AMD has introduced new dual-core desktop processors aimed at the value end of the consumer market. Available now, the new Athlon X2 7000 series are the company's first dual core chips based on its Phenom quad design, which means they have three levels of cache and support the faster HyperTransport 3.0 bus.
The new series comprises the 2.5GHz Athlon X2 7550, which will be available only to system builders, and the 2.7GHz Athlon X2 7750 'Black Edition' with an unlocked multiplier for improved overclocking priced at $79 - check out some benchmarks here. Both processors include 512KB of L2 cache per core and a shared L3 cache of 2 MB. The chips are part of AMD's latest Cartwheel platform aimed at the budget market, which also includes the AMD 780G chipset and ATI Radeon 3200 integrated graphics.