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AMD cuts prices on Athlon, Phenom processors in anticipation of new desktop CPUs

Summary: With the imminent release of new desktop CPUs, including the new FX and A series, AMD is taking the inevitable step of slashing the pricing on its existing processors to clear out inventory. If you want a bargain on a slightly older CPU, now may be the time to strike.

Sean Portnoy

By for Laptops & Desktops |

With the imminent release of new desktop CPUs, including the new FX and A series, AMD is taking the inevitable step of slashing the pricing on its existing processors to clear out inventory. If you want a bargain on a slightly older CPU, now may be the time to strike.

According to Fudzilla, the biggest price reductions appear to be targeted at energy-efficient chips like the Athlon II X4 605e, which goes from $122 to $98, and the Phenom II X4 905e, now costing $100 instead of $165. In general, Athlon II prices fell between 2 percent and 25 percent.

Even performance processors like the Phenom Black Editions, geared to overclockers, will be dropping by around 10 percent. And the current fastest AMD has to offer, the Phenom II X6 1100T Black Edition six-core CPU, is going from $239 to $205.

Now AMD fanboys have a tough choice: snatch up these bargains or save up for the latest and greatest. What will you do? Let us know in the Comments section.

Topics: Hardware, Processors

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16 comments
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  • RE: AMD cuts prices on Athlon, Phenom processors in anticipation of new desktop CPUs

    I'll wait. BD should be worth it. Just one month.
    Been waiting since December with an empty computer case since December! Repeat... Since December!
    My current rig can run games so im pateint too. But Since December!
    campcreekdude
    Reply Vote

  • RE: AMD cuts prices on Athlon, Phenom processors in anticipation of new desktop CPUs

    AMD can advertise price cuts to corporate , government , other big users ! They are having budget problems but still buy expensive Intel chips, why???
    brettze
    Reply Vote

    • RE: AMD cuts prices on Athlon, Phenom processors in anticipation of new desktop CPUs

      @brettze

      I'll tell you why... Because AMD Offerings in many business lines are crippled. Using two of the biggest business suppliers like HP and Dell you will see that configuration options are limited and the level of management is limited and this is done by the OEM and not because it is an AMD processor.

      We had 3 years we bought AMD based machines from Dell because they offered us a better price to performance ratio and the management features were the same. Then Dell did some restructuring and the only AMD lines you can get are pre-packaged builds and have less options available.
      bobiroc
      Reply Vote

    • Intel is EVIL!

      @brettze
      Bobiroc makes a great point and I'll add to it:

      Because Intel is evil and forces big name companies to buy from them. Be it bribing the company, or down right refusing to do any future business with them if they go AMD (I swear I read that somewhere). Big Name users don't want to burn bridges with a powerhouse like Intel so they are forced to stick with them.

      Intel really has the majority of the computer world by the grapes, which is why AMD struggles to make headway in the CPU war. AMD fanboys like myself still have hope though lol.
      Bates_
      Reply Vote

  • RE: AMD cuts prices on Athlon, Phenom processors in anticipation of new desktop CPUs

    I think it's not quite time to get the 1090T. I have a mobo waiting for the price to hit $125.
    notme403@...
    Reply Vote

    • RE: AMD cuts prices on Athlon, Phenom processors in anticipation of new desktop CPUs

      @notme403@...
      Good luck. I bought a 1090T about a month ago for 189.99 so it better stays at that price for awhile or I'm going to cry like a baby. lol...
      webpunk
      Reply Vote

  • I, too, have been waiting for Bulldozer -

    but if the new tri-gate Intel chips are all they're cracked up to be and if AMD or other manufacturers don't seem able to get a FinFET chip to market in a reasonable time, my next desktop may just have Intel inside...

    Henri
    mhenriday
    Reply Vote

    • "FinFET"

      @mhenriday

      Tell me, what possible consumer benefit will this provide? Hint: increased performance and power efficiency are not consumer benefits. Improved battery life and quicker access to data are, but they are hardly innovative. Increasing raw processor performance isn't even warranted much anymore, what with cloud computing and GPU acceleration. What is Intel doing in those areas?
      Joe_Raby
      Reply Vote

  • RE: AMD cuts prices on Athlon, Phenom processors in anticipation of new desktop CPUs

    $100 for AMD Phenom II X4 905e? What a bargain, but right now, I can't go overspent with my money for this month. I might wait to see what AMD has in store for energy-efficient processors this fall or winter.
    Grayson Peddie
    Reply Vote

  • I buy only AMD

    With the new CPU based on 32 nm out this summer, AMD is still a year behind Intel. Now the newly developed 3D transistor, Intel is 2 years ahead of the race. But I love AMD and buy AMD just to keep the competition alive. If AMD is dead, guess what Intel is going to do.
    tslxnhi@...
    Reply Vote

  • RE: AMD cuts prices on Athlon, Phenom processors in anticipation of new desktop CPUs

    I actually OWN a AMD x4 Phenom (Dec 2010) with MSI Professional Series Mainboard (x86 / 32 bit - Oct 2010) both together; along with nVidia GE Force Graphic Card, PCI card, ramped up on the memory @ 4 GB (they're out there on DDR2 but difficult to find - Corsair is the best on the clocking - EACH) in addition to ramping up on the Cooling System (has 5 fans counting the Sys Fan), IDE/RAID. Of NOTE, even though the GPU or CPU Processor might read at 4.4, everything else is hitting up at 6.0 and higher and it is handling exceptionally well, especially with the MSI's BIOS configuration. Is it worth it? Absolutely, total upgrade I spent on everything altogether (with in-store rebates and mail-in rebates) was a shocking $98.00 for everything mentioned above! (A lot of parts I had from the old motherboard which I moved over to this new mainboard FYI.) This does not even include the HDD and EXHDD - which is a mind boggling close to 2.75 TB (don't forget the Sys Reserve)!
    Awahili Guni
    Reply Vote

  • I'll buy now

    I've been saving up to buy a new system with a new MB, CPU and DDR3 memory.

    I'll buy all that stuff now, and in 6 months, or whenever, I'll upgrade the CPU. If I'm not missing something it'll still be the same socket. So I won't have to upgrade everything again, unlike with Intel crap where every 3 months is a new socket type now.
    cbstryker
    Reply Vote

    • Good stuff

      @cbstryker

      Make sure the socket is AM3+ and you're set for Bulldozer.

      I've been reading the previews of the 900 chipset and I don't know what all is different. I suspect that USB3 will be native instead of with a Renesas/NEC chip. I'm not sure if that means they'll have enough PCIe lanes to support more than only 2 USB3 ports like what are on existing 800 chipset boards. If not, it's only a difference with which driver you use. Stay away from ASUS boards that use their own USB3 chipsets because the drivers are extremely buggy. Stick with something with Renesas/NEC USB3.

      If you want a good deal on a motherboard and aren't looking for absolute top-of-the-line, get an 890GX board. They are far cheaper than an 890FX and although they only have dual x8 PCIe slots, benchmarks are showing that performance of dual x16's isn't all that much more (it's about 93% performance increase for the second card on dual x8's vs. ~97% increase for dual x16's). Also, the 6850 is a really good card for the money. Going dual 6850's is a cheap option, and 6850's are shorter than a full ATX motherboard, so your case will have some decent room in it. A good-quality 750W power supply (Antec Truepower New is good for this) will power the top-of-the-line Phenom II 1100T, two 6850's, two modest SATA 6Gbps hard drives, and a DVDRW.

      Gigabyte has a decent board for 890GX chipset with socket AM3+: GA-890GPA-UD3H, which can be found for around $130.
      Joe_Raby
      Reply Vote

  • RE: AMD cuts prices on Athlon, Phenom processors in anticipation of new desktop CPUs

    Wait for a new chipset, a faster more efficient CPU and an improved OS from Microsoft.
    dend
    Reply Vote

  • RE: AMD cuts prices on Athlon, Phenom processors in anticipation of new desktop CPUs

    I'll tell you why... Because AMD Offerings in many business lines are crippled. Using two of the biggest business suppliers like HP and Dell you will see that configuration options are limited and the level of management is limited and this is done by the OEM and not because it is an AMD processor.
    http://www.dacsandatphanrang.com
    tranhoa1234
    Reply Vote

  • RE: AMD cuts prices on Athlon, Phenom processors in anticipation of new desktop CPUs

    Buying a computer can be a lengthy process involving many complex decisions, but none come with quite as much associated technical jargon as figuring out the best CPU.

    And so before you even know it, you're drowning in talk of cores and clock speeds, socket types and memory controllers, power consumption, caches and more.

    While you'll need to consider at least some of these issues, there's an easier way to approach your purchasing problems. And that's to ignore the fine detail, just for the moment, and focus first on a more fundamental question: Intel vs AMD, which processors are the best for you?

    You'll probably find that answering this is much more straightforward. And once you've made your choice, many other decisions about your new PC will fall into place, saving you plenty of time.
    If you're after performance above else (and you've plenty of money) then Intel processors are the way to go. At least, in general - there are several different families available and you need to be careful which you choose.<H1><a href="http://www.naijavideos.com">Nigerian Movies</a></H1>
    william100
    Reply Vote
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