AMD

Ok, maybe a bi-monthly update wasn't in the stars for FiringSquad. The CPU Price Guide finally makes its appearance almost a full month since the last one. (At least it's a multiple of two weeks.) Either way, good things have happened - many new CPUs and many, many price drops.

AMD Prices

AMD CPUs
CPU	Current	10/08/01	Change	Shop	Rating
Athlon XP 1900+/1.60 GHz	$275	-	N/A	NewEgg	6.5/7
Athlon XP 1800+/1.53 GHz	$196	$230	-34	TCWO	6.0/7
Athlon XP 1700+/1.47 GHz	$146	$173	-27	TCWO	6.0/7
Athlon XP 1600+/1.40 GHz	$115	$163	-48	TCWO	6.0/7
Athlon XP 1500+/1.33 GHz	$116	$125	-9	TCWO	6.0/7
Athlon MP 1800+/1.53 GHz	$268	-	N/A	NewEgg	6.5/7
Athlon MP 1600+/1.40 GHz	$190	-	N/A	NewEgg	6.5/7
Athlon MP 1500+/1.33 GHz	$172	-	N/A	NewEgg	6.5/7
Athlon 1.2 GHz MP	$161	$161	0	NewEgg	6.5/7
Athlon 1.4 GHz 266 FSB	$120	$99	+21	NewEgg	6.5/7
Athlon 1.33GHz 266 FSB	$93	$92	+1	TCWO	6.0/7
Athlon 1.2 GHz 266 FSB	$86	$83	+3	TCWO	6.0/7
Athlon 1.0 GHz 266 FSB	$66	$73	-7	TCWO	6.0/7
Duron 1.1 GHz	$93	-	N/A	Monarch	5.6/7
Duron 1GHz	$64	$70	-6	TCWO	6.0/7
Duron 950 MHz	$48	$53	-5	TCWO	6.0/7
Duron 900 MHz	$43	$48	-5	TCWO	6.0/7
Duron 850 MHz	$35	$41	-6	TCWO	6.0/7
Duron 800 MHz	$32	$34	-2	TCWO	6.0/7
Duron 750 MHz	$29	$29	0	TCWO	6.0/7

Comments

A month ago we only had a few XP CPUs in the list; that has changed quite a bit. AMD released a whole host of new CPUs for us to play with. The new XP processor has a quirky naming scheme harkening to the days of the Pentium Rating, or PR. The new numbers are supposed to show how the processor will perform; the actual processor speed isn't part of the name any more. For instance, the Athlon XP 1900+ is actually running at a speed of 1.6 GHz. Fear not, as long as we still know how fast the processor is going, we're still doing good.

There a quite a few differences in this new breed of CPU, should you need some enlightenment take a look at our reviews of the Athlon XP. On a side note, you might need a new motherboard to use these CPUs. Older KT133A boards will most likely not work with the XP. Some newer versions of KT133A boards will work however, those made in the last month or two. Boards based on the KT266A and SiS735 should all work flawlessly.

Since we first saw the Athlon XP, the prices have plummeted. Our suggested sweet spot would be the Athlon XP 1600+. With CPU prices dropping so fast, it might not be worth picking up the flagship, which costs nearly three times as much, while only offering a twelve percent difference in MHz. The extra $200 could be better spent on a faster drive subsystem or video card. Likewise, the 1700+ and 1800+ offer only slight increases in speed over the 1600+, while bumping the price up by almost $50 at each step.

The Thunderbirds are not worth buying any more, unless you have an older system that cannot handle the newer XP processor. In which case the 1.2 or 1.33 GHz might be the right choice if you do not want to replace the motherboard just yet. The 1.4 GHz CPU is no longer worth the cost, as it jumped a whopping $20 in price.

In the Duron scene we have a new comer, the 1.1 GHz Duron. Once again for those on an extreme budget, it's hard to go wrong with the Duron. With most of them costing in the sub $50 range, they are really hard to beat. On a side note, even though we stopped listing Athlons below the 1.0 GHz range, they still exist. Some of the prices on those have dipped into the Duron range; you might want to take a look at those depending on your situation.