AMD is ready to step up into the next computing era with its latest innovations. Today AMD publicly demonstrated its upcoming AMD Phenom processor family and the first all-AMD enthusiast platform, codenamed “FASN8.� pronounced “fascinate�.

The demonstration platform includes two true quad-core AMD Phenom processors and the new DirectX 10 ATI Radeon HD 2900 XT.

“AMD has always enjoyed a great bond with the enthusiast community, and the introduction of the AMD Phenom processor family will take our relationship to new heights,� said Bob Brewer, corporate vice president and general manager of AMD's desktop division. “We continue to focus on listening to and addressing users’ evolving needs. AMD is confident the performance enhancements enabled by true quad-core client technology in computing-intensive environments will allow them to realize new possibilities and find new inspiration.�

According to AMD, Phenom processors will feature resources like an integrated DDR2 memory controller, HyperTransport technology links, and 128-bit Floating Point Units, for improved speed and performance in floating point calculations.

Another innovation is AMD’s Direct Connect Architecture on-chip that ensures that all four cores have optimum access to the integrated memory controller and integrated HyperTransport links, so that performance scales well with the number of cores. This design is also highlighted by a unique shared L3 cache for quicker data access and Socket AM2 and Socket AM2+ infrastructure compatibility to enable a seamless upgrade path.

AMD demonstrated also ATI Radeon HD 2000 series of products that  boasts many firsts for the graphics industry, including a second-generation Unified Shader Architecture (USA), a 512-bit memory bus designed for full performance high dynamic range (HDR) rendering, and new Unified Video Decoder (UVD) technology for high-fidelity HD multimedia playback.

“We set out to create a family of products that would revolutionize the graphics market by introducing leading-edge technology at game-changing price points,� said Rick Bergman, senior vice president, AMD Graphics Products Group. “We’ve delivered on this challenge, broadening the enthusiast gaming market so that more people than ever before have access to the phenomenal gaming and multimedia experiences that the ATI Radeon HD 2000 series introduces.�

ATI Radeon HD 2900 XT is expected to be priced at USD $399 (SEP) including Team Fortress 2, Portal, and Half-Life 2: Episode Two from Valve. The ATI Radeon HD 2600 and ATI Radeon HD 2400 cards is scheduled to ship in late June with pricing to be announced.