Advanced Micro Processors released earlier today its new Phenom II desktop models series, which includes the company’s first triple-core Phenom II processors.

The new models are the 2.5 - GHz Phenom II X4 805; the 2.6 - GHz X4 810; and the 2.6 - GHz X4 910, which are accompanied, just as mentioned above, by AMD’s first triple-core processors, the 2.6 - GHz Phenom II X3 710 and the new 2.8 - GHz X3 720 "Black Edition."

"The AM3 differences there are very minor," explained David Schwarzbach, one of AMD’s senior marketing managers. "You can take an AM3-packaged processor, slip it into am AM2+ socket with BIOS upgrade, and in with the vast majority of channel boards, your system will work immediately," he added. The company offers on its official Web site a list of compatible AM2+ motherboards, in order to assist the customers who want to make sure that their motherboards will be compatible with the new processors.

For those wondering about the differences between the 800 series and the 900 series, the amount of cache is the most significant one, which translates into different performance results: the 900 series contains 8 Mbytes of total cache, 6 Mbytes of which is allocated as level-3 cache. The 800 series contains 6 Mbytes of cache, 4 of which is allocated as L3 cache, according to what Mr. Schwarzbach explained.  

The company is looking to present a better offer on this segment than its rival Intel. For example, the Phenom II X3 720 is available for $145 (£99) against Intel’s Core 2 Duo E8400 which costs $165 (£113).