AMD debuts its fastest quad-core processor

It’s been a while since the last blast in the microprocessor wars. But Advanced Micro Devices took a shot at Intel tonight as it introduced its fastest quad-core desktop microprocessor, which serves as the four-headed brain of a PC.

The Sunnyvale, Calif.-based chip maker — an arch rival to the world’s biggest chip maker, Intel — is introducing its AMD Phenom II 980 Black Edition desktop processor today to target gamers and video freaks who care about high-definition entertainment.

It certainly shows that AMD keeps going after the high-value gamer segment in its unending war with Intel. But Anantech, a tech blog that rates chips, says there are eight Intel chips that are faster than the new AMD chip on various benchmark tests.

The new chip goes with AMD’s 8 series chipset and AMD Radeon HD 6000 series. It represents a bump upward in performance and a pricing cut. The chip runs at 3.7 gigahertz and has 2 megabytes of onboard-L2 cache memory. It sells for $195.

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Dean Takahashi

Dean Takahashi is editorial director for GamesBeat at VentureBeat. He has been a tech journalist since 1988, and he has covered games as a beat since 1996. He was lead writer for GamesBeat at VentureBeat from 2008 to April 2025. Prior to that, he wrote for the San Jose Mercury News, the Red Herring, the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, and the Dallas Times-Herald. He is the author of two books, "Opening the Xbox" and "The Xbox 360 Uncloaked." He organizes the annual GamesBeat Next, GamesBeat Summit and GamesBeat Insider Series: Hollywood and Games conferences and is a frequent speaker at gaming and tech events. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.