Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), world's second largest chip maker, has launched new processors to add to its Athlon 64 line of products - FX-55 and 4000+.

AMD's FX-55 is a high-end chip, which will compete against Intel's Extreme Edition line of microprocessors while the Athlon 64 4000+ is more of a targeted chip that will compete against Intel's mainstream CPUs.

The FX-55 chip is equipped with 1MB of L2 cache at core clock speeds of 2.6GHz, making it the fastest chip in AMD's product line up. The 4000+ has similar architectural improvements like the FX-55, however, it is clocked to operate at 2.4GHz.

AMD's FX-55 processor will cost around $827 with Athlon 64 4000+ at $729 in 1,000 unit quantities. Intel, on the other hand, is charging consumers $999 for it's high-end chips.

It is clear that AMD has won the hearts of many hardcore computing enthusiasts with the performance their chips offer at much lower clock speeds, however, it is interesting to see that AMD is no longer the low-price crowd pleaser as it once was.