AMD asks for old FX-51 review systems back, shock

WHEN AMD was almost ready to release its FX-51 systems, it seeded some hardware sites with machines built specifically for review.

But now, shock horror, AMD wants those systems back from the hardware sites, in a move that's upsetting quite a few of the reviewers.

It wants back the FX-51 systems and to make sure that it's clearly understood it means business, it isn't going to make Socket 939 systems available for review until it gets the old kit back.

Typically, AMD supplies custom built systems to hardware suppliers that include not only the CPU, but has hard drives, cases, boards and the rest.

For the less cash strapped hardware sites this is not necessarily a problem, but there's another difficulty too. Since some hardware sites were delivered these systems, they've added all sorts of bits and pieces, normally to make the FX-51 machine a test bed for the Athlon 64 technology.

It's not a problem for the INQ - we've never had so much as a whiff of seeing an Athlon 64 system, but the hardware reviewers are seriously up in arms on this one, poor things. µ