Weekly CPU & Video Card Price Guide: January 2001 1st Edition

Prices in the Thunderbird category have shown little change this week. The 1.0GHz Thunderbird is the best overall processor in terms of price and performance, especially when compared to Intel's counterpart. Another hot deal is the 850MHz part which is very close to the $100 mark. Those looking for AMD's high end 133MHz line of Thunderbirds are out of luck once again as they are still nowhere to be found this week.

If you are still using an older Slot-A based system looking to upgrade then the "classic" Athlons might be your answer. The 950MHz part is an excellent value at just under $140. Most Slot-A boards can be made to use the higher speed Athlons with a simple BIOS upgrade.

Even with Intel's new 800MHz Celeron out on the market, the AMD Duron is still a better buy in terms of price and performance. This week, the new Duron 850MHz parts have started showing up on the market in larger numbers. However because this processor is so new its price is quite high compared the other Durons. For those who don't mind overclocking, the Duron 650MHz can now be found at around $40 and will probably hit 850-950 MHz easily.

However a low-cost processor does not always mean a 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.

Related Reviews

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