AMD to release unlocked Athlon X2 5000+

AMD is throwing a treat to the enthusiast crowd, with a recent addition to the Athlon 64 X2 processor line. While this new “Black Edition” X2 5000+ processor does not have any performance gains from their existing X2 5000+ units, there is one feature it has over other Athlons that really makes it stand out.

That is, of course, AMD unlocking the multiplier on these CPUs, letting anyone tinker with clock speeds as much as they want. That alone makes it an attractive CPU if you are one who likes to tinker. What makes it more attractive is the price, at least that's what they are claiming.

This certainly is not as exciting as a Phenom release, but I am glad to see AMD reaching out to enthusiasts without the intention of robbing them blind. I also hope they continue to make this a pattern - given the choice, I'd take a CPU that lets me change the multiplier over one that has higher performance at a locked speed.