AMD Brings Phenom II X6, Eyefinity6 to PAX

Intel got its six core CPU to market first, but AMD's Phenom II X6 offerings are just around the corner.

While Nvidia might be stealing the show so far at PAX East, AMD is here with some new hardware of their own. While a lot of what was revealed is still under embargo, here's some clarification on what's coming in the next several months.

For starters, the Phenom II X6 is right over the horizon. While AMD wouldn't officially comment on some of the CPU's specifics, they did say that most of the rumors are (generally) true. This means that rumblings like the series name (1000T), and the specific model numbers (1075T, 1055T, 1035T), shouldn't change when the processors are officially revealed next month.

AMD did confirm that its six-core processors will be under $300, including a Black Edition variant, which puts them at the same price point as Intel's Core i7 860, 920 and 930 and well below the $1000 asking price of Intel's Core i7 980X Extreme. Without getting too specific, AMD talked about several features present in the Phenom II X6 CPUs that line up well with features found in the competition.

Along with the X6 CPU, AMD is also showing off Eyefinity on the expo floor. The three monitor setup is all well and good, but the new six monitor setup is what really shines at the booth. Six Dell monitors (either 22- or 23-inches) were all plugged into a new version of the 5870. This latest variant is only one GPU, but the RAM has been doubled to 2 GB and there are six mini-DisplayPort outputs on the back. The AMD reps were mum on the exact pricing, but they did confirm that this six-port 5870 will cost more than the 5970.

AMD was also very vocal about offering consumers a complete package instead of just stand-alone components, which ties into the Vision strategy. Granted, you can and will be able to buy CPUs, GPUs and motherboards separately, but AMD is putting a lot of weight behind Vision so consumers can get a complete system at a given price point while knowing exactly what the performance will be. For example, AMD is showing off a Vision Black system at its PAX booth. Black systems should cost/go for $999, and brings a Phenom II X6 processor together with an 800 series chipset motherboard and a 5800 series GPU.

Tom's will continue to keep tabs on the AMD rumor mill, and we will have more concrete info over the next few weeks.