In early August, Advanced Micro Devices is set to release a more affordable version of its Athlon 64 X2 dual core processor family, according to a report. While X2 series processors currently sell for $550 or more, AMD hopes to broaden its foothold in the mainstream dual core market with the new CPU.
AMD currently sells the 4200+ and 4600+ with 2x512KB L2 cache and the 4400+ and 4800+ with 2x1MB L2 cache. The proposed processer will be designated the 3800+, which leaves room for a possible 4000+ sometime in the near future to continue the alternating cache levels and core types with each model.
It is likely that AMD is introducing the 3800+ to compete with Intel"s 8xx series processors, which range in price from $241 to $530. The exact specifications of the 3800+ are not known at this time, but you can expect to see plenty of reviews and benchmarks from the budget line X2 CPU in the coming weeks. AMD had no comment on the report.