The Inquirer says AMD is readying some rather substantial price cuts across its Socket AM2 line of processors. According to distributor prices obtained by the site, Athlon 64 3000+, 3200+, 3500+, and 3800+ chips will drop to $89, $99, $109, and $139, respectively. If genuine, those figures will be up to twice as low as those in AMD's current price list, which shows prices of $189 and $290 for the 3500+ and 3800+. The Inq doesn't have any juicy numbers for Athlon 64 X2 dual-core processors, but the site does insist that AMD's entire Socket AM2 lineup will see prices slashed.
Such drastic price cuts would likely be a response to similar aspirations from Intel. Late last month, HKEPC reported that Intel would drop prices across its Pentium D, Pentium 4, and Celeron D lines come July 23. Most Pentium D chips are reportedly expected to fall around or below the $200 mark, with the 2.8 GHz 820 model due to sink from its currently listed (PDF) $209 down to $113. Meanwhile, the Pentium 4 line will supposedly top out at $183 with the 3.6 GHz Pentium 4 661, which Intel currently lists at a whopping $401. If HKEPC and The Inquirer have their facts straight, this summer could be quite an opportune time for a system upgrade.
