We’ve been hearing about ATI’s external graphics schemes for years, but apparently XGP is finally ready to go. The platform houses an external graphics card — ATI-branded, of course — which connects to your laptop via a proprietary 4.0Gbps PCIe 2.0 connector. The new tech is being initially launched with AMD’s new ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3800, which can work in a multi-GPU CrossFireX configuration with your laptop’s internal graphics card. The first out of the gate with the tech is Fujitsu’s AMILO Sa 3650, which packages a Mobility Radeon HD 3870 cardbut there’s still no word pricing or exactly when or where this all is shipping. XGP also supports some extra USB 2.0 ports, Blu-ray decoding, and outputs over HDMI with integrated audio and DVI, powering up to four displays.

Aside from the obvious PR blitz, we can’t really figure out what AMD is doing here. You see, its AMD LIVE! Home Cinema platform was actually introduced way back in January of 2007, yet it seems pretty confident that this stuff is brand new at Computex. Whatever the case, we can now assume that a new aspect has been added in to “enable solution providers to address the growing home entertainment arena through a consistent, highly-capable design.” The package also supports Phenom X4 9000 / X3 8000 CPUs and ATI Radeon HD graphics, and it’s obviously designed to be used on HTPCs, mini-towers and otherwise vanilla desktops. If you’re interested in wading through the mess that is the press release about this “new” technology, be our guest via the read link below.

Investigators crack down on illegal tactics against AMD

South Korean antitrust investigators fined Intel Corp. 26 billion won ($25 million), for illegal rebates and parts discounts to manufacturers on condition that they not buy from rival manufacturer AMD.

The fine, which closely mirrors the outcome of a similar antitrust investigation in Japan in 2005, makes Intel the second major global technology company to be disciplined by South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission, after Microsoft in December 2005.

Intel said it was displeased with the outcome of the order, and is considering appeal.

“We’re disappointed and we completely disagree with the findings,” said Intel’s senior VP and general counsel Bruce Sewell.

South Korean officials hit Intel with antitrust charges last year, working from findings of a two-year investigation wrapped up last September.

Forbes called the rebates a “time-honored practice in the personal computer industry;” identical practices in Europe, the United States, and Japan have since landed the company in considerable hot water. Both European and American investigations are still pending.

In Europe, rumors of a “provisional decision” at the end of last month proved to be false, after European Commission officials dismissed a report that it had gathered sufficient evidence to enter a ruling. Despite that, the Commission promised an antitrust ruling against Intel “as soon as possible,” but refused to provide a specific timeline.

If antitrust rulings against Microsoft are any indication, Korea’s ruling against Intel will be a pittance against the kind of money that European investigators might fine. Antitrust investigations against Microsoft hit the company with a whopping $1.4 billion fine last February – compared to $32 million in South Korea – and EU antitrust rules allow for fines of up to 10 percent of annual sales.

Intel will wait for the dust to settle before it acts, it said, as the official outcome could take between 30 and 60 days and may change significantly during that time. The company can also opt to request reconsideration from the KFTC, or choose to seek a court ruling.

Regardless, Intel denied any wrongdoing with respect to its rebate practices.

“To ask us to cease and desist behavior which we are not doing and never have done is odd,” said Intel representative Nick Jacobs. “We don’t use rebates in an anticompetitive fashion.”

AMD plans to launch two Phenom X4 and three X2 models within the next three quarters

AMD’s latest roadmap reveals the company’s model numbers for the performance and mainstream Phenom X4 and X2 processors. Despite AMD issuing model numbers, the clock speeds are still ballpark figures and not yet set in stone. AMD has two Phenom X4 and three X2 models planned. Three of the models are set for a Q4’2007 launch.

The Agena-based Phenom X4 processors carry the GP-7xxx model number. There will be two Phenom X4 GP-7xxx processors at launch – the GP-7100 and the GP-7000. AMD plans to clock the Phenom X4 GP-7100 from 2.2-to-2.4 GHz. The Phenom X4 GP-7100 has a 3600 MHz HyperTransport 3.0, or HT3, bus speed. The lesser Phenom X4 GP-7000 has a targeted clock speed between 2.0-to-2.2 GHz and a lesser HT3 bus speed in excess of 3200 MHz. The two quad-core processors will have 89-watt thermal ratings.

AMD plans to launch one Phenom X2 GP-6xxx model by the end of the year. The Phenom X2 GP-6550 joins the Phenom line up next quarter clocked somewhere between 2.0-to-2.4 GHz. The first Phenom X2 to launch has a 3600 MHz HT3 bus speed. This model has a TDP of 65 watts.

Two more Phenom X2 GP-6xxx models will join the lineup in Q1’2008. The Phenom X2 GP-6650 will launch first between 2.2-to-2.6 GHz with a 3600 MHz HT3 bus speed. This model has a 65-watt TDP, similar to the GP-6550. The next Phenom X2 GP-6xxx model to launch is the GP-6800. This model has a higher 89-watt TDP, but still a dual-core processor. AMD aims for a 2.4-to-2.8 GHz clock speed with a 4000 MHz HT3 bus speed.

In Q2’2008, AMD plans to launch one more Stars processor based on the Rana core. This model does not carry the Phenom name because it’s a lower end mainstream processor without L3 cache. The Athlon X2 LS-2350 aims to clock in at 2.0-to-2.2 GHz with a 3200 MHz HT3 bus speed.

The 3.0 GHz Phenom processor that AMD demonstrated last week during its Analyst Day does not appear anywhere in the most recent desktop roadmap.

AMD’s latest guidance explains that sample availability for AM2 Phenom will begin in the “September/October” window, with box stock during “November/December.”

AMD puts its processor lineup back on track

Hark! The long awaited B3 stepping of AMD’s Opteron and Phenom finally made its way to system integrators this week.

AMD made it virtually impossible to obtain any K10-based Opteron processors after the TLB bug caught the world’s attention last December. Desktop Phenom processors continued to ship, though the BIOS workaround for the TLB race condition severely hampered performance on some benchmarks.

The vendor who obtained the B3 sample photographed (right) couldn’t be more ecstatic. “There’s been no Opterons since November. We’ve even been shipping Socket F Opterons to fill AMD orders. This is a big deal,” he tells DailyTech.

“Pre-production” Opterons sent to Torrent search engine IsoHunt last February were later revealed as gray-market B2 stepped processors, which AMD tracked to October 2007 samples.

In addition to fixing the TLB race condition, AMD will finally increase the core frequency of the Opteron series on the B3 stepping. After the initial OEM orders are filled, channel vendors like Newegg and TigerDirect will carry the new Opterons in frequencies ranging from 1.8 GHz to 2.4 GHz. Vendor estimates put this e-tailer ship date in early April.

AMD roadmaps also indicate the Phenom and Opteron lines will reach 2.6 GHz before this Fall on the new B3 stepping. In 2009 both lines will transition from the 65nm to the 45nm process node, codenamed Shanghai, with additional SKUs at higher clock frequencies.

B3 Opterons can be easily identified by the “GH” as opposed to “GD” at the end of the product number. With the exception of Phenom and Opteron SE processors, AMD emphasizes to DailyTech that no vendor should be selling or distributing “GD,” and customers who obtain these older B2 steppings should contact their local AMD distributor.