AMD’s Piledriver architecture has undergone its next evolutionary step: a push to the 5GHz Mark with the new FX-9590 processor.
Unveiled at E3 today, the eight core FX-9590 is the first CPU which is clocked at 5GHz (with Turbo Core) and represents the final hurrah of the Piledriver architecture which will soon be phased out in favor of Steamroller. But what curtain call it is. With the current flagship Vishera FX-8350 processor running at a maximum of 4.2GHz when Turbo is enabled, the 800MHz jump could allow AMD’s latest entry to compete with high end Sandy Bridge-E CPUs.
While the FX-9590’s baseline architecture remains the same, AMD has integrated their Turbo Core 3.0 technology which allows clock speeds to reach higher levels more often. However, the spectacular speeds on this 32nm CPU will push power consumption to stratospheric levels. The FX-8350’s 125W was already high but it’s entirely possible the FX-9590 will push this into the neighborhood of 200W or more depending on sample variance.
AMD is also releasing a slightly slower version of this mega-CPU. Dubbed the FX-9370, it is clocked at 4.7GHz and sports eight Piledriver cores allowing for performance that far outpaces AMD’s current lineup.
At this point, availability and pricing are the two largest question marks. Hardware Canucks cannot independently confirm this but industry sources have stated these processors won’t be available of individual purchase, at least initially. Rather, they will make their way into the hands of a few select overclockers (expect to see records start falling like dominos) and system builders. We will likely see them in high end gaming computers from Hypersonic, Maingear and others sometime during the summer.
Some will likely be disappointed by AMD’s decision to quietly launch these processors into the prebuilt system market since it is one area most self-respecting enthusiasts tend to avoid. These new CPUs likely have to undergo a highly stringent binning process before making the cut so quantities will be strictly limited which is why a broad-scale launch wasn’t in the cards. With that in mind, gamers may eventually see the FX-9590 and FX-9370 trickle down into the retail channel but not in large volumes.
Expect updates as Hardware Canucks receives additional information.
