We're still waiting an official launch date for AMD's FX-Series processors, but over the weekend the first three models went up for pre-order at online retailer Shopblt.com. The chips in question include the six-core FX-6100 and two eight-core models, the FX-8120 and FX-8150, priced at $189, $222, and $269 respectively. That's lower than the previously rumored $300-$320 for AMD's top FX processor, and that price might even drop a bit more as pre-order prices are normally higher than launch prices.
By comparison, the Intel Core i7 2600 and 2600K are currently selling for $300 and $315. The FX-8150 is meant to compete with Intel's latest Sandy Bridge processors on the upper end of the market, but if the significantly lower price is any indication it's unlikely that AMD is going to beat Intel's chip in many situations.
In terms of specs the two eight-core processors feature 8MB of L2, 8MB of L3 cache and same 125W TDP. The faster FX-8150 is clocked at 3.6GHz, going up to 4.2GHz when Turbo Core kicks in, while the FX-8120 ticks at 3.1GHz with a Turbo Core frequency of up to 4GHz. As for the FX-6100, the six-core chip offers speeds between 3.3GHz and 3.9GHz, has 6MB of L2 cache, 8MB of L3 cache and a TDP of 95W.
Last week the company announced it had begun shipping Bulldozer-based Opteron processors for servers, including a 16-core variant, and that the first systems carrying the new chips would arrive next quarter. Their desktop counterparts were supposed to launch in Q3 2011 with the FX Series but the company is now saying these will launch in Q4.