AMD has agreed to settle a lawsuit that claimed AMD broke advertising law by claiming that its Bulldozer chips had more cores than they actually had. While technically there were extra cores there, they didn't function in the same way as modern multicore CPUs doo, making AMD's advertising claims false and misleading. It's now agreed to a settlement of $12.1 million, which the plaintiffs have also agreed to. If the courts give it approval, AMD fans who bought Bulldozer could get as much as $40 back for their trouble.
"AMD is pleased to have reached a settlement of this lawsuit. While we believe the allegations are without merit, we also believe that eliminating the distraction and settling the litigation is in our best interest," an AMD spokesperson told CRN.
As is usual with class action lawsuits, typically only a small percentage of those affected will make a claim, which could lead to slightly higher payouts for those who do. $40 won't make up for those who spent upwards of $200 on AMD's falsely advertised hardware, but it's some small recompense which as a gesture at least, is nice to see.
All Bulldozer CPUs should be viable (though specific models including the FX-9590, 9370, 8370, 8350, 8320, 8150, and 8120 have been cited) and you'll need to prove your purchased it around the time of the complaint (between 2011 and 2015) to be eligible, but if you can, you could be due some money back.
