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Advanced Micro Devices Inc. on Monday released a dual-core version of its existing AMD Athlon 64 3800+ processor, cutting prices in the process.
The addition to the low end of the AMD dual-core desktop microprocessor line is AMDs first dual-core chip rated at the same performance level as one of its single-core offerings. The 3800+ X2 is priced at $354, about $25 higher than the single-core Athlon 64 3800+ and slightly less expensive than AMDs fastest single-core chip, the AMD Athlon 64 4000+.
In addition, AMD also cut the prices on several Opteron and Athlon 64 models. Among other cuts, AMD slashed the price of its fastest single-core Athlon 64, the 4000+, by 22 percent to $375. AMDs X2 line received more marginal reductions; the company reduced the price of the fastest 4800+ X2 from $1,001 to $902.
The price cuts also mean that the fastest single-core Athlon 64 is now sligtly more expensive than the cheapest Athlon 64 X2. AMDs previous strategy had been to separate the two processor families by a price delta of about $65.
AMD also made slight adjustments to the price of its mobile microprocessors. In the most dramatic change, AMD eliminated a category devoted to mobile versions of its Athlon 64 processor for thin and light notebooks, replacing them with the Turion processor the company launched specifically for that market in March.
Turion pricing was also cut, with the largest drop reserved for the ML-40, which fell from $525 to $354, a difference of 33 percent.