Entry-level Phenom II CPUs to launch in June
Dual-core part to take on Core 2 Duo
Expect AMD to take the wraps off a dual-core Phenom II processor aimed at low-cost desktops early next month.
So say company moles, and with the Computex trade show kicking off in Taipei on 2 June - the day, they say, the entry level CPUs will be announced - we're not mightily surprised.
The Phenom II in question is said to be the X2 550, a 3.1GHz part with 1MB of L2 cache and a hunger for power that doesn't exceed 80W.
Thus far, the Phenom II line has been limited to four- and three-core offerings, and whether the dual-core version contains two deliberately disabled cores, has two that failed testing, or is a new, two-core design is not yet known.
However, some say it has six megs of L3 cache as per the quad-core part, so the X2s almost certainly have four cores, two of them disabled deliberately or otherwise.
Please enlighten us, AMD.
Reports suggest the part uses a Socket AM3 interconnect and reaches out to DDR 2 and DDR 3 memory. ®
COMMENTS
X2 Phenom II are same die as X3 and X4
Hi, we were briefed on this two months ago by AMD webinar. Its engineerying economy, make them, test them, mark them. But if the 3rd and 4th core are bad, or a cache is bad, mark it an X2!
Intel and AMD have done that for years.
And yes they are AM3 socket
Hi, this also give them less costly alternative cpus that will work in AM3 socket! Phenom II X2 for AMD3 sockets! Athlon X2 for AM2 and AM2+
