Advanced Micro Devices cut prices Friday on its Athlon XP and Duron processors for both desktop and notebook PCs.
The chipmaker shaved up to 20 percent off prices for Athlon XP chips in an effort to make AMD-based PCs more attractive to buyers, a company representative said. AMD's last price cut was in late May.
Price cuts on desktop chips ranged from a 20 percent cut on the Athlon XP 2100+, which went from US$224 to US$180, to a 5 percent cut on the Athlon XP 2200+, which dropped from US$241 to US$230.
AMD also lowered the price on its Athlon XP 2000+ by 16 percent, from US$193 to US$163. The Athlon XP 1900+ chip fell 13 percent, from US$172 to US$150; the Athlon XP 1800+ dropped 11 percent, from US$160 to US$142; and the price of the Athlon XP 1700+ was shaved 7 percent, from US$140 to US$130. AMD's Athlon XP 1600+ desktop chip stayed at US$130.
AMD's price drops reflect chips purchased in 1,000 unit lots. Prices for Athlons sold individually by retailers often vary widely from these list prices, based on chip supply, and are often much lower. Prices for the Athlon XP 2200+ chip, for example, ranged from US$202 to US$250 or more Friday afternoon, according to Web site Pricewatch.com.
AMD made fewer cuts on the mobile Athlon XP. It held the line on its new mobile Athlon XP 1800+, which lists for US$335. But it did lower the price of its mobile Athlon XP 1700+ by 11 percent, from US$235 to US$210, and cut the mobile Athlon XP 1600+ by 4 percent, from US$192 to US$185. The company kept prices on the mobile Athlon XP 1400+ and 1500+ chips the same at US$150 and US$175, respectively.
AMD's biggest price reductions of the week came on its mobile Duron chip. Pricing on that chip, aimed at low-cost notebooks, was lowered by up to 26 percent. The price on AMD's 1.3GHz mobile Duron was sliced by 10 percent, from US$134 to US$120. The largest cut, 26 percent, dropped the 1.2GHz mobile Duron from US$120 to US$89. The 1.1GHz mobile Duron was reduced by 22 percent, from US$89 to US$69.
AMD also sliced the prices of its 1.3GHz and 1.2GHz desktop Duron chips by 11 percent, from US$72 to US$64, and by 6 percent, from US$68 to US$64, respectively.
Price cuts on its Athlon MP 1800+, 1900+, 2000+ and 2100+ chips for workstations and servers ranged from 14 percent to 16 percent. The chips, which once sold in the range of US$192 to US$262, now list for US$166 to US$224. AMD also dropped the price on the Athlon MP 1600+ by 3 percent, from US$154 to US$150.
Intel, AMD's main competitor, is not expected to cut prices for a few more weeks, when it's expected to introduce a new 2.8GHz Pentium 4 for desktop PCs.
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