Global Tech News – AMD “Windsor’s” Last Breath

AMD refuses to kill off its 90nm Windsor core Athlon 64 X2 processors. The Athlon 64 X2 6000+ is AMD’s fastest dual-core performance processor. The processor launched last February to the tune of 3.0 GHz with a 125-watt TDP.

The model continues to stay on AMD’s roadmap throughout the rest of 2007 and half of 2008. AMD plans a refresher for the Athlon 64 X2 6000+. Instead of moving it to the 65nm Brisbane core like many other Athlon 64 X2 models, including the 5200+, 5000+, 4800+, 4400+, 4000+, 3600+ and BE-series, the refreshed X2 6000+ sticks to the Windsor core.

The refreshed model drops the thermal ratings down to 89-watts. Still, the reduced thermal envelope is still 24-watts higher than the highest-clocked Brisbane – the X2 5200+ at 2.7 GHz. However, the thermals match AMD’s upcoming Phenom X2 GP-6800, a Kuma based model slated for Q1’2008.

Despite the impending launch of the Phenom X2 series, the Athlon 64 X2 6000+ remains the only mainstream AMD dual-core desktop processor with a 3.0 GHz clock frequency. The upcoming Phenom X2 series top out around 2.4-to-2.8 GHz when the GP-6800 launches, according to a recent AMD roadmap. AMD does not have any plans to release a 3.0 GHz Barcelona on its roadmap yet.

Expect AMD to release 89-watt Athlon 64 X2 6000+ processors next quarter.