AMD Bringing Back ‘FX’ Processor Branding

Things were a lot different in the computer market when Techgage first came to be in March of 2005. At the time, AMD totally dominated the processor market for enthusiasts, and its “FX” processors were the parts that everybody wanted. But with prices hovering around the $1,000 mark, only a select few actually had the pleasure of using them. After Quad FX’s launch in late 2006, AMD unofficially killed off the “FX” branding, for what I’m sure are rather obvious reasons. But, in a bit of good news: it’s back.

That’s right… “FX” is making a return, and until Bulldozer’s official launch, we’re left to wonder about a couple of things. Will these FX processors retail for the same $1,000 price as before? If so, that means that Bulldozer will bring some true competition to the market, because otherwise we’d see the processors priced just the same as current Black Edition models.

It could also be that “FX” is no longer going to represent such a high-end price-point, but rather replace the Black Edition branding or at least kick it down a step. This is something I’m not sure of, however, as both BE and FX essentially represent the same thing; a super-fast unlocked processor. We may have to wait until Bulldozer’s launch to find out.

Regardless of how things will go, I’m glad to see the FX name return, as it reignites some old memories and also instills some confidence that Bulldozer could end up being a lot more impressive than we were expecting.

The FX brand is associated AMD’s fastest processors and most powerful platforms – those designed for unrestrained PC performance for the ultimate gaming and HD entertainment experiences. In addition, these processors and platforms drive rich visuals for graphics intensive applications and high-resolution AMD Eyefinity multi-monitor configurations. The first platform to earn the FX title, the “Scorpius” platform will feature the now-available AMD 9-series chipset motherboards and AMD Radeon™ HD 6000 Series graphics cards, plus the upcoming “Zambezi” unlocked, native eight-core processor.1