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• Athlon II X4 620 Athlon II X4 620 Codename: Propus Process: 45nm CPU Cores: 4 Clock Speed: 2.6 GHz Socket: AM3 L1 Cache:   4 x 128KB L2 Cache:   4 x 512KB HyperTransport: 4,000 MHzThermal Envelope: 95W Athlon II X4 620 Quad... Newegg.com $99.00 Directron $104.99 Amazon.com $110.02 We'll start with the new Athlon II X4 620, the first quad-core CPU to appeal to the masses at $100. Based on AMD's Phenom II architecture (but stripped of the large L3 cache) the Athlon II X4 has lots of multi-threading potential. However, at the same time, its lack of shared cache and a relatively low clock speed of 2.6 GHz could prove to be a performance bottleneck. Of course, if you'd like more information on the Athlon II X4 620, please feel free to check out our review of the processor. And if you want a better idea of how this CPU performs in applications other than games, we have a more in-depth look at the importance of L3 cache to AMD's architecture. Phenom II X3 710 Phenom II X3 710 Codename: Heka Process: 45nm CPU Cores: 3 Clock Speed: 2.6 GHz Socket: AM3 L1 Cache: 3 x 128KB L2 Cache: 3 x 512KB L3 Cache: 6MB HyperTransport: 4,000 MHzThermal Envelope: 95W Phenom II X3 710... Amazon.com $128.08 It is somewhat amusing that the Phenom II X3 710 is based on the same architecture as the Athlon II X4 620, runs at the exact same clock speed and HyperTransport speed, and costs about the same price. However, there are two big differences: the Phenom II X3 710 lacks a fourth CPU core and it retains the Phenom II line's 6MB of L3 cache. Given the Phenom II X3's larger Deneb foundation and price point dangerously close to the Athlon II X4, don't be surprised if AMD decides to stop manufacturing these chips in the near future. From an economics perspective, it simply doesn't make sense for the company to continue selling these more complex processors when it has a potential winner in the L3 cacheless Athlon II. Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition Codename: Callisto Process: 45nm CPU Cores: 2 Clock Speed: 3.1 GHz Socket: AM3 L1 Cache: 2 x 128KB L2 Cache: 2 x 512KB L3 Cache: 6MB HyperTransport: 4,000 MHzThermal Envelope: 80W Phenom II X2 550 Dual... Newegg.com $102.00 PC Connection $119.76 Directron $104.99 Compuvest $110.93 By now, we see that AMD is solely to blame for the cluttered $100 CPU landscape, with its third processor in this category: the Phenom II X2 550 BE. Granted, blame might be a bit strong, but with so many similarly-performing derivatives and pressure from Intel's Core 2 family bearing down, there's certainly a lot of price compression going on in AMD's portfolio. This model maintains the L3 cache expected from a Phenom II, but gives up the X3 710's third core. In exchange, it gets a major clock speed bump to 3.1 GHz. As a bonus, this Black Edition CPU also sports an overclocker's aid: an unlocked CPU multiplier. Dual-Core Pentium E6500 Dual-Core Pentium E6500 Codename: Wolfdale-2M Process: 45nm CPU Cores: 2 Clock Speed: 2.93 GHz Socket: LGA 775L2 Cache: 2MBFront Side Bus: 1,066 MHzThermal Envelope: 65W With the dual-core Pentium E6500, we finally have an Intel entry in the fray (although, admittedly, the price has fallen a few dollars short of the $100 target). At 2.93 GHz, it's not quite as fast as the 3.1 GHz Phenom II X2 550, it doesn't have an unlocked multiplier, and it sports significantly less on-die cache memory. Still, Core 2-based CPUs have done well against Phenom II models on a clock-for-clock basis, so it will be interesting to see if the Intel entry can pose a threat to the variety of AMD CPUs at this price point.

• Athlon II X3 435: AMD's Three-Core, 2.9 GHz, $87 Triple-Threat

  After the launch of the Athlon II X2 and Athlon II X4 CPUs, it would be difficult to feign surprise at the introduction of the new Athlon II X3. We all knew it was coming, we even mentioned the upcoming X3 flavor of Athlon II in our Athlon II X4 620 launch story. Athlon II X2 Dual Core... Newegg.com $76.00 Directron $72.99 CDW.com $99.99 While the shock and awe might have been spoiled, the Athlon II X3 certainly isn't. AMD's vanguard model is the Athlon II X3 435, and it combines two very compelling components: a relatively high clock speed of 2.9 GHz (that's 100 MHz faster than the top-of-the-line Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition), and a relatively low MSRP of $87. AMD already has the sub-$120 CPU market sewn up with a glut of Athlon IIs and Phenom II X2s and X3s, but at under $90, does the new Athlon II X3 435 offer the best value in the bunch? Let's find out.

• There is really nothing new to talk about when it comes to the X3 flavor of the Athlon II. AMD is simply leveraging the existing quad-core Athlon II die to fit into another market segment by disabling one of the four CPU cores on-board. The triple-core version of the Athlon II die is code-named 'Rana.' Leveraging the same architechture means that the Athlon II X3 will have similar per-core specifications as the Athlon II X4 with which we're already familiar: 128KB of L1 cache per core, 512KB of L2 cache per core, and none of the shared L3 cache from the premium Phenom II family. Of course, the new Athlon II X3s retain the same great AM3 upgradeability; they can be used on older AM2+ motherboards as an upgrade option, or on a brand new AM3 motherboard. While the specifications are old hat, what might pique your interest is the price/performance ratio of the new Athlon II X3 lineup, specifically the new 435 model CPU: Athlon II X3 and Phenom II X3 Product Lineup - Standard ModelsCPU:Athlon II X3 425Athlon II X3 435Phenom II X3 710Phenom II X3 720Black EditionCodename:RanaRanaHekaHekaProcess:45nm45nm45nm45nmCPU Cores:3333Multiplier:13.514.51314 (unlocked)Clock Speed:2.7 GHz2.9 GHz2.6 GHz2.8 GHzSocket:AM2+/AM3AM2+/AM3AM2+/AM3AM2+/AM3L1 Cache:3 x 128KB3 x 128KB3 x 128KB3 x 128KBL2 Cache:3 x 512KB3 x 512KB3 x 512KB3 x 512KBL3 Cache:N/AN/A6MB6MBHypertransport:4,000 MHz4,000 MHz4,000 MHz4,000 MHzThermal Envelope:95W95W95W95WPrice:$76 (MSRP)$87 (MSRP)$100 (Newegg)$119 (Newegg) Here is where things get really interesting. We already know that, at $120, the Phenom II X3 720 BE is one of the best performing CPUs for the money. We also know that the shared L3 cache featured by the Phenom II models is nice to have, but it doesn't always offer a notable clock-for-clock performance increase over the Athlon II family. Phenom II X3 720... Newegg.com $119.00 Compuvest $131.26 Directron $139.99 CDW.com $162.99 Isn't it compelling, then, that the new Athlon II X3 435 has a 100 MHz clock speed advantage over its Phenom II X3 720 predecessor, yet costs only three-quarters of the price? Surely that 100 MHz clock speed advantage will offset a good portion of the L3 cache disadvantage. We strongly suspect this combination of triple-cores, high clocks, and low price will result in a three-punch knockout (though it's still unclear whether Intel will be the sole recipient, or if there will be collateral damage in AMD's lineup as well). We'll have to wait for the benchmarks to confirm that, but before we do we have a handful of new CPU models from AMD to look at--the new low-power variants designed to fill holes in the company's portfolio.