AMD Releases Budget Dual-Core Athlon 64 X2

TheRaindog writes "AMD has bolstered its dual-core processor lineup with a more affordable dual-core Athlon 64 X2 3800+ that will sell for only $354. Despite its comparatively low 2.0GHz clock speed and only 512KB of L2 cache per core, the X2 3800+ is often faster than Intel's fastest dual-core chips, including the $999 Pentium Extreme Edition 840. The new X2's incredibly low power consumption is also impressive, especially when compared with that of power-hungry Pentium D processors that consume 50-90% more power under load."

Re:a good way to get this mainstream

[Pranadevil2k]

It's different for Apple. If Apple had stuck with PowerPC, there'd be no choice for your PPC chip other than what Apple decided to put in their G# PCs. For AMD to only offer SMP processors would be suicide. With as low market share as they have, they simply can't afford to drop more than half their product line in order to push the technological envelope. Intel, with money literally falling out of their assholes, can stand to take this risk and can probably bully enough OEMs to only carry dual core chips that it would make a significant difference. AMD doesn't have that kind of power at this time. Their main market is the tech enthusiast, the hobby guy who likes to build computers, and the guy with too much money who buys everything on the bleeding edge. They have almost no OEM support, and retailers carry very few AMD powered products as well. In short, if AMD were Intel, they could do it, and it could work. If AMD were Apple, they could do it, and it could work. If AMD is in fact AMD, however, it just isn't a viable option.