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Distributors flesh out retail pricing for AMD's next-generation desktop processors

Retailers and distributors began to solidify the final details of AMD's upcoming Phenom processors. Conversations with various e-tailers reveal the SKUs along with the retail prices (not bulk pricing) of three upcoming Phenom processors.

Manufacturers are currently setting the launch price of AMD's Phenom X4 9500, which features a 95-Watt thermal envelope and a 2.2GHz operating frequency, at $280.00. The SKU for the new processor is HD9500WCGDBOX.

The Phenom X4 9600 features a 2.3GHz operating frequency along with 512KB of L2 cache per core. Retailers are planning to launch the new chip at $320. The SKU of the chip will be HD9600WCGDBOX.

Finally, retailers are also indicating that the AMD Phenom X4 9700 will make its debut with the SKU HD9700XAGDBOX and at a retail price of $330. The Phenom X4 9700 is slightly more high-end compared to the Phenom X4 9600 and Phenom X4 9500, and features a 2.4GHz operating speed along with a 125-Watt Thermal Design Power envelope. 

AMD's original roadmap slated the clock frequency for the Phenom 9600 at 2.4 GHz; the original clock frequency for the 9700 was at 2.6 GHz.  It might be easy to assume the worst with the sudden decrease in core frequencies, though the change could also be attributed to creative marketing plans.

Earlier this year AMD demonstrated 3.0 GHz Phenom samples. AMD will not launch these high-frequency Phenom processors this year, at least according to AMD's roadmap.

Expect AMD to lift its embargo on these 2.2 to 2.4 GHz desktop processors on November 19, 2007, with additional details on the Radeon HD 3850 and Radeon HD 3870 graphics processor.

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hmm
By Gul Westfale on 11/6/2007 8:48:49 AM , Rating: 2
this doesn't seem expensive for a quad-core chip, but everything depends on whether intel lowers their prices to take some wind out of AMD's sails, and whether or not the performance can keep up with a core2.




RE: hmm
By Goty on 11/6/2007 9:01:00 AM , Rating: 3
You can be sure that Intel will try to undercut the Phenom pricing by at least a little bit. The only question is going to be about how fast AMD can ramp up production of the X4 and X3 (when they decide to release it) and how fast they can ramp up the clockspeeds.


RE: hmm
By Gul Westfale on 11/6/2007 9:11:47 AM , Rating: 2
if they get into another price war with intel (and i think the ywill) then the difference in pricing between the x4 and the x3 might make the x3 obsolete before it is even launched.


RE: hmm
By drank12quartsstrohsbeer on 11/6/2007 9:53:38 AM , Rating: 3
yeah, it seens that AMD is having a hard time competing on performance or price at the current time.

To make these more attractive, they should sell them with unlocked multipliers (or is that the plan already?)


RE: hmm
By hannibal the mechanical bull on 11/6/2007 10:13:27 AM , Rating: 2
yes, itws going to be a tough quarter for AMD. Hopefully the rumored next spin of silicon can increase clock speeds. If not, they have to wait for 45nm, and Intel is not exactly sitting still these days.


RE: hmm
By Black69ta on 11/6/2007 10:17:48 AM , Rating: 4
X3 obsolete? With a native quad core the problem is that if one core fails the whole chip is scrapped correct? So, with the X3 one of the 4 cores could be bad and they could sell the remaining 3 cores to help bolster profits. After all, even if they only sold for a dollar it a Dollar that cost nothing extra to get, since otherwise they would have to just toss the whole die, correct?


RE: hmm
By SeeManRun on 11/6/2007 10:31:55 AM , Rating: 2
That is not true; if they sold it for a dollar they would be making a dollar, but probably losing a lot more because that customer bought an X3 for nearly free, instead of the X4. Selling the X3's at all means you rob yourself on sales of an X4 or any other processor.


RE: hmm
By murphyslabrat on 11/6/2007 10:58:09 AM , Rating: 3
Or, just discontinue production of the x2's completely, and just sell x3's as your low- to mid-range product. ^^j I won't mind, honestly! Though, Depending on the ramping of scale, it might actually be worth it.


RE: hmm
By VooDooAddict on 11/6/2007 3:51:37 PM , Rating: 3
I have to agree.

If AMD can sell the X3's for a few $$ more then a comparable clocked Core2 then I think things have gotten interesting. AMD will have really differentiated themselves in the market with mainstream "Tri"-core

Then we might all benefit with Intel pushing itself harder to get native Quad cores out the door sooner.


RE: hmm
By murphyslabrat on 11/7/2007 1:59:26 PM , Rating: 3
As far as I can see, the only benefit to Intel getting "native Quad-core" will be so that they can have "non-native" Octal-Core, with a whopping 24MB (by that time, more like 48MB) cache!


RE: hmm
By Gul Westfale on 11/6/2007 11:10:20 AM , Rating: 2
i didn't mean obsolete from their point of view; i meant it to say that no one would buy one because the price difference between x3 and x4 would become very small if they start a pricewar with intel, and thus it would be obsolete.


RE: hmm
By Roy2001 on 11/6/2007 11:52:48 AM , Rating: 3
X3 is just X4 with defects but 3 cores are still working. If AMD does not sell it as X3, should AMD dump it into garbage can? or disable another core and sell as X2?


RE: hmm
By cheetah2k on 11/7/2007 3:20:39 AM , Rating: 2
the x3 will surely fill the shoes of the old Turion


RE: hmm
By BladeVenom on 11/6/2007 9:37:23 AM , Rating: 2
Maybe a price war would bring us a cheap quadcore Allendale. Quadcore for about twice the price of a E2160 would be a great option.


RE: hmm
By Gul Westfale on 11/6/2007 9:43:53 AM , Rating: 2
pricewars are always good for the consumer, but hopefully AMD will be able to keep up with intel on performance, otherwise they'll have to lower prices so much that they won't be making any profits in the near future... and that could be bad for everyone in the long run.


RE: hmm
By System48 on 11/6/2007 10:15:58 AM , Rating: 2
They're not making any profits now.


RE: hmm
By fk49 on 11/6/2007 3:14:40 PM , Rating: 2
Well everytime AMD sells a chip, yes, they are making money. An Athlon X2 costs relatively little in materials to make -- it's just a little piece of silicon! What's driving AMD into the red is the fact that this profit cannot cover the money they pour into R+D.


RE: hmm
By imperator3733 on 11/6/2007 5:28:20 PM , Rating: 2
So therefore they are not making an overall profit.


RE: hmm
By Flunk on 11/15/2007 12:17:38 PM , Rating: 2
Yes, that is called income. Profit would be if their total expenses were less than their total income.


RE: hmm
By tayhimself on 11/6/2007 10:07:38 AM , Rating: 2
I'm all for a pricewar, but a 65nm quad-core looks poor compared to the soon to be arriving 45nm quad-core chips. Price/performance will be most likely equivalent which is great for us, the big difference will be performance/watt and so most will go for intel.


RE: hmm
By retrospooty on 11/6/2007 9:14:13 AM , Rating: 3
Yup... good price, but I still want to see benchies in true multicore apps. This is where the AMD chips are supposed to shine, since they are true quad core, not 2x dual core on a single die.


RE: hmm
By System48 on 11/6/2007 10:18:47 AM , Rating: 2
How's the kool-aide?


RE: hmm
By retrospooty on 11/6/2007 3:44:02 PM , Rating: 5
I don't get your comment. I am not pushing any agenda for AMD, or Intel, just stating I would like to see benchmarks.

So far, in the few I have seen Phenom is getting its butt kicked pretty easily by Core2 quad. I just thought it would be interesting to see how the Phenom does in true multicore coded apps where AMD claimed it would be far superior. I have yet to see if that is even remotely true.


RE: hmm
By Gul Westfale on 11/6/2007 9:47:28 PM , Rating: 1
you know, they didn't actually sip kool-aid at jonestown, it was flavor-aid.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonestown#Mass_murder...


RE: hmm
By Master Kenobi (blog) on 11/6/2007 10:20:49 AM , Rating: 2
Intel is methodical though, gluing Dice together in a single package makes logistics much easier. When you think about it, putting 2 together before making a unified is the logical path of progression.


RE: hmm
By KristopherKubicki (blog) on 11/6/2007 10:39:22 AM , Rating: 3
I think even Henri Richard admitted that a multi-chip design would have been better for getting quad-core off the ground. AMD even had quad-core K8 based on two 65nm dual-core dice in its roadmap until some of the "native quad-core" rhetoric took hold.

The problem is not performance, but defect rates. With a multi-chip design, the manufacturer can just throw one chip away in the event of a defect. It looks like AMD will just disable some cores for Phenom X3 and X4.


RE: hmm
By HammerZ on 11/6/2007 6:07:37 PM , Rating: 2
Does it really matter how the cores are manufactured or designed in the case of Core vs. Phenon? We already have SW that takes advantage of multiple cores. I would only care about cost, performance, and maybe power consumption (for overclocking purposes). Who cares if Intel uses super glue or Elmers glue to bond their cores together, or if they have a true 4-core design on the same die?


RE: hmm
By retrospooty on 11/6/2007 8:40:41 PM , Rating: 3
No, it doesnt matter at all, I am only interested in seeing some benchmarks.

Early on, AMD claimed they had the advantage due to a true "native" quad core design. I havent heard that lately, so I am suspecting its not performing all that well.


Phenom X2 pricing
By maverick502 on 11/6/2007 9:18:58 AM , Rating: 2
What about the Phenom dual cores?




RE: Phenom X2 pricing
By Altsu on 11/6/2007 9:25:37 AM , Rating: 2
Phenom X2 is expected to launch in Q1-Q2 2008, so I think they reveal the price eraly next year.


RE: Phenom X2 pricing
By maverick502 on 11/6/2007 9:30:50 AM , Rating: 2
"AMD plans to launch one Phenom X2 GP-6xxx model by the end of the year. The Phenom X2 GP-6550 joins the Phenom line up next quarter clocked somewhere between 2.0-to-2.4 GHz. The first Phenom X2 to launch has a 3600 MHz HT3 bus speed. This model has a TDP of 65 watts.

Two more Phenom X2 GP-6xxx models will join the lineup in Q1’2008. The Phenom X2 GP-6650 will launch first between 2.2-to-2.6 GHz with a 3600 MHz HT3 bus speed. This model has a 65-watt TDP, similar to the GP-6550. The next Phenom X2 GP-6xxx model to launch is the GP-6800. This model has a higher 89-watt TDP, but still a dual-core processor. AMD aims for a 2.4-to-2.8 GHz clock speed with a 4000 MHz HT3 bus speed."

This is from an older artcile - the model numbers have changed, but it was there plan before to launch a dual core this year...things change?

I think I'm still going to go ahead and buy the 5000+ black edition, it seems it will be a better deal than a dual core phenom at this point.


RE: Phenom X2 pricing
By KristopherKubicki (blog) on 11/6/2007 10:28:07 AM , Rating: 3
We're a little unclear of where AMD is putting the dual core processors right now. The original maps that claim it was going to be before the end of the year also claimed the high-end Phenom launch part was going to be 2.6 GHz.

It seems as though a lot has changed in the last few weeks.


RE: Phenom X2 pricing
By crystal clear on 11/7/2007 1:43:38 AM , Rating: 2
quote:
It seems as though a lot has changed in the last few week


Yes heres one for a starter-

AMD Appoints Dirk Meyer to Board of Director

SUNNYVALE, Calif. -- November 6, 2007 --AMD (NYSE: AMD) today announced the appointment of AMD President and Chief Operating Officer Dirk Meyer to the board of directors. Meyer, who was promoted to his current role as President and COO in January 2006, continues to share leadership and management duties of AMD with Chairman of the Board and CEO Hector Ruiz. Meyer’s election to the board took effect Nov. 1.

“Dirk has been a tremendous asset to the Office of the CEO and his appointment strengthens AMD’s board of directors,” said Ruiz. “Dirk has played an integral role in defining AMD’s vision and strategy, helping make AMD the partner of choice for our customers and positioning the company for long-term growth and profitability.”

Prior to his role as president and COO, Meyer served as president and chief operating officer of AMD’s Microprocessor Solutions Sector where he had overall responsibility for AMD’s microprocessor business, including product development, manufacturing, operations and product marketing.



http://www.amd.com/us-en/Corporate/VirtualPressRoo...


Are you...
By Altsu on 11/6/2007 9:15:58 AM , Rating: 4
Sure that the processors are 2.2, 2.4 and 2.6 GHz? I've seen on the internet that they would be 2.2, 2.3 and 2.4 GHz. Also all these processors contain 128kb l1 cache per core, 512kb l2 cache per core (2mb) and 2mb l3 cache.




RE: Are you...
By teldar on 11/6/2007 9:33:19 AM , Rating: 2
Hopefully, they're not just pulling numbers out of thin air or their behinds like some sites will. I think, generally, DT is one of the more respectable sites around any more. And with AMD's on die controller, cache doesn't make anywhere near the difference as with Intel's chips, as shown 4 years ago when the dual core AMD's came out in the first place.

T


RE: Are you...
By KristopherKubicki (blog) on 11/6/2007 9:38:26 AM , Rating: 4
We apologize, there were some inconsistencies with the data we posted and the data we received. This should be corrected completely by now.


strange pricing
By johnsonx on 11/6/2007 9:17:42 AM , Rating: 2
$247-$278-$288? $41 from entry to high-end? This seems a rather narrow range of pricing. Something tells me this isn't right.




RE: strange pricing
By teldar on 11/6/2007 9:35:28 AM , Rating: 2
Maybe they're trying to sell off the older lower binned speeds before releasing some of their higher end newer stepping processors. Hopefully they'll see 3GHz at the beginning of the year and are just trying to cash in on the newness factor before really competing on speed. Not saying that's why, but hopefully, 2.6 GHz isn't the high end for very long....

T


RE: strange pricing
By Goty on 11/6/2007 11:03:01 AM , Rating: 2
I don't think we'll see 3GHz parts by the end of the year, but I expect AMD should be able to ramp up the clockspeeds pretty fast in Q1 and Q2 '08, assuming the rumors I've heard about them fixing some of the bugs in the newest respin are true.


AM2+ Motherboards
By Brazos on 11/6/2007 12:01:23 PM , Rating: 2
Will the AM2+ motherboards be released at the same time? I know that ASUS has announed that some of theirs would be compatible with a bios upgrade but what about true AM2+ boards that support HyperTransport 3.0 and split power planes?




By KristopherKubicki (blog) on 11/6/2007 12:39:54 PM , Rating: 3
Yes, we're going to see all sorts of 790X boards at launch.


If I said it before i'll say it again....
By phatboye on 11/6/2007 9:51:23 AM , Rating: 2
BENCHMARKS PLEASE!!!!!!!11111oneoneoneone

Seriously Nov 19 is around the corner, AMD end your NDA so that we the consumers can get a few preliminary benchmarks because I am not going to spend one dime one your products until I see them.

BTW I am hoping the anand gets really busy this holiday season with benchmarks because nv, ati, amd and intel are all releasing a boat load of very competitive products all around the same time and I know a lot of people are buying new computer parts all due to this. So I want to see the benchmark sites go all out on benchmarks and reviews.




By teldar on 11/6/2007 11:09:50 PM , Rating: 2
You're not going to be able to buy them until they are out anyway, so it's not like it makes a whole lot of difference if they allow benchmarks before they release the product. Anyway, depending on supply, you may not be able to buy one anyway. Might be a low volume consumer launch. I don't know how Barcelona is selling, but they may be selling the majority to server manufacturers. I know Cray is buying up quite a few of the new procs.

T


Tri-Core ....?
By 2ManyOptions on 11/6/2007 10:27:49 AM , Rating: 2
The Tri-Core processor, that will also be a Phenom?
Yeah some benchmarks would be helpful to conclude anything on these.




RE: Tri-Core ....?
By KristopherKubicki (blog) on 11/6/2007 10:28:53 AM , Rating: 2
Yes, but tri-core is definitely going to be a "next year" thing.


Someone's space bar is dying...
By chsh1ca on 11/6/2007 3:07:16 PM , Rating: 3
quote:
AMD will notlaunch these high-frequency Phenom processors this year, at leastaccording to AMD's roadmap.




hmm...
By DeepBlue1975 on 11/6/2007 12:06:02 PM , Rating: 2
Prices aren't too promising.
Intel's q6600 2.4ghz priced at $266 is 20% cheaper than amd's forecoming 2.4ghz solution.

Benchmarks when test with the full platform can get done will finally tell us if that 20% extra price on the CPU is worth it.

AMD has the upper hand in pricing, though, if we talk about CPU + motherboard price, as AMD's mobos not needing the mem controller usually end up selling cheaper than solutions for Intel with the same set of features.

Another thing to consider is how much of an overclocking potential these will have... Specially when Penryn's pricing has already leaked out ($266 for the 2.5ghz version) and its performance is really good compared to actual Intel's offerings.




Competitive?
By klstay on 11/6/2007 12:10:29 PM , Rating: 2
I just ordered a test CAD system with a Q6600 (2.4GHz) and it was $306 and available today. You can find it cheaper if you look. It seems Intel has the legs to run a price war here for quite some time if needed...




AMD's production problem
By laok on 11/6/2007 12:27:04 PM , Rating: 2
I hope they can produce these quad cores quickly. At least for now it seems that AMD can not make enough Barcelonas.




This looks bad for AMD
By BSMonitor on 11/6/2007 12:38:09 PM , Rating: 2
2.4GHz? Barcelona's still at 2.0 GHz?

They can't even meet their revised target clock speeds.

Hmmm Intel has 800MHz headroom on their current Penryn steppings and AMD is retracting clock speeds on their unreleased steppings... What a joke.

By the 19th, it'll be 2.1GHz.




The truth may sting a little
By Procurion on 11/6/2007 1:57:52 PM , Rating: 2
Unfortunately, I am beginning to get real concerned. When I think back over the years, if something exceptional were to come along the buzz builds as release gets closer. There is no real buzz present; only steadily dropping speeds and hardly any chest thumping from AMD.

I have both AMD and Intel computers in various forms so while I am not a fanboy of either one, I was rooting for the underdog until today. AMD is a much-loved little guy that no one wants to see fail, but there is a funny feeling in the pit of my stomach.

What I see seems to be a company that is desperately trying to get something, anything out the door. But research and full production take time-a lot of it. From all I read, their yeilds aren't commercially viable yet. Production on the Barcelona hasn't materialized yet, really, and we're supposed to believe that the Phenom isn't going to be an elusive-and slow-paper tiger, too?

I am saddened. Not only is this a huge disappointment but I hate monopolies...




Go AMD
By Mels on 11/6/2007 8:50:32 PM , Rating: 2
I for one, am cheering for AMD. I hope the Phenom is a success. A healthy AMD will keep the competition going with Intel; this will lead to better prices for the consumer.




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