Scan's TekSpek
Our Aim
To provide you with an overview on New And existing technologies, hopefully helping you understand the changes in the technology. Together with the overviews we hope to bring topical issues to light from a series of independent reviewers saving you the time And hassle of fact finding over the web.
We will over time provide you with quality content which you can browse and subscribe to at your leisure.
TekSpek 's
Date Issued: 04/08/2021
There is little doubt that AMD produces the fastest mainstream processors primed for a modern PC build. Ryzen after Ryzen has extended AMD's performance lead through a combination of more cores and higher IPC from one generation to the next.
Date Issued: 30/03/2021
Today, Intel releases 11th Gen Core processors for desktop computers. 19 chips will provide the bedrock for the vast majority of PC systems purchased this year so the release is a big deal.
Date Issued: 05/03/2021
AMD has made significant gains in all areas of CPU computing since the emerge of the all-new Zen architecture in March 2017. Subsequent generations of products have proliferated into the desktop, mobile and server spaces, offering ever-more performance that has left rival Intel playing catch-up.
Date Issued: 05/11/2020
It's that third definition that tech enthusiasts will remember, and make no mistake, since the arrival of the first AMD Ryzen processors a little over three years ago, the Zen architecture has made rapid progress with subsequent releases, culminating in today's arrival of the all-singing, all-dancing Ryzen 5000 Series.
Date Issued: 20/05/2020
Intel is today launching a wide range of 10th Gen Core processors that have previously been known by the Comet Lake S codename. Headline features over 9th Gen Core include more cores, higher frequencies, greater levels of cache, faster memory speeds, and hyperthreading across the entire stack.
Date Issued: 07/02/2020
AMD's 3rd Gen Ryzen Threadripper processors have already set alight the high-end desktop (HEDT) space, but if you've been following along, you'll know that the resurgent chip giant has saved its best effort until last.
Date Issued: 26/11/2019
To say the HEDT processor arena has been disrupted would be something of an understatement. This is an area of the market typically dominated by Intel, but the arrival of AMD Threadripper has, if you'll excuse the pun, ripped the rule book to shreds.
Date Issued: 26/11/2019
These are exciting times in the desktop CPU space, and much of what's provocative emanates from the direction of AMD. The perennial underdog's Ryzen CPUs have proven to be more than a mere thorn in Intel's side since making their debut back in 2017.
Date Issued: 30/10/2019
Intel is today ushering in its fastest-ever gaming CPU. It goes by the name of Core i9-9900KS and will be available for a limited time only.
Date Issued: 17/09/2019
AMD made big strides when it launched the Epyc range of server processors in June 2017. Having had practically no presence in the server space since the demise of the Opteron range of chips more than 10 years previously, Epyc, built on the all-new Zen architecture, offered up to 32 cores and 64 threads per socket, class-leading memory bandwidth, and a fully-featured expansion ecosystem providing 128 PCI Gen 3 lanes.
Date Issued: 08/07/2019
July 7, 2019, could prove to be a seminal date in AMD's pursuit to become the leading manufacturer of CPUs and GPUs. Today is the day the chip giant unleashes not only its first 7nm Navi graphics cards, but also an entire range of 7nm Ryzen CPUs based on the evolutionary Zen 2 architecture.
Date Issued: 16/11/2018
The high-end desktop (HEDT) space has been shaken up in the past 18 months with the release of AMD's many-core Ryzen Threadripper CPUs and Intel's Core i9 response.
Date Issued: 30/10/2018
AMD's revolutionary Zen architecture marches on. Building on the success of the awe-inspiring HEDT Threadripper processors launched in August 2017, the chip giant followed-up with 2nd Gen successors a year later and is today fleshing out its portfolio with two new additions.
Date Issued: 19/10/2018
Intel had the desktop CPU market sewn-up for many years until AMD hit back 18 months ago with its all-new Ryzen processors that offered a competent architecture laced with more cores and threads than Intel offered at the same price points.
Date Issued: 20/08/2018
It is no secret that the many-core processor wars have started. The two heavyweights of our industry - AMD and Intel - are slugging it out with huge consumer chips packing more cores and threads than ever before, and we're only just getting started.
Date Issued: 19/04/2018
It feels like only yesterday that AMD restored competition to the CPU marketplace with the launch of its award-winning Ryzen processors, yet here we are, just over 12 months later, and the chip giant is following-up with a second-generation successor.
Date Issued: 03/04/2018
Intel is today bolstering its 8th Gen Core desktop CPU line-up by releasing eight new processors and four new 300-series chipsets. This TekSpek examines what's new.
Date Issued: 03/04/2018
Intel started down the 8th Generation Core CPU path in August of last year. The initial launch focussed on expanding and improving the U-series portfolio through a newer architecture and, more tellingly from a performance perspective, doubling of cores and threads whilst keeping power the same. Impressive.
Date Issued: 12/02/2018
CPU launches were fast and frantic in 2017, with both AMD and Intel refreshing their desktop stables with enticing, new products. AMD, in particular, can be credited with restoring competition to this space with the introduction of Ryzen processors based on the cutting-edge 14nm Zen architecture.
Date Issued: 20/11/2017
AMD made waves in the premium consumer CPU market during March 2017 when it debuted Ryzen processors based on the Zen architecture that had been in development for the previous four years
Date Issued: 05/10/2017
Say hi to the 8th Generation Core processors, codenamed Coffee Lake. Intel has increased the amount of performance by adding more cores and/or more threads to each processor in the family.
Date Issued: 25/09/2017
Intel has been busy this summer. Not only is it soon to introduce a range of new CPUs based on the 8th Generation Core architecture, the chip giant has been revamping the high-end desktop scene by releasing some serious CPU muscle in the form of the Core i9 chips.
Date Issued: 25/08/2017
AMD has used its cutting-edge Zen CPU microarchitecture to build a number of desktop Ryzen chips. Available in configurations of up to 16 cores and a massive 32 threads, Ryzen (and premium Threadripper) have given Intel much to think about in the high-end desktop space
Date Issued: 21/08/2017
Intel has revamped its entire server- and workstation-specific line of Xeon processors for mid-2017. The new family is now known as the Intel Xeon Scalable Processors, formerly codenamed Purley, and is based on the newer Skylake-SP architecture. This TekSpek explains the key differences and improvements over the previous generation.
Date Issued: 14/08/2017
It feels like only yesterday that Intel raised the bar for high-end desktop (HEDT) performance with the launch of its Core X Series processors, but AMD is quickly firing back with Ryzen Threadripper.
Date Issued: 28/07/2017
AMD introduced the Ryzen series of processors in March 2017. The high-performance Ryzen 7 was swiftly followed by Ryzen 5. Now, in the middle of 2017, AMD is reinforcing the notion that it provides best-in-class value by extending the Ryzen line to include two new Ryzen 3 processors.
Date Issued: 21/06/2017
You're not dreaming, folks: competition really has returned to the consumer CPU landscape. AMD is back in contention following the launch of its well-received Ryzen processors, and Intel is responding with a range of chips that form the eagerly anticipated Core X-Series.
Date Issued: 13/04/2017
AMD is officially back. After many years playing second-fiddle to Intel in the CPU stakes, everyone's favourite underdog returned to the limelight in March 2017 with the long-awaited realisation of its 14nm Zen architecture.
Date Issued: 02/03/2017
If you subscribe to the belief that competition in the marketplace is good for consumers, you should have March 2nd 2017 circled in your diary. This is the day that AMD finally unleashes its eagerly anticipated range of Ryzen CPUs.
Date Issued: 05/01/2017
It's hard to believe that almost 17 months have passed since Intel unleashed the Core i7-6700K to champion the company's 14nm Skylake architecture. The sixth-generation Core processor has held the fort ever since, and with little in the way of competition from AMD, Intel hasn't been in a hurry to introduce a seventh-generation successor.
Date Issued: 31/05/2016
The Intel Core i7-6700K has sated the appetite of enthusiast gamers since August 2015, but if a quad-core chip just doesn't tickle your fancy, you might have been twiddling your thumbs in anticipation of a new HEDT (High End Desktop) part.
Date Issued: 26/08/2015
Intel generally follows a tick-tock philosophy for new processor launches. The tick represents a shrinking of the manufacturing process - 32nm to 22nm, for example - while the tock is indicative of a new architecture based on the leading process of that time. This has been the case since 2007.
Date Issued: 02/09/2014
AMD's desktop FX processor range received a refresh in September 2014, introducing three new models to cater for a wider variety of users. For the enthusiast the new FX-8370 delivers the highest performance of any FX-8000-series processor released thus far. AMD also unveiled a pair of power-tuned models, the FX-8370E and FX-8320E, which cater for users requiring lower power consumption by having a reduced TDP of 95W, down from 125W.
Date Issued: 29/08/2014
New processors usually grab all the release limelight, relegating the supporting core logic and memory to mere footnotes. This time, a brand-new chipset and DDR4 memory are equal partners in the platform.
Date Issued: 01/08/2014
In January, 2014, AMD made its newest 'Kaveri' APUs available. Three models were initially launched but only two of those made it to retail: the 95W A10-7850K and A10-7700K. The A8-7600, with its configurable 45W or 65W TDP received only a paper launch. By now there is pent-up demand for lower TDP Kaveri APUs, which AMD is addressing with this latest launch.
Date Issued: 01/07/2014
For several years the enthusiast community has repeatedly requested that Intel release an unlocked and fully-overclockable processor at an affordable price point. Typically, Intel's overclockable processors have been limited to the premium Core i5 and i7 product ranges meaning they start from at least $200 - the renowned i5 2500K debuted at $216, if you remember.
Date Issued: 02/06/2014
At the top tier of the processor market Intel faces little pressure from rival AMD, whose flagship CPU, the FX-9590, is only geared towards battling Intel's Core i5 range. This has led to a somewhat stagnant situation among Intel's Core i7 processors. Consumers still using a Core i7-2600K have found few reasons to make the jump to its two successors, the Core i7-3770K and Core i7-4770K.
Date Issued: 09/05/2014
Intel launched a bevy of Haswell Core processors last June. Presented in a LGA1150 form factor and therefore physically different to the LGA1155 Ivy Bridge processors of the year before, new chipsets were also launched to support these new chips.
Date Issued: 12/04/2014
AMD invigorated its desktop Accelerated Processing Unit (APU) lineup recently with the launch of Kaveri parts presented in an FM2+ form factor. Designed to take over from previous Richland and Trinity APUs, these new chips brought the Steamroller core and GCN graphics to play for the first time on the desktop.
Date Issued: 12/04/2014
AMD's Kabini Accelerated Processing Units (APUs) on the FM2+ socket constitute a mixture of mid-range and high-end parts for the desktop market. Yet, with regards to socketed and upgradeable APUs, Kaveri APUs are the only current option available to AMD customers.
Date Issued: 14/01/2014
Since the launch of AMD's first Accelerated Processing Unit (APU) in June 2011 the company's APUs have matured significantly. The first 'Llano' APU was based on AMD's K10 CPU architecture and Radeon HD 5000-series graphics. Llano progressed into Trinity almost a year later as AMD introduced the Piledriver CPU architecture and Radeon HD 6000 graphics to the APU.
Date Issued: 09/09/2013
Intel's consumer CPU focus is clearly on the 4th Generation Core Processor Family, codenamed Haswell, which launched in June of this year. Offering a smattering of extra performance over last-gen Ivy Bridge but with energy efficiency very much to the fore, you'd be forgiven for thinking the range-topping Core i7-4770K is the meatiest chip around.
Date Issued: 31/08/2013
Intel launched premium Haswell chips first, promising mainstream parts in the near future.That near future is now, September 1, as the chip giant is rolling out a comprehensive number of new chips in one fell swoop.
Date Issued: 05/06/2013
While AMD has a proud history of developing benchmark-busting computer processors, there's no ignoring the fact that today's semiconductor giants are in a race to develop chips that are more efficient than ever before.
Date Issued: 01/06/2013
With PC and mobile converging quicker than ever before, Intel needs to reassert its presence in portable devices with an architecture that can scale across multiple platforms. That quest begins with the introduction of the fourth-generation Core processor family, codenamed Haswell.
Date Issued: 30/04/2012
If there's one thing we should know about Intel processor technology, it's that it progresses like clockwork. We see a new fabrication process every two years (45nm in 2008, 32nm in 2010, 22nm in 2012, and so on) accompanied by a relentless Tick Tock release schedule. For those unfamiliar with Intel parlance, let's expand on the latter.
Date Issued: 11/11/2011
It's now three years since Intel released the Core i7 processor and associated X58 chipset, making up the LGA1366 platform. Then ushering in a new era for high-performance PCs and with numbers still to be bettered by AMD's rival Bulldozer chip, Intel's has the high-end desktop market sewn up for a while.
Date Issued: 14/10/2011
AMD has lifted the wraps off a new CPU architecture formerly known by the codename Bulldozer. Now released as the FX series, this TekSpek delves into the technology behind the new chip.
Date Issued: 26/01/2011
Overclocking, a term which you've probably heard used by enthusiasts and high-end system builders, involves running a hardware component at a greater speed than it was originally designed for. See how this can be achieved on the latest Sandy Bridge CPUs from Intel.
Date Issued: 07/01/2011
Chip giant Intel launched 29 new processors on January 2011. Split between mobile and desktop chips, this TekSpek examines the underlying architecture, known as Sandy Bridge, and evaluates where the new processors fit into Intel's consumer line-up.
Date Issued: 04/06/2010
The CPU (Central Processing Unit) is the brains of every computer, be it a large desktop or thin-and-light laptop.
Date Issued: 14/09/2009
Intel launched the consumer-oriented Core i7 900-series processors back in November 2008, and the chip giant has known that it's been on to a winner with Nehalem, the codename for the underlying architecture. This is the reason we've seen little innovation on Core i7, and pricing has remained relatively steady since launch.
Date Issued: 20/07/2009
The Intel Atom is a small, inexpensive, energy-efficient microprocessor that is found in the majority of netbooks shipping today. Designed by Intel Corp. from the grounds-up and to be introduced into a wider range of computing environments, Atom and its derivatives will power many of the low-power computers to be sold in 2009, and beyond. This TekSpek explains what Atom is, and how it's changing the market.
Date Issued: 01/07/2009
Intel has plans for a new brand structure that it claims will be less confusing for customers. In this TekSpek we'll take a look at Inte's proposals and speculate on its future line-up of processors.
Date Issued: 01/07/2009
Intel’s been on a mission of late. That mission revolves around grouping and standardising key technologies under various banners that are designed to ensure hardware compatibility and consumer ease of use. We’ll take a closer look at three such technologies that fall under the headings of Centrino, Viiv, and vPro, respectively.
Date Issued: 12/02/2009
This TekSpek explains the technology and market positioning behind AMD Phenom II CPUs.
Date Issued: 17/11/2008
This TekSpek gives a brief overview Intel's new ' Nehalem’ generation of Central Processing Units (CPUs).
Date Issued: 20/10/2008
Over the course of the last year or so we’ve seen GHz become less of a focus when it comes to processors. Instead, we’re seeing a shift towards processors that do more work per clock, have larger caches, are more power efficient, and of course we’ve seen dual-core processors hit the market. So what is dual-core all about, and how does it weigh up compared to single-core?
Date Issued: 20/10/2008
Intel introduced the industry’s first quad-core processor for mainstream servers on November 14th, 2006. Codenamed Clovertown, the quad-core 5300-series Xeons are based on Intel’s advanced Core microarchitecture and can be implemented in both single- and dual-processor systems.
Date Issued: 20/10/2008
In the same way that Centrino technology defines Intel’s vision for mobile computing hardware requirements, Intel’s vPro technology platform amalgamates a collection of hardware requirements for better management of a business PC network.
Date Issued: 20/10/2008
The purpose of this TekSpek is to delineate the publicly known features of Intel’s next generation desktop microarchitecture. Codenamed Conroe and officially titled Intel Core 2 Duo, it’s loosely based on the current mobile Yonah (Core Duo) underpinnings.
Date Issued: 20/10/2008
It’s been a long time since MHz were the only part of a CPU’s specification that concerned people. Manufacturers take different approaches to CPU design, even when using the same architecture. That means for example, at the same clock speed, an Intel and AMD processor will deliver different performance.
Date Issued: 20/10/2008
The purpose This TekSpek quickly and easily explains AMD’s new processor socket and related technology to the reader, comparing it to AMD’s previous socket types.
Date Issued: 20/10/2008
This TekSpek explains what AMD’s AMD64 CPU instruction set architecture (ISA) is, shows what CPUs implement it from both AMD and Intel, and explains what software is available to run on those 64-bit consumer processors.
Date Issued: 24/06/2008
This TekSpek discusses Intel’s 45nm process technology. What it is, what it provides, and how it benefits the consumer.
Date Issued: 24/06/2008
This TekSpek discusses AMD’s triple-core and quad-core processors, what they are, what the technology offers and the targeted market.
Date Issued: 14/06/2008
There’s been a lot of hype about Intel’s Core 2 recently, even since they launched Core in fact. Words like Conroe, Badaxe and Allendale have been flying around. The bottom line is that Core 2 is the name of Intel’s latest line of CPUs, based on a new micro-architecture, designed for speed and efficiency.
Date Issued: 02/11/2006
Intel’s Core 2 Duo is now slugging it out against AMD’s Socket AM2 Athlon 64s with DDR2 memory support. So what is next on the roadmap from the two chip-vending foes?