Bulldozer's staggered release is starting to make sense. AMD began revenue shipments of its first Bulldozer chips earlier in the month, but those were server-based "Interlagos" parts and not the desktop "Zambezi" variant that's seen a number of delays. Chalk it up to problems on the assembly line related to the 32nm manufacturing process.

We rarely advocate playing the waiting game when it come to upgrading hardware. The simple reason is that there's always something newer, better, bigger, faster, and just plain more awesome right around the corner, regardless of when you buy. All that said, should you wait for Sandy Bridge-E? That depends on if you have $294 to plunk down on a processor.

Sorry folks, as much as we dislike being the bearer of bad news, sometimes it's inevitable. This is one of those cases. though it's not the end of the world. It appears as though Intel's upcoming Core i7 2700K processor isn't going to shove aside the Core i7 2600K at the $317 price point as previously rumored, and could cost as much as $350 at launch.

We already know Intel is planning to build a better GPU for Ivy Bridge than what's currently available in Sandy Bridge, but just how much better it will be is the question. Intel provided a partial answer at this year's IDF event by detailing parts of the next-generation GPU, which the Santa Clara chip maker says will support up to a 4Kx4K (Quad HD) screen resolution.