How low can you go?
AMD has announced a new range of processors aimed at the desktop segment, including a range of low power options running at 45W.
AMD says its new 45nm chips have been specially designed for desktops, including new all-in-one machines, and are being touted as offering exceptional multimedia performance.
Indeed, AMD reckons punters using the new offerings should get better results for both HD video and 3D graphics than when using competitor's products, claiming the Athlon II X2 240e processor "performs up to 70 per cent better in media and entertainment benchmarks, and delivers a processor cost saving of over $40 when compared to the Intel Core 2 Duo E7400".
Likewise, the Athlon II X3 435 processor "delivers processor cost savings of over $100 while providing up to 75 percent better media and entertainment performance when compared to the Intel Core 2 Duo E8500".
Triple-core processors are positioned by AMD to plug the price/performance gap between dual- and quad-core processors. AMD's CPU nemesis, Intel, only offers either dual or quad core options for desktops, so by dropping the Athlon II X3 chips in at a price point between $76 and $102, AMD hopes to have forged itself a lucrative little niche.
AMD is also boasting that its new Athlon II models - which run at speeds ranging from 2.2GHz to 2.8GHz- offer "full multimedia performance" whilst only sucking a low, low 45 watts of power. This is a rather significant improvement on current Athlon II chips which draw between 65 and 95 watts.
