AMD is expected to start the transition to the 45nm process technology with the release of its first quad-core Phenom CPUs (45nm) in January.
The new chip called "Deneb" will be announced at CES next January and will be available in versions of 3.0GHZ/125W and 2.8GHz/125W. Deneb will be compatible with AMD's socket AM2+ socket, an update to the company's Socket AM2, which adds HyperTransport 3.0 technology. The chips will also have 512KB of L2 cache per core and 6MB of shared L3 cache.
AMD is also expected to release new versions of the Deneb chips later in 2009, which will support the company's new AM3 interconnect. AM3 also supports the HyperTransport 3.0 technology as well as DDR3 memory.
For all those who can't wait until next year, AMD will release next month a new AMD Athlon x2 5050e processor (Brisbane) clocked at 2.6GHz/45W, and the "Toliman" AMD Phenom X3 8850 triple-core processor (2.5GHz/95W). The latter is compatible with the AM2+ socket.
AMD also annoucned Monday its latest triple-core CPU offerings with the new the Phenom X3 8750 Black Edition with a Clock Multiplier Control and tunable performance, and the energy efficient Phenom X3 8450e and Phenom X3 8250e.
AMD's GPU Update
AMD is also planning to release the ATI Radeon HD 4650 graphics card, adopting its RV730 core with 512MB DDR2 memory, and the HD 4670 in two versions, one with 512MB GDDR3 memory and the other with 1GB DDR3 memory, according to a today report on Digitimes.com citing sources in the Taiwanese market. The cards will be priced between US$69-89.
For the entry-level market, AMD will launch the ATI Radeon HD 4550 in late September. A version with 512MB DDR3 memory will be priced at US$45-55 and a version with 256MB DDR3 memory will cost US$39-49. In mid October, the company will launch the ATI Radeon HD 4350 with 256MB DDR2 memory priced below US$49.