AMD is planning to launch B3 stepping quad-core Phenom 9050 series CPUs including 9850, 9750, 9650, 9550 and 9150 within the next 1-2 weeks, however the top-end 9850 will only reach a core frequency of 2.5GHz, instead of the original goal of 2.6Ghz. The company expects to be able to deliver higher core frequencies in the third quarter this year, according to sources at motherboard makers.
AMD will later launch triple-core Phenom 8750, 8650 and 8450 CPUs with power consumption of 65W in late April. Prior to that, the company will launch the Athlon 64 X2 5800+ to fill the gap in the mainstream market, noted the sources.