AMD issues dramatic price cuts for triple-core CPUs

AMD’s triple-core Phenom X3 processor was designed as the firm’s answer to Intel’s 45 nm Core 2 Duo CPUs and as a buffer to protect the tray prices of its quad-core Phenom X4 models. However, since the launch in April, AMD has cut Phenom X3 prices nearly in half since their launch in March and has repositioned the chips to compete with Intel’s entry-level Core 2 Duos and dual-core Pentiums, which are mainly used for desktop PCs with prices of $500 and below. Bargain hunters could find the X3 increasingly appealing – there is a new chip targeted at overclockers and two new low-power models.