Core Wars: AMD's eight-core Bulldozer desktop CPUs to be priced around $300, launch at E3

It's been known for some time now that AMD will be releasing eight-core processors as part of its Bulldozer lineup (or, if you prefer, Zambezi), but we just haven't had any idea how much the company plans on selling them for. Some leaked information has provided an answer: around $300.

According to Fudzilla, the top-performing FX-8130P will run at 3.8GHz (4.2GHz in turbo mode) and cost $320, while the FX-8110 octo-core runs at 3.6GHz (4GHz in turbo mode) and will sell for $290. The 8130p has a TDP of 125 watts, while the 8110's TDP is 95 watts.

How do these compare in price to Intel's Sandy Bridge quad cores? The 8130p looks like it will square off with the similarly priced Core i7-2600K (but TDP of only 95 watts), and FX-8110 will cost around the same as the i7-2600, which does not come with the unlocked multiplier. However, the Core i5-2500k costs around $60 less; if the 8110 can't beat it in benchmarks, Intel scores a big price/performance win.

Benchmarking will ultimately decide if the eight-core Bulldozers are seen as a great value compared to Intel's super-expensive six-core Extreme Edition processors, or if they come up short by being unable to consistently beat the comparably priced 2500k and 2600k. Certainly, offering eight cores for the price of Intel's four cores looks promising, but we won't know just how promising until AMD launches Zambezi at E3 next month.