AMD (Advanced Micro Devices) Processors

The Bottom Line: AMD's new Phenom X4 9850 is overpriced and outclassed compared with its Intel-based quad-core competition. If PC vendors can use this chip to make cheap systems (as they did with older Phenoms), we might have nicer things to say, but as a DIY part at this price, we can't recommend AMD's latest quad-core CPU.

Specs: Processor, AMD Phenom X4 9850

The Bottom Line: AMD's new Phenom quad-core CPU has little to recommend it over competing chips from Intel. The Phenom is marginally less-expensive, but not enough to make up for its subpar performance. Unless AMD drops prices more aggressively, it looks like Intel will maintain its grasp on the CPU market for the foreseeable future.

Specs: Processor, AMD Phenom X4 9600

The Bottom Line: AMD's new Phenom quad-core CPU has little to recommend it over competing chips from Intel. The Phenom is marginally less expensive, but not enough to make up for its subpar performance. Unless AMD drops prices more aggressively, it looks like Intel will maintain its grasp on the CPU market for the foreseeable future.

Specs: Processor, AMD Phenom X4 9500

The Bottom Line: AMD's new high-end dual-core CPU offers plenty of bang for the buck, outpacing Intel's Pentium 965 Extreme Edition, which costs $200 more. Sounds like a good deal, but wait to see what Intel's next-gen Core 2 Duo chips have to offer when they debut later this year.

Specs: Processor, AMD Athlon 64 X2

The Bottom Line: AMD's Athlon 64 FX-62 helps usher in the new Socket AM2 chipset, but incremental performance gains make AMD look vulnerable to Intel's next-gen chips, due later this year.

Specs: Processor, AMD Athlon 64 FX FX-62

Editors' Take: Overclocking might give it fits, but at stock speeds, AMD's new dual-core elite chip is as fast as we had imagined.

Specs: Processor, AMD Athlon 64 FX FX-60

Specs: Processor, AMD Sempron LE-1250 Energy Efficient

Specs: Processor, AMD Phenom II X4 945

Specs: Processor, AMD Phenom II X2 545

Specs: Processor, AMD Athlon II X2 240