AMD ha annunciato la tanto attesa piattaforma Dragon attraverso la quale propone al suo pubblico la possibilità di realizzare desktop orientati all'ambito multimediale, 3D Gaming incluso, e caratterizzati da un ottimo livello prestazionale, a fronte di un costo contenuto, quantificato anche meno di $900 in taluni casi, in accordo al produttore.

La piattaforma Dragon si basa essenzialmente sui chipset della gamma AMD 7, la prima in grado di supportare i nuovi processori AMD Phenom II X4, destinati, nelle intenzioni del chip maker, a far ben presto archiviare le difficoltà incontrate dai Phenom di prima generazione.

Seguono i dettagli, incluso l'MSRP, dei primi due chip Phenom II che sono già acquistabili direttamente da AMD in stock da 1000 unità:

• AMD Phenom II X4 940 Black Edition - (3.0GHz) - $275 MSRP
• AMD Phenom II X4 920 - (2.8GHz) - $235 MSRP

Entro il primo triemstre del 2009 saranno disponibili i primi sistemi Dragon-based (HP, Dell e Alienware saranno al solito tra i primi system builder a proporre soluzioni di questo tipo, afferma AMD).

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CES, LAS VEGAS -- January 8, 2009 --Empowering consumers to get elite-level computing performance for under $900 U.S. dollars², AMD (NYSE:AMD) today launched "Dragon" platform technology for desktop PCs featuring the new AMD Phenom II X4 processor. Even the most demanding users such as enthusiasts and high-end gamers desire affordable systems capable of delivering HD entertainment, graphic-intensive game play at the highest settings their monitors can handle, as well as quick and easy transfer of video entertainment to and from mobile devices. Dragon platform technology provides the power to do it all by combining AMD’s highest-performing CPU, the AMD Phenom II X4 processor, with award winning ATI Radeon HD 4800 Series graphics and AMD 7-Series chipsets. And it’s offered at an incredible value with Dragon-based systems available for up to $1,200 U.S. dollars less than competing systems that deliver comparable performance.¹

Leading global PC manufacturers HP, Dell and Alienware plan to offer Dragon platform technology-based desktop systems in the first quarter of 2009, with Dell offering immediate availability in its Dell XPS desktop line. "The XPS 625 desktop powered by AMD’s Dragon platform technology features new AMD Phenom II processors to enable a significant boost in speed for enhanced gaming, as well as the flexibility to enable multi-tasking and HD video capabilities free from delays, stalls and lags," said Arthur Lewis, general manager of Dell Gaming Group. "The XPS 625 gives gamers the unbelievable experience they expect at a price point that won’t break the bank."

Reviews Celebrate "Dragon" price-performance leadership and headroom
Initial PC hardware review community assessments of Dragon platform technology and the AMD Phenom II X4 processor are notably positive and enthusiastic:

• "As a result of its exceptional energy efficiency advances and an affordable price/performance ratio, AMD Phenom II X4 deserves our seldom-granted Recommended Buy award." - Tom's Hardware³
• "The Phenom II puts AMD back in the running right in the middle of the enthusiast PC market, where price and performance converge in solid value." - Scott Wasson of The Tech Report⁴
• "The new Phenom II X4 920 and 940 are easily the most powerful desktop processors released from AMD to date. We get the feeling these first two Phenom II X4 processors are just the tip of the iceberg." - Marco Chiappetta of HotHardware.com⁵

Massive Headroom
The heart of Dragon platform technology is the AMD Phenom II X4 processor featuring intelligent multi-core technology that automatically provides processing power where it’s needed most during multitasking among demanding applications. Offering frequencies up to 3.0 GHz with significant headroom for overclocking,⁶ AMD Phenom II CPUs give consumers the power to use their favorite productivity, HD gaming and multimedia applications without skipping a beat.

"With Dragon platform technology, AMD is changing the desktop industry landscape by offering affordable performance and maximum headroom for gaming, video editing, and other media-intensive tasks," said Leslie Sobon, vice president of product marketing, AMD. "Through our Fusion platform approach, AMD is able to deliver CPUs, GPUs and chipsets that work better together to meet the industry’s evolving needs today and well into the future."

Beyond HD
ATI Radeon HD 4800 series graphics and AMD 7-series chipsets enable Dragon platform technology to deliver a superior visual experience by giving consumers the ability to enjoy smooth video, brilliant images and immersive games. The platform offers fast DirectX 10 graphics to improve integrated graphics processor performance, and ATI Radeon HD 4800 series graphics give consumers the ultimate gaming experience, even at the highest game settings on display resolutions beyond HD, limited only by the resolution of their monitors.

"AMD is known for bringing fantastic hardware innovations to market in a way that allows consumers to enjoy new experiences and take full advantage of the gaming capabilities that DirectX delivers," said Walt McGraw, director of Windows Gaming for Microsoft. "The new Dragon platform technology is another great example of AMD driving the kind of platform technology robustness and scalability that today’s PC users demand."