Something for everyone
AMD plans to launch four new CPUs later in January, but don't expect to
see anything revolutionary, they are just faster iterations of existing
models.
The company claims the new Phenom II X2 555 BE dual core will be its
fastest dual core CPU, but the three new Athlon IIs are also worth
looking into, primarily the 635. AMD's cache-less Athlon IIs offer
great bang for buck. The Propus-based 630 runs at 2.8GHz and costs
under €90, which is truly unbeatable value for money. The 635 will
continue the tradition and could easily end up being the CPU of choice the
sub-€100 market.
AMD will also start shipping a new triple core, dubbed Athlon II X3
440, as well as a dual-core 255 version. Once again we're looking at
sensibly priced products, as they will probably be priced at around €70
and €50 respectively.
In addition to new CPUs, the company will also launch new 800-series
chipsets with a new IGP, which it calls "the fastest desktop IGP
platform."