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AMD Releases New Athlon

AMD bumped up the performance of its Athlon XP line this week with the release of its 3200+ model.

The company's top-of-the-line 32-bit desktop processor includes a new 400-MHz front-side bus (FSB). AMD continues to hammer home its long-running theme that clockspeed cycles, the measure Intel uses to differentiate the performance of its latest chips, are meaningless.

“Many PC purchasers today are realizing that what they ultimately want is quicker software application response, and that often isn’t provided by simply increasing processor speed,” Toni Duboise, desktop PC industry analyst at ARS, said in a statement provided for AMD's announcement. “With improved architectural enhancements such as faster bus speeds, customers can get better performance from their software applications and that means a more enjoyable computer experience.”

The chip is available worldwide at a price of $464 each in 1,000-unit quantities. According to AMD, systems based on the processor are already available in North America and Europe.

About the Author

Scott Bekker is editor in chief of Redmond Channel Partner magazine.