Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD), on Thursday shipped triple-core desktop processors that the company hopes to slip in a price-performance slot between dual-core and quad-core available from rivalIntel (NSDQ: INTC).

While not as powerful as the quad-core processors, AMD Phenom X3 series 8000 should provide a significant improvement compared to dual-core chips in the games and playing high-definition content in the PC. Accordingly, the chips may be good enough for fans who do not want to pay more for a product quad-core.

AMD is first shipment X3 8400 and 8600 makers X3 computer processors, AMD Jake Whitman, a spokesman said. The chips will be available to individuals through retailers at the end of April. Pricing will be around $ 150 for the 2.1 GHz-8400 and about $ 175 for 2.3 GHz-8600. The lowest price AMD quad-core processors Phenom, the 2.2-GHz 9500 and 9550, sell for $ 209. 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Q6600 quad-core sells for about $ 250 at retail.

“(X3) fits really well between two and four hearts,” said Whitman.

AMD has linked the X3 8400 and 8600 processors X3 with its 780G chipset series. Together, the platform provides smooth HD display movies in Blu-ray format, AMD said. Supported video include standards relating to the H.264 video compression, MPEG-2 for generic coding of moving pictures and associated audio information, and VC-1, a video codec standard originally developed by Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT).

In addition, the platform supports DirectX 10, the latest 3-D graphics technology from Microsoft. DirectX 10 is exclusive to Windows Vista. The players seek to increase the performance of the triple-core AMD platform can add a graphics card ATI discrete AMD’s division.

The first system with a processor Phenom X3 will be an office Affinity ZT Systems. The computer will feature a team of processor 8400 and the first March 31 on QVC Computer Shop during the television broadcast, AMD said.

With the shipment of its products triple-core, AMD has launched four high-end X4 Phenom quad-core processors, led by the 2.5 GHz Black Edition 9850, which will be sold for $ 235. Others include the 2.4 GHz-9750, $ 215; 2.3 GHz-9650, $ 215, and 2.2 GHz-9550, $ 209. With the exception of 9550, prices take effect on April 7.

If paired with AMD in the series of 790 chipsets, processors support up to four ATI Radeon 3800 series HD graphics cards.
Finally, on Thursday, AMD shipped to makers desktop energy efficient four processor cores, the 9100th Phenom X4. While the four quad-core chips listed above consume 95 watts to 125 watts, the 9100th uses 65 watts of power. The processor is coupled with an AMD 780 chipset series for playing Blu-ray and delivery graphic enough for casual gamers and multimedia enthusiasts, AMD said.