AMD is reportedly getting set to revive the 'FX' branding with its upcoming Bulldozer parts, according to DonanimHaber. The moniker was used in the company's enthusiast range of chips carrying unlocked multipliers and steep price tags, but has been absent for years with its Phenom and Phenom II series CPUs unable to compete in higher-end market segments. Instead, AMD replaced FX with "Black Edition" to avoid brand dilution and has mostly stayed in the $300 range.
But it seems that AMD might finally be ready to fight back at all market segments of consumer processors, with Bulldozer "Zambezi" desktop chips reportedly launching in Q2 2011 in two ultra high-end SKUs: a flagship 4-module, 8-core part branded as Vision Black FX, and 4 to 6-core to be known as Ultimate Vision FX. Not much is known in terms of specs, so whether they'll be a match for Intel's high-end processors or not remains to be seen.
If the rumor is indeed accurate, it will also be interesting to see if AMD's new FX branded chips will carry a price premium to place them squarely in the enthusiast market or will be in the more affordable range of the last few years.