AMD would be releasing its desktop 45nm CPUs, starting with two models under the Phenom II X4 banner. At this point in time, there is a great deal of uncertainty about when AMD plans to stock retailers with the new CPUs. The company's own roadmaps pointed out to a Q1 2009 launch, with several sources reporting then, that an early January launch was likely, but now it seems unlikely according to sources, who suggest these processors to stock up in March or later.

Meanwhile, a slide showing what looks like the the company's performance projections for the Phenom II X4 940, made its way to Expreview. The Phenom II X4 940 quad-core processor (Black Edition variant) would serve as the company's flagship desktop processor in the months to come, until it gets a proper AM3 refresh, and taken over by Phenom II X4 945. In the slide, the Phenom II X4 940 is pitted against two seemingly mainstream quad-core processors by Intel: Core 2 Quad Q9300 and Core 2 Quad Q9400. A percentage comparison in the gaming performance across some games and 3DMark06 is shown.With 3DMark06, the Intel processors are projected up to 20% slower, while the gaps widen with the three games: Lost Planet, Quake 4, and Unreal Tournament 3 (CTF-corebot). It is interesting to note AMD using Q9x00 processors as the competitor-reference in its projection charts. It should give us an idea about which Intel processor ends up matching the X4 940. AMD has already demonstrated overclocking potential never before seen for an AMD processor, with the Phenom II series.