AMD Reviving FX Brand For High-End Platforms

By Kevin Parrish
published

AMD is reviving its FX brand and expanding its Gaming Evolved program by adding new members, developer/publisher relations.

Tuesday during E3 2011, AMD announced that it's resurrecting the FX brand for its fastest processors and most powerful platforms, geared toward enthusiasts and "HD entertainment aficionados." The company also announced new members for its "Gaming Evolved" program including BioWare, Creative Assembly and Codemasters.

"AMD's FX brand will enable an over-the-top experience for PC enthusiasts," said Leslie Sobon, vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing, AMD. "By combining an unlocked, native eight-core processor, the latest in chipset technology, and AMD's latest graphics cards, FX customers will enjoy an unrivaled feature set and amazing control over their PC's performance."

According to AMD, the first platform to earn the FX title, the "Scorpius" platform, will feature the now-available AMD 9-series chipset motherboards and AMD Radeon HD 6000 Series graphics cards, plus the upcoming "Zambezi" unlocked, native eight-core processor.

Tuesday the company also said that it's working closely with Eidos-Montreal to add support for AMD HD3D-capable hardware and AMD Eyefinity multi-monitor functionality in the upcoming game Deus Ex: Human Revolution for the PC. Other newfound partnerships with publishers and developers include Bioware (Dragon Age II), Creative Assembly (SHOGUN 2: Total War), and Codemasters (DiRT 3), the latter of which will include native support for DirectX 11, AMD Eyefinity and AMD Dual Graphics technologies.

"It's exciting that Deus Ex: Human Revolution is the first video game title optimized to natively utilize AMD HD3D-capable hardware," said Stephane D'Astous, general manager of Eidos-Montreal, a Square Enix studio. "Coupled with AMD Eyefinity functionality, PC gamers will be even more immersed in the action-rich gameplay and compelling storyline."

Naturally AMD will be showcasing all of its goods this week at E3 2011 including a demo of "Orcs Must Die!" from Robot Entertainment and the DirectX 11-enabled "Blacklight: Retribution" from Perfect World.

Kevin Parrish
43 Comments Comment from the forums
  • N.Broekhuijsen
    otacon72Blah blah blah...all I've heard from AMD for a over a year is talk. They keeps flapping their gums while intel leaves AMD further and further behind.Sure, but reading this gives me one hell of a hard-on!
    Seriously, 8 cores? Yes I know this is old news, but still, the way it's written... clever bastards.
    Reply
  • Marco925
    Lets see some releasing!!!!
    Reply
  • jimmysmitty
    Yet its priced the same as current Sandy Bridge lineups. That says a lot.

    The last time AMD used the FX moniker, they had $1K+ CPUs and were trouncing Intel.
    Reply
  • parkerm35
    Trust me this is going to be AMD's year!
    Reply
  • The FX branding leaked awhile ago nothing new here. Which is a shame because they should be showing actual performance data and a release date already.
    Reply
  • hellwig
    AMD's last FX line died-out when it couldn't compete with Core2. I hope this means AMD's internal testing is going better than everyone expects, and that Zambezi (are we talking bulldozer here, I lost track) is a real contender. If AMD expects people to pay FX prices for Core-i5 performance, they're sorely mistaken.

    And don't get me wrong, I'm AMD through and through, and I'm waiting for their next gen product to come out to update my computer. I just don't want to find out I'd have to pay $900 for an unlocked processor that barely out-performs a mid-tier Intel.
    Reply
  • jimmysmitty
    hellwigAMD's last FX line died-out when it couldn't compete with Core2. I hope this means AMD's internal testing is going better than everyone expects, and that Zambezi (are we talking bulldozer here, I lost track) is a real contender. If AMD expects people to pay FX prices for Core-i5 performance, they're sorely mistaken.And don't get me wrong, I'm AMD through and through, and I'm waiting for their next gen product to come out to update my computer. I just don't want to find out I'd have to pay $900 for an unlocked processor that barely out-performs a mid-tier Intel.
    Zambezi is the CPU only part of Bulldozer, so yes its the same. From the pricing it looks like it will compete with Sandy Bridge. They priced the top of the line one at about $350.
    Reply
  • JasonAkkerman
    Intel's tri-gate transistor on 22nm is going to kill AMD. Not that I have a problem with AMD, they make decent enough products for their cost. I just don't see how they are going to be able to compete with Ivy Bridge when it comes out.
    Reply
  • sliem
    "...expanding itd Gaming..."
    Typo in the bold.
    Reply
  • ikefu
    It's a never ending cycle with Intel and AMD. Intel is the much bigger company so they will usually have the lead. Then when Intel gets fat and lazy AMD will suddenly drop an innovation bomb that will kick Intel in the seat of the pants and get them going again.

    You can thank AMD for Sandy/Ivy Bridge in a way because without AMD, Intel would still be sitting around doing not all that much and enjoying its monopoly. I intend to buy an AMD FX CPU on day one regardless just to support AMD. Not because I'm a fanboi (I have no problem with Intel CPUs) but because I want to see the ongoing increase in CPU tech and innovation driven by the rivalry.
    Reply