Rumor: AMD 'Centurion' Will Clock at 5 GHz
AMD is supposedly planning a limited edition "Centurion" CPU for a summer release based on a refreshed "Vishera" design.
Unnamed sources have informed Hexus that AMD is currently working on a "Super FX" chip using the same "Vishera" design powering the AMD FX-8350 eight-core desktop 32-nm CPU (socket AM3+) launched back in October 2012. This new FX chip is codenamed "Centurion" and will supposedly be made in limited quantities.
AMD's current FX-8350 CPU, the company's first eight-core CPU based on the second-generation "Piledriver" design, features 8 MB of total L2 cache (1 MB per core), 8 MB of L3 cache, and a TDP of 125W. It's also has a base frequency speed of 4.0 GHz and a Turbo frequency speed of 4.2 GHz. That's more than 10-percent faster than AMD's previous top-end CPU, the AMD FX-8150.
The supposed "Centurion" chip, according to sources, will be clocked at 5 GHz air-cooled – whether that number is a base frequency or a Turbo clock is unknown at this point. Also unknown is what type of voltage the chip will require, or what kind of supporting hardware users will need to accommodate the high-speed chip.
Even more, "Centurion" will supposedly cost $795 when it hits the market in limited quantities – that's rather hefty when compared to the FX-8350's current pricetag of $200. Still, given AMD's recent hard push to drive PC gaming with the Never Settle Bundle, it wouldn't be surprising if AMD's new "Super FX" chip will slide right into that promotion sometime this summer.
A 2013 AMD Desktop roadmap leaked last fall revealed that the company's performance CPU line will rely on a Vishera refresh expected to launch in June, packed with new "Piledriver" x86 cores and compatibility with Radeon HD 7xxx and 8xxx GPUs. AMD's 28-nm processors based on the third-generation "Steamroller" architecture may not arrive until late 2013 or possibly into 2014.
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Kevin Parrish has over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and product tester. His work focused on computer hardware, networking equipment, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others.
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monkeysweat as much as i root for amd, it would suck too much power compared to the intel and probably wouldnt be as fastReply -
DarkSable 5GHz? Even if that's not at turbo, you can overclock an 8350 to hit that... for $500 less, apparently.Reply -
hannibal Is this April first joke?Reply
If AMD can produce 5GHz CPU why make it limited? Not very likely... If they can do it, they will produce it as much as there are people willing to buy it.
If this is just cherry picked well clocking variant... well then maybe, but still very unlikely, because when the proses gets better there will be more and more chips that can achieve this speed. Very strange news indeed! -
designasaurus Nothing about this rumor makes sense. Even overclocked to 5GHz, the 8350 isn't better than an overclocked i7. Who would pay 800 dollars for a 5GHz FX? Heck, for that money you could get two i7's and pick the best overclocker, or 4 8350s and pick the best overclocker.Reply -
getochkn AMD is just taking a lead from Intel who has charged 5x time the price for their "X" series for years, that are normally only clocked slightly higher than something that costs 1/4 the price.Reply -
silverblue The clock speed, albeit impressive, is a minor point. I'd like to know what this Vishera "refresh" is. I'm expecting RCM - they haven't implemented this yet, but I imagine they are doing with Richland. Might explain the increased clock speeds.Reply