AMD is attempting to set its record straight with the Phenom II series of 45 nm desktop processors. The company had started off its Dragon desktop platform with the introduction of its flagship CPU, the Phenom II X4 940. This processor however, is not compliant with the AM3 socket, and will not support DDR3 memory, unless an AM3 socket motherboard can provide DDR2 memory support. Come April 20, and AMD will have released its newest processor: Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition. Based on the 45 nm Deneb core, this processor supports AM3 socket motherboards, and DDR3 memory. It features a core clock speed of 3.20 GHz (16.0 x 200 MHz), 512 KB of L2 cache per core, and 6 MB of L3 cache. It is overclocker-friendly thanks to its unlocked bus multiplier, and the "massive headroom" AMD has been brandishing lately.

One of our sources from Hong Kong was able to make an early-purchase this processor in its retail "processor in a box" (PIB) package (marked with the OPN HDZ955FBGIBOX), from the Golden Computer Parts Center, who took a few snaps of the package. It could be bought for around HKD 2170 (US $280).This tells us a bit about what its global pricing and market placement could look like. A conservative estimate would put this processor at the US $250~275 range. This, bundled with its low platform costs, and the ability to run on existing AM2+ and new AM3 motherboards, could make this processor a competitive alternative to some of the higher Intel Core 2 Quad-based platforms.

On the motherboards front, both AMD and NVIDIA have AM3-DDR3 certified platforms ready. AMD has DDR3 motherboards based on most of its 7-series chipsets, while NVIDIA is providing nForce 750a SLI and the new nForce 980a SLI. Motherboard vendors are looking to keep target prices of their high-end motherboards under the $250 mark, as DDR3 memory has already seen a downslide in prices in the recent times. Phenom II X4 955 might be accompanied by Phenom II X4 945, though we are not sure if this carries the Black Edition branding, thus being a possible successor to the Phenom II X4 920. April 20 is the day to wait for, if you are in the market for a new machine, or simply looking to upgrade.