Weekly CPU & Video Card Price Guide: December 2000 2nd Edition

Although the Thunderbird line of AMD processors remained relatively unchanged this week, they still are an excellent value compared to their Intel equivalents - especially the 1.0GHz part which is now selling for under $180. Those looking for the high-end 133MHz Thunderbird parts are out of luck again this week as they are still nowhere to be found outside of OEM systems.

Users looking to upgrade an older Slot-A based system can note that the higher speed "classic" Athlons have come down a bit in price. Most Slot-A motherboards can handle the high-end Athlons already or through a simple BIOS update. The 950MHz and 900MHz Athlons are an excellent choice for upgraders, as they have dropped a respectable $28, the largest drop in prices for AMD this week.

For budget minded consumers, AMD's Duron is still our preferred choice. Not only is the Duron cheaper clock-for-clock than a Celeron, but it also performs quite a bit better than its Intel counterpart. Those looking for a dirt-cheap processor and don't mind overclocking will definitely like the 650MHz part which sells for a mere $45.

However a low-cost processor does not always a mean low-cost system, especially in the Duron's case. The only motherboards available for the Duron are the same ones available for the Thunderbirds; most of which sell for over $120. There is currently no Intel i810 equivalent for AMD processors, so those looking for a truly low-cost system may have to look elsewhere, as SiS 730S and KM133 boards are not available just yet.

Readers yearning for even faster Duron processors need not worry. AMD's Duron 850MHz part should be announced any day now as it is already appearing at some OEM resellers for $109.

Related Reviews

Make sure you check out our latest Athlon and Duron reviews for more information.