AMD has debuted its $99 dual-core 3.2GHz Phenom II X2 555 Black Edition processor for overclockers.
The company also expanded its line-up of Phenom II and and Athlon II chips, including the Athlon II X4 635 which offers optimized quad-core performance for multi-threaded applications.
AMD spokesperson Simon Solotko told TG Daily that overclocking is an “extreme sport” which offers a valuable “sneak peek” into the future of computing.
“Why do they do it? Some face economic difficulty and want to squeeze as much performance out of the chip as they can. Others want a challenge. Whatever the reason, there are at least 15,000 dedicated overclockers who take their work very seriously,” explained Solotko.
“We at AMD have done our level best to accommodate the community by removing the barriers that have traditionally prevented overclocking. These people do lots of great work, but unfortunately, overclockers typically make less in a year than a tennis star does for one game. To us, though, overclockers are the heros of the HPC world.”
Additional pricing and specs include:
| CPU Name | TDP | Frequency | 1ku Price |
| AMD Athlon™ II X2 255 | 65 W | 3.1 GHz | $74 |
| AMD Athlon™ II X3 440 | 95 W | 3.0 GHz | $84 |
| AMD Athlon™ II X4 635 | 95 W | 2.9 GHz | $119 |
| AMD Phenom™ II X2 555 | 80 W | 3.2 GHz | $99 |
| AMD Phenom™ II X4 910e | 65 W | 2.6 GHz | $169 |
