Look out, Intel -- six cores are mightier than four, don'tcha
know? Shortly after introducing a six-core processor in the
server sector, AMD is reportedly angling to issue a hexa-core
chip over on the consumer side. The chip maker has confirmed to
Maximum PC that a six-core slab of silicon (codenamed Thuban)
will be released in 2010, with the real kicker being that it'll
be fully backwards compatible with existing AM3 and AM2+
mainboards. It'll be based on 45nm process technology and will
boast an integrated DDR3 controller, 3MB of L2 cache and 6MB of
L3 cache, and while the outfit wouldn't confirm, word on the
street has it that the final product will sport a Phenom II X6
moniker. So, Core i9 -- what have you to say now?   AMD to bring
six-core 'Thuban' processor to the consumer realm