AMD officially took the wraps off its new Phenom brand today, launching the new desktop quad-core at speeds of 2.2GHz and 2.3GHz (Phenom 9500 and 9600, respectively). Contrary to earlier rumors, the processors will reportedly be available in quantity, though it may take a few weeks to see whether or not that availability stretches down to the retail channel.
The Phenoms were launched as part of AMD’s “Spider” enthusiast platform, a platform that also includes the ATI-designed Radeon HD 3800 series GPUs (aka the RV670, which we’ll review shortly) and the new CrossfireX-capable Series 7 chipset based on Socket AM2+.
Pricing on the two Phenom chips is set at $251 for the Phenom 9500, and $283 for Phenom 9600, both in 1,000-unit quantities. Intel’s Q6600, by comparison, is currently $260 OEM ($279 retail) at NewEgg.
