Processors Toolkit

For AMD, the chips just keep on coming

John G. Spooner GameSpot Europe

Published: 15 Nov 2001 17:43 GMT

Advanced Micro Devices trotted out a new 1.2GHz Duron processor on Thursday, its second value-chip debut of the week.

The chip is AMD's latest processor option for low-price desktop PCs. It comes closely after AMD's 1.1GHz Duron, which launched on 1 October.

The 1.2GHz Duron matches rival Intel's recently introduced 1.2GHz Celeron in clock speed. However, AMD says its chip's performance outpaces both the 1.2GHz Celeron and certain low-end Intel Pentium 4 chips, when paired with DDR SDRAM (double data rate synchronous dynamic RAM) in a PC.

Though current new desktop Duron products from major PC makers are scarce -- probably because companies like Compaq Computer and Hewlett-Packard are juggling model lineups -- AMD says the new chip will be available from brand-name PC makers by the end of the year.

Meanwhile, it can be purchased through resellers or found at a number of smaller PC makers.

AMD lists the new 1.2GHz Duron at $103, the same introductory price of its 1.1GHz Duron, before a 29 October round of price cuts moved that chip's list price to $89.

Earlier this week, AMD announced a new mobile Duron chip for notebook PCs, running at 950MHz. That chip is available from Compaq, along with a 1.2GHz mobile Athlon 4 processor announced the same day.

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