We have some good news for everyone who would like to see AMD make a big comeback in style.
Since the time when Athlon used to be a high-end brand, and by that we mean the good old K8 core, it's been a while since AMD had a high end part capable of competing with Intel on a par.
However, initial test scores that slipped to a hands of industry source are suggesting that Bulldozer should come really close to new Core i7 six-core CPUs. Bulldozer has both six and eight cores in the pipeline and they should be launching before the end of Q2 2011, at least that is the current schedule.
The performance of Bulldozer should come really close to Core i7, but we don't know if this might be enough to take Intel's high end market dominance. Samples of Bulldozer are out for a while now and the full production should start as soon as this quarter.
Sources are suggesting that and yields should be quite good and that the chip is doing just fine in 32nm. One thing is certain, even if Core i7 remains faster, Bulldozer X8 and X6 parts should end up way cheaper. It looks like AMD will finally give Intel a run for its money.
