With the next generation of AMD FX-Series set to arrive soon, online store BLT has started to take pre-orders for the new "Vishera" chips, revealing their expected pricing in the process. The store lists four different models: the FX-8350, FX8320, FX-6300 and FX-4300 at $253, $242, $175 and $131, respectively. If accurate, the former two are about $10 to $40 pricier than their AMD FX "Zambezi" counterparts at launch.
For reference, the fastest "Zambezi" APU, the FX 8150, currently sells for $190 at Newegg.
The upcoming processors incorporate AMD's "Piledriver" architecture, and include an eight-core, six-core, and four-core part for starters, featuring 125W or 95W TDPs and up to 4.2GHz clock speeds. The FX-8350 leads the pack with eight cores, a base frequency of 4.0GHz or 4.2GHz in Turbo mode, and 16 MB of total cache. Another eight-core chip, the FX-8320, is slightly cheaper but its cores run at 3.5GHz (4.1GHz Turbo).
For buyers looking to spend a bit less, the FX-6300 features six cores running at 3.5GHz or 4.1GHz in Turbo mode and 14MB total cache, while the FX-4350 packs four cores clocked at 3.8GHz or 4GHz in Turbo mode and 8MB of total cache. These chips also require less power than their eight-core siblings: 95W versus 125W.
The new chips are expected to provide about a 10- to 15-percent performance boost over Bulldozer, in part due to the more efficient "Piledriver" microarchitecture and also due to the higher stock frequencies. As other FX-Series processors, these will feature unlocked multipliers for easier overclocking.
AMD hasn't revealed a launch date yet but the new FX Series chips are widely expected to arrive in October.