AMD HAS LAUNCHED five new processors, of which three are priced at $99 or less. Okay, so this might not be such a big deal, as AMD already has a number of CPUs selling for under $100, but it seems like AMD is set on owning the sub $100 CPU market.
First up we have the Phenom II X2 555 BE which is priced at exactly $99 and it’s of course multiplier unlocked like all Black Edition CPUs. It has a stock clock speed of 3.2GHz with a TDP of 80W. The Athlon II X3 440 comes in at $84. This is currently the fastest triple-core Athlon II processor and it comes in at the same price point as the 435, which will most like drop in price. It has a core clock speed of 3GHz with a TDP of 95W. The last of the sub $99 processors is the dual-core Athlon II X2 255 priced at $74. This model has a fairly modest TPD of 65W and it’s clocked at 3.1GHz.
The two models above $99 include the $119 Athlon X4 635 which offers a 100MHz speed bump over the 630 to 2.9GHz. This is a standard 95W TDP model. Finally we have the Phenom II X4 910e which is one of AMD’s low power CPUs and as such this quad-core has a TPD of only 65W. It’s priced at $169 and for this money you get four cores running at 2.6GHz. This makes the 910e a fair bit cheaper than the slower 905e, which looks like a good move by AMD.
Overall the new additions to AMD’s product catalogue aren’t here to specifically impress anyone. They’re just there to fill a few gaps in the product lineup or to offer Intel a bit more competition. However, that doesn’t mean that these processors don’t have enough grunt, not only to beat some of the competition, but even some of AMDs own models. The Athlon II X3 440 outdoes the Phenom II X3 720 in many a benchmark by a fair margin, but it equally loses out against the same CPU in others. It’s also a lot more power efficient, which again will appeal to a certain crowd.
Intel can’t compete in cores per dollar these days with AMD and if you’re running applications that can take advantage of more cores and are on a budget, AMD is the clear choice. However, AMD needs to bring out some new performance parts that show that the company can compete on equal terms with Intel, although this should hopefully happen later this year when AMD launches its new hexa-core Thuban and quad-core Zosma processors.S|A
Lars-Göran Nilsson
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