AMD launches Phenom II X2 550 for just $102

COMPUTEX 2009: At 3.1GHz this quad core dual core CPU should launch at an incredibly inexpensive $102. It has a 2.0GHz HTT clock 1MB L2 cache (512k per core) and a huge 6MB L3 cache, as well as support for AM2+ and AM3 sockets offering both DDR2 and DDR3 memory. Oh, and it’s a Black Edition too – so unlocked multiplier Overclocking is a go!

The actual CPU underneath is still a quad core product, but with just two cores disabled, so maybe the Phenom II X2 550 with the extra two hidden cores enabled thanks to Gigabyte’s efforts on its 785G (and other ACC supporting motherboards with SB710/SB750), could yield the cheapest 3.0GHz quad core platform out there!

In addition to the 550, the Athlon II X2 250 was also launched, offering similar specs to the 550, thoughit will run at a fractionally slower 3GHz core clock. It has 2GHz HTT, 1MB L2 cache (512k per core) and it supports both AM2+/AM3 sockets for DDR2 and DDR3.

The greatest change is that this is the first 45nm Athlon product and the only AM3 CPU with no L3 cache. At $87 it’s an extremely cheap 3GHz product, and despite not being a Black Edition unlocked product, we’re very keen to see its overclocking potential since it only has a 65W TDP.

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