14 DAY TRIAL // Later this month, Sunnyvale, California-based AMD is expected to announce a couple of new products, including the highly anticipated Phenom II X4 955, a new 45nm, quad-core processor designed to provide computer enthusiasts with a factory-set clock speed of 3.2GHz. The CPU will become AMD's new Phenom II flagship and will likely compete with some similar products in Intel's offering, including the lowest-clocked Nehalem-based Core i7 920 CPU. However, the chip maker will also position its new processor as a competitor for one of Intel's other CPUs, part of the company's Core 2 Quad family.
According to a recent article on Fudzilla, the upcoming 3.2GHz Phenom II X4 955 CPU will be priced below the €250 mark, which means it could become a serious competitor for Intel's Core i7 920, currently priced at around €250. In addition, the 955 could also provide users with an alternative for Intel's Core 2 Quad Q9550, which is also priced at around €250.
In terms of performance, AMD's considerably higher-clocked Phenom II X4 955 has the potential to give the two Intel CPUs a run for their money, although that is yet to be confirmed by upcoming reviews, upon launch. According to previous details, the Phenom II X4 955 will be clocked at 3.2GHz and featuring a cache level of 8MB with a TDP of 125W. Despite the higher core frequency of the 955, computer enthusiasts will be given the opportunity to further increase the core speed through overclocking.
AMD is expected to officially unveil its new Phenom II X4 955 CPU later this month, by which time we should know more on the processor's numbers and its performance in comparison with competitive products on the market. In addition, with the launch of the 955, we will also know how close AMD is to finally giving Intel a run for its money.