive 3 software.

Phenom II X4 945 is a 3.0 GHz quad-core processor with its multiplier locked at 16x, while the Athlon X2 7850 takes over as the company's flagship dual-core chip spec'd at 2.80 GHz, 3 MB of total cache, and a TDP of 95W. The chip is based on the 65 nm Kuma core. Phenom II X4 955 has already received listings in Europe, where it is priced at €229.90 including taxes.

AMD is heading towards kicking off its desktop CPU lineup built on the 45nm manufacturing process this 8th of January. The company also started off with selling certain "business-class" CPUs last year, CPUs that are rated for long MTBF, giving it a little incentive for business/office PC manufacturers for using the processors in their models. The company is looking to do the same with its 45nm desktop CPU lineup, with six business-class CPUs on the cards, sources tell DigiTimes.

The models planned are dual-core Athlon X2 B23 (2.9GHz, 2MB cache) and B21 (2.7GHz, 2MB cache), triple-core Phenom II X3 B73 (2.8GHz, 7.5MB cache) and B71 (2.6GHz, 7.5MB cache), and quad-core Phenom II X4 B93 (2.8GHz 8MB cache) and B91 (2.6GHz 8MB cache). These processors are slated for Q3 2009. Following the introduction of these, the company plans to phase-out its current business class CPUs by issuing last-order notices for them in Q4. These will be issued for Phenom II X4 9850B, 9750B, 9600B and Phenom II X3 8850B, 8750B, 8600B as well as Athlon X2 5600B, 5400B, 5200B, 5000B, 4850B, 4450B and Athlon 1640B.

AMD, on the brink of making a start with its first desktop CPUs made on the 45nm manufacturing process, seems to have updated time-frames in which it will introduce new CPUs and manage inventories of currently available CPUs. Data compiled by DigiTimes from sources in the motherboard manufacturing industry points towards the following in 2009:

• The introduction of four new SKUs in the months of April, that include Athlon X4 (Propus core) 615 and 605, Athlon X3 (Rana core) 420 and 410, followed by Athlon X2 (Regor core) 240 and 235 in June
• Last orders for Phenom X4 9850 and 9950 (140W) to be taken in March, Phenom X4 9750, 9850 (95W) and 9950 (125W) will be in June, before which Phenom II X4 920 and 940 in May (in most likelihood replaced by models 925 and 945)
• Phase-out of Phenom X3 8450 and 8550 started, that of Phenom X3 8650 in March followed by Phenom X3 8850 and 8750 in June
• Last order notice for Athlon X2 4450e to be issued in March

AMD is releasing a trio of dual-core desktop processors based on the K10 architecture, under the Athlon X2 7000 series. The trio consists of the overclocker-friendly 7750 Black Edition clocked at 2.70 GHz, the 7550 at 2.50 GHz and the 7450 at 2.40 GHz. The core, codenamed "Kuma" sports a basic cache design similar to the Phenom X3 and Phenom X4 processors, with 512 KB of L2 caches per core, and a shared L3 cache of 2 MB. The updated memory controller provides native support to the PC2-8500 (DDR2 1066 MHz) memory standard. The processor now sports a HyperTransport 3.0 3600 MT/s system interface. These, apart from the other tweaks AMD introduced with the K10 architecture give it an edge over current K8 based dual core AMD chips. The core is manufactured in the 65nm node.

AMD lifted the NDA over the Athlon X2 7000 series, following which several website posted reviews on the processors. Most of these reviews covered the Athlon X2 7750 Black Edition. The chip clocked at 2.7 GHz was found to be around 15% faster than a previous-generation Brisbane chip running at the same frequency, according to X-bit Labs, whose evaluation included several synthetic and real-world benchmarks. The same review team was able to overclock the chip to 3.30 GHz (+22 %) aided by a Zalman 9700 air cooler. The Athlon X2 7750 Black Edition will be priced at US $79. Links to some of the reviews are provided below.

Bit-Tech | Hexus | HT4U | Overclockers Club | Planet 3DNow! | Tweaktown | X-bit Labs

A lot has been said about the launch schedules of AMD's upcoming 45nm desktop processors over the last fortnight. While the company itself slated its 45nm desktop CPU range to kick-off on January 8 2009, skeptics think otherwise saying it could take longer for AMD to have sufficiently stocked up inventories in retail channels.

HKEPC compiled a list of tentative order availability. time-frames for the 45nm CPUs sourced from PC manufacturers, which shows that the company launches Phenom II X4 940 on Jan. 8, while most of the product launches are concentrated in the months of February and April, 2009. Starting those months, channel vendors will be able to place bulk orders for those processors, to stock up inventories. Also pictured is the die-shot of AMD Deneb, and a picture showing the differences between the AM3 and AM2+ pin-grids (AM3 on the leftHS, AM2+ on rightHS).

Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) has sent a newsletter to its channel partners today, informing them for yet another price cut that affects the company's desktop processor line-up. Several Phenom X4, Phenom X3 and Athlon X2 processors will be 10 to 20 percent cheeper starting next month. The prices below are not the usual prices "in 1000-unit tray quantities", but approximate street prices.

AMD would be releasing its 45nm silicon-based desktop CPUs, built on the Deneb, Propus, Heka, Rana and Regor cores, to bring out quad-core, triple-core and eventually dual-core processors. AMD has discarded the 5-digit number scheme that was earlier reported, and in its place, adopted a three-digit scheme. The quad-core Deneb chips get a 9xx model number and 8xx number depending on the clock-speeds and cache size, Propus-based chips get the Athlon X4 branding.

Heka-based chips get Phenom II X3 7xx branding, with Rana getting Athlon X3 4xx. Regor dual-core trails with Athlon X2 2xx. It is important to note that AMD seems to have made a critical change to the Deneb core, releasing 2 models based on cache-arrangements. The first kind features a total of 8 MB cache (4x 512K L2 + 6M L3) and one with 6 MB total cache. To learn more about the other cores, please refer to our older article getting into details (here).

The company slogan change, from "Smarter Choice" to "The future is fusion" marked a major shift in core-Strategy for AMD. The company now focuses on delivering solutions, more so than mere products, with a solution comprising of several products working together to let the PC serve a purpose. One such solution is the AMD Maui entertainment platform. Maui platform makes AMD hardware work with AMD's own Live! Media Center software to deliver a complete home-theater PC solution.

On the hardware front, Maui includes a qualifying AMD Athlon X2 or Phenom series processor, a motherboard based on the AMD 7-series chipset with integrated graphics. Video is handled by the 7-series IGP, while audio is handled by a special audio component-riser card that has pre-amp circuitry onboard, which enables users to connect speakers in the 5.1 channel configuration directly to the motherboard. Future models would bring in 7.1 channel support. The first motherboard to use this design, is the MSI Media Live DIVA 5.1 780M.

Today, AMD is announcing two new processors to its products line - AMD Phenom X3 8850 Black Edition and AMD Athlon X2 5050e. The Socket AM2+ triple core X3 8850 (TRAY OPN# HD8850WCJ3BGH) works at 2.5GHz, has a TDP of 95W and 2MB of L3 cache. The Phenom X3 8850 is the first triple-core Phenom processor to be part of the company's Black Edition series and as such it has unlocked multiplier for overclocking. The AMD Athlon X2 5050e (TRAY OPN# ADH5050IAA5DO) is a dual-core 45W processor that operates at 2600MHz.
Sooner or later AMD is also expected to commence shipments of two low-power chips - the single-core 1.6GHz Athlon 2650 (TDP 15W), and the dual-core Athlon X2 3250e, running at 1.5GHz and requiring up to 22W. November will also see AMD's "Ultra-Value Client (UVC) Solutions", the chips that will possibly compete with Intel Atom CPUs for netbooks. These are only for the OEM customers, though.

Industry sources reveal that AMD would be branding its Kuma dual-core processor as Athlon X2 7000 series. These processors are aimed to compete with Intel's Core 2 Duo E7000 series processors. Kuma continues to use the 65nm SOI fabrication process. The core sports 512 KB L2 cache per core, and a shared 2 MB L3 cache. Surprisingly, despite having sub-3.00 GHz clock speeds, the processors have rated TDP of 95W.

These processors use a broader 3600 MT/s HyperTransport interface, and feature DDR2 memory controllers that support the PC2-8500 (1066 MHz) standard. As for the models, the Athlon X2 7550 has a clock speed of 2.50 GHz, and an FSB multiplier of 12.5x. The Athlon X2 7750 comes with the clock speed of 2.70 GHz, and a FSB multiplier of 13.5x. Both processors are expected to be out by Q1 2009.

To combat Intel's Atom-embedded ITX motherboard linueup, and the platform itself, there has been an influx of mini-ITX motherboards based on the AMD 780G chipset lately. Perhaps the thermal design of the 780G allows implementation in form-factors this small. To combat the dual-core Atom, AMD had built up plans to release low-power processors based on the AM2 socket. Notably, the Athlon X2 22W and Athlon single core 15W chips. Perhaps it is these processors that are inviting companies to plan Mini-ITX motherboards based on the AM2+ socket with the 780G chipset.

Albatron is about to release the KI780G motherboard, and they seem to have packed quite a lot to it. To begin with, the board features an AM2+ socket (that supports processors only upto 65W TDP), two DDR2 SO-DIMM slots for using the more compact memory sticks notebooks use, four SATA II ports, an IDE connector, Gigabit LAN, 7.1 channel audio with SPDIF optical and co-axial pass, display connectors that include D-Sub, DVI and HDMI (HDCP capable), and finally a PCI-Express 2.0 x16 slot. The motherboard goes head-on against the feature-set that the MINIX comes with. This is meant to be a full-featured HTPC board. Its pricing is not known at the moment.

AMD plans to offer two processors for the ULPC. Cost-effectiveness being the mantra, AMD plans to offer processors that provide users of ULPC with a level of performance that takes it closer to that of regular PCs and eradicate the netPC/netbook moniker as the processors offer more performance at a low cost than what the likes of Atom or Nano could. Of course this comes at the expense of much higher TDP and slightly higher price. Perhaps the performance to price ratio is what AMD is banking on.

There are two parts under the Athlon X2 banner. The 22W, 1.50 GHz dual-core 3250e processor aims to compete with the desktop variant of Atom dual core where the Athlon's architectural superiority aims to give it a leading edge. The issue of energy savings dampens when it comes to desktop. Another processor, the single-core Athlon 2650e that is available now is rated at 15W with a 1.60 GHz clock speed. It comes with 512 KB L2 cache.

There is a brief insight into what AMD has in store for the desktop CPU market till towards the end of this year. The good news however is that AMD's 45nm conquest flags off by the end of this year. Chile Hardware published yet another company slide from AMD. This one lists out AMD's desktop processors lined-up for release (both actual and on paper) by the end of this year.

To begin with, AMD will continue to make additions to the Athlon X2 energy-efficient dual-core processors. On October the 2nd, Athlon X2 5050e would be released in both tray and processor-in-[a]-box (PIB) stocks. This processor is rated at 45W and has a clock speed of 2.60 GHz, that's 13.0x 200 MHz. It is based on the Brisbane 65nm core. Later in November, this line would be expanded by the Athlon X2 3250e. This Brisbane-based part comes clocked at 1.50 GHz and a rated TDP of an incredibly low 22W. There's also a single-core part based on the Lima core, the Athlon 2650e, an energy efficient single core rated at 15W with a clock speed of 1.60 GHz.

DigiTimes made today the early announcement of two low-power AMD desktop processors that are to appear sometime in November. The Athlon 2650E and Athlon X2 3250E will both be part of the company's UVC (Ultra-Value Client) product line targeting OEMs. The single core 2650E CPU will have a core frequency of 1.6GHz and TDP of 15W, while the dual-core Athlon X2 3250e will have a core frequency of 1.5GHz and TDP of 22W. The two CPUs will be fabbed on a 65nm process and will initially be provided to OEM customers only. Manufacturers like ASUSTeK Computer, Acer and Shuttle, are expected to show up machines powered by the two processors in December. In additional news, AMD is also planning to launch a triple-core Phenom X3 8850 CPU using a 65nm process in early October. The CPU will feature a core frequency of 2.5GHz and a maximum TDP of 95W. The company will also launch a new Black Edition CPU in December.

AMD has added weight to its CPU lineup by bringing in new CPUs and cutting prices for some older ones. New CPUs aside, the price cuts by AMD are rather dramatic to say the least. To begin with, it's known that the Phenom X4 9950 has a rated TDP of 140W, and that only a chosen few motherboards support it, perhaps leading to cold market response. AMD has revised the processor with a lower rated TDP of 125W. This isn't new, AMD did the same with the 125W B3 stepping model X4 9750 months ago, releasing a revised 95W B3 part. What's more, the Phenom X4 9950 Black Edition could sport a surprising price of US $186. Perhaps it's AMD paving the way for its 45nm parts. At its new TDP and price the X4 9950 is a much better buy.

The Phenom X3 8750 would sell for $139, making it very competitive with Intel's offerings at that price-band. Additionally, AMD added new dual-core processors based on the Brisbane core, the Athlon X2 6500 Black Edition priced at $105 and an Athlon X2 5050e 45W low-power part at $90.

AMD is launching today a bunch of new "business class" 64-bit processors. The four new Phenom and Athlon CPUs are:

• AMD Phenom X4 9750B 2.4GHz, 2MB L3 cache, 95W, rev. B3
• AMD Phenom X3 8750B 2.4GHz, 2MB L3 cache, 95W, rev. B3
• AMD Athlon X2 5600B 2.9GHz, 1MB L2 cache, 65W
• AMD Athlon X2 4850B 2.5GHz, 1MB L2 cache, 45W

The official prices in 1000-unit tray quantities are $224, $180, $106 and $79 respectively.

Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) today silently released two more energy-efficient Athlon desktop processors with a TDP of 45W. Both the Athlon X2 4450e and the Athlon X2 4050e are dual-core Socket AM2/AM2+ processors clocked at 2.3GHz and 2.1GHz respectively. They are built on 65nm technology and feature 1MB of L2 cache.

At the Storage Networking World conference AMD today announced availability of the first Reference Design Kit (RDK) for the Storage Bridge Bay (SBB) 2.0 Specification based on the AMD Athlon processor. This RDK can simplify the design process and provide a standardized platform powered by AMD's unrivaled Direct Connect Architecture. AMD expects to help storage vendors deliver low power, high performance, entry-level networked storage systems while helping reduce time-to-market, allowing them to focus more on specific innovations that their customers require. AMD also today announced an expansion of its embedded product offerings with three new, low power AMD Athlon X2 Dual-Core processors for embedded system designs.

AMD has recently outlined the phase-out schedule for several of its Athlon 64 X2 CPUs, while the Athlon brand name will be re-purposed for upcoming dual-core CPUs based on the K10 core. AMD will stop taking orders for Athlon 64 X2 6400+ black edition and 89W version Athlon 64 X2 6000+ processors in the first quarter of 2008. Last orders for 125W Athlon 64 X2 6000+ and Athlon 64 X2 5600+ processors will be at the end of the first quarter. AMD will also stop taking orders for Athlon 64 X2 4200+ and 4000+ processors by the end of this year and will launch a 65W Athlon 64 X2 4600+ clocked at 2.3GHz with 1MB L2 cache in the second quarter of 2008. AMD will also launch a new series of dual-core products based on its next-generation architecture, Athlon 6000, in the later half of second quarter next year. First to launch will be the Athlon 6250 and 6050 with 1MB L2 cache and 2MB shared L3 cache.