The first batch of socketed Kabini processors was listed by many European retailers last week, just days after the company launched the AM1 platform. Now some shops in Germany and Poland are reporting that they have the products in stock, while many others put their shipping date later this week.
We took a closer look at AM1 processors last week and we found that they were listed between €36 and €50. Once they start shipping the prices should get even better and we're already seeing some listings below €30 for the entry level Sempron 2650 dual-core. The chips aren't widely available, so far only a handful of shops says it can ship them, however it's still a bit faster than we expected.
AM1 motherboards are coming, too. Early listings put most of them south of €30. This is what sets AM1 apart from other AMD platforms - since the boards don't need a lot of logic, they are dirt cheap, so the combined platform cost ends up quite low, almost on par with fully integrated mITX boards based on older AMD and Intel processors.
Asus, ASRock and MSI appear to be leading the charge and we will see more AM1 boards from other vendors over the next few weeks. A few major e-tailers in Germany indicate they will start shipping ASRock boards within three days.
AMD will have no trouble bringing AM1 products to market by the end of Q1, as promised.
