AMD Dual-Core Opteron Pricing Revealed

AMD will begin pricing its dual-core Opteron processors at the same level as its high-end single-core versions, reports DigiTImes.

The entry-level Opteron 865 processor will be priced at US$1,514, the same level as the high-end single-core Opteron 852, while the 870 will be priced at US$2,149 and the 875 will be priced at US$2,649, according to the motherboard makers. Quotes for the 200 and 100 series will follow similar patters, the makers noted.

According to Hector Ruiz, CEO and Chairman of AMD, the company will launch the Opteron dual-core processors on April 21. The dual-core Opteron 800 and 200 series are expected this quarter and the 100 series will hit the market in the third quarter. Both the Opteron 200 and 800 series will probably be introduced at speeds of 1.80GHz, 2.0GHz and 2.20GHz with 95W thermal design power (TDP), according to Xbit Labs.

The Register says, “AMD’s approach is interesting, and commendable. Rather than shout “dual core!” at every turn, it’s simply relying on ever-higher model numbers to indicate higher performance. That’s as it should be. It doesn’t, after all, matter whether a system’s CPU has one core, two or more, as long as you know you’ve got the best-performing processor currently available.”