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.
