Is New Chip AMD's Last Stand?

The Buzz: So what's up with AMD these days? Intel's main competition faces a steep climb as it looks to regain a bit of the desktop performance supremacy that it enjoyed in pre-Core 2 Duo days. But with a new, forward-looking architecture (Barcelona) and desktop processor (a line of chips recently branded Phenom) set to launch in the latter half of the year, AMD may not be done yet.

The company plans to release both dual- and quad-core versions of Phenom, with the quad-core processor built on a single die, unlike Intel's current quad-core offerings. In addition, an AMD enthusiast platform called FASN8 would employ a new AMD chip set, a motherboard that includes sockets for one or two Phenom chips, and a pair of the latest graphics boards from AMD's ATI Radeon HD 2000 series.

Bottom Line: It's been a while since I've seen a lead lost as dramatically as AMD's on the desktop--and I'm a Cubs fan. AMD has a lot riding on Phenom, and with Intel's Penryn set to launch in volume early next year, it may not have much of a window.