Advanced Micro Devices on Monday is expected to launch the ‘Spider’ platform, which combines the company’s next-generation quad-core processors, graphics cards and chipsets in one platform to deliver better graphics, performance-per-watt and improved high-definition video.
Targeted at gamers and multimedia enthusiasts, desktop PCs with the Spider platform include the quad-core Phenom processors and can hold multiple ATI graphics cards to give users the “ultimate visual experience,” according to AMD.
The quad-core Phenom processor, also expected to be launched on Monday, will provide the processing power to the platform, and will be initially available in speeds of 2.2GHz and 2.3GHz. Processor speeds will crank up to 2.4GHz to 2.6GHz in the first quarter of 2008, said Leslie Sobon, director of product marketing for desktop systems at AMD. Phenom includes three shared caches to improve memory performance, an improvement from the two caches included in earlier AMD processors.
AMD will ship the 2.2GHz Phenom 9500 and 2.3GHz 9600 processors for US$251 and US$283 respectively.
Computers with the Spider platform will start shipping on Monday and many vendors, including iBuypower, Falcon Northwest, Cyberpower, Velocity Micro will offer PCs that use it.
