Chip-maker Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) unveiled the first of its new Bulldozer family of processors with up to eight cores. The high-end FX-8150 starts at a base frequency of 3.6GHz with a peak turbo frequency that tops out at 4.2GHz; the mid-tier FX-8120 has a base and top speed of 3.1GHz and 4GHz respectively. The FX-8150 is priced at $245 while the FX-8120 will cost $205.

The release of the Bulldozer processors has been touted as the company's make-or-break moment. Initial reviews on how the technology stacks up against Intel's current Core family of processors are mixed, however.

On the bright side, the FX-8150 sports an impressive integer performance. As a result, the Bulldozer is faring well in encryption benchmarks--an important consideration for cloud-based servers that can handle more encryption connections. Other reviewers, however, have said the Bulldozer draws more energy to achieve performance that's barely matching Intel's almost year-old Core processors--rendering them a less-than-ideal choice for desktops.

These negative reviews do not bode well for AMD, which was accused of being on the verge of "sinking into irrelevancy," according MKM Partners Analyst Daniel Berenbaum in an article from Forbes. Berenbaum highlighted how AMD is caught in a pincher movement where chip maker ARM is encroaching upward into low-end computing and arch-rival Intel is entrenching itself further in the high-performance sphere.

For more on this story:
- check out this article at PC World
- check out this article at Wired
- check out this article at Forbes

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