Final Thoughts & Conclusion
Today, AMD announced two new exciting 45nmdual-core processors that are sure to impress any enthusiast. The overclocking results alone were insane and this was just with moderate air cooling, so who knows what will happen when the temperatures go lower and more voltage is put to these processors. For the tuner/enthusiast these processors should give hours of enjoyment as they are easy overclockers and the choice of motherboards for them are plentiful.
When it comes to pricing, you have two very fast dual-core processors that can overclock up to 4GHz and possibly beyond for either $87 or $102. The price-versus-value on these two processors is tremendous to say the least. Combine that with relatively inexpensive motherboards like the $84.99 Gigabyte GA-MA770T-UD3P, and you have a very competitive platform.
Let's price together an example core platform to show how much an AMD Athlon II X2 250 would cost with a motherboard and DDR3 memory kit:
- $87 AMD Athlon II X2 250 3.0GHz dual-core Processor
- $85 Gigabyte GA-MA770T-UD3P Motherboard
- $59 Kingston 4GB DDR3 1333MHz Memory Kit
The cost adds up to just $231, which isn't that bad considering more expensive DDR3 memory is being used. If you wanted to use an AMD Socket AM2+ motherboard and a 4GB DDR2 1066Mhz memory kit, you could easily bring the cost of this core platform down to under $200. System builders around the world are going to love the price point of this platform and how robust it really is. With great dual-core performance numbers, plenty of motherboards around, and solid overclocking results, there isn't a reason these shouldn't sell great.
The AMD Athlon II X2 250 and AMD Phenom II X2 550 are clock-for-clock slower than the Intel Core 2 Duo E8500, but keep in mind that the E8500 still retails for $189 on the market today. You can easily build a core system for less than that if you really looked around.
Legit Bottom Line: The AMD Athlon II X2 250 and Phenom II X2 550 are two 45nm dual-core processors that pack a powerful punch for those looking for a mainstream PC.
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