AMD samples 1.5GHz Athlon 4

Desktop PC Palominos gallop on

AMD has begun sampling its 1.4GHz and 1.5GHz Athlon 4 processors based on the company's new Palomino core.

The chips, designed for desktop PCs, are due to ship in volume early next quarter, but chipset vendors have now received pre-release silicon for testing, Taiwanese Web site DigiTimes reports.

The site's moles claim AMD reckons chipset vendors - the usual suspects are Acer Labs, VIA and SIS - will be able to complete their designs by the end of the month, presumably then allowing them sufficient time to get volumes cranked up for a July release alongside the processors themselves.

That said, AMD has apparently given no indication as to when it will put the 1.4GHz and 1.5GHz parts into volume production. From the company's roadmap and other sources, an early Q3 release seems the most likely launch point.

With a 2GHz Pentium 4 due in the same timeframe, AMD clearly wants chipset vendors to get a move on. It announced the mobile version of the Athlon 4 - along with Durons based on the same core - yesterday, and is expected to unveil a server/workstation version of the chip shortly. ®

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