A few weeks ago we wrote about AMD's upcoming 45W desktop parts, but we were not sure when they would be introduced. It now appears that AMD will start shipping the new processors next week, so let's take a look at some of the specs and prices.

The Athlon II X2 245e is a Regor-based processor clocked at 2.9GHz with a 45W TDP. It will sell for €79 and some time later AMD will also introduce a 3GHz part, dubbed 250e. On another note, next week AMD will also start shipping the 3.2GHz Athlon II X2 260. It should cost around €75 and it has a 65W TDP.

For €100 you can get a tri-core Athlon II X3 415e, clocked 2.5GHz. It's based on the Rana core and like the rest of the 'e' series Athlons it features a 45W TDP. A new 45W quad-core is also on the way. The 610e is based on the Propus core and it's clocked at 2.5GHz. It's currently listed at around €140, but we believe it should sell for a bit less once it launches, as the 2.4GHz 605e is available for under €100.

In fact, you should take all the prices with a grain of salt, as they will probably be somewhat lower post launch. Over the next several months AMD will introduce slightly faster iterations of its current 45nm processors, but no new designs will appear until late 2010. To put it simply, AMD will increase clock speeds across its desktop range by 100MHz per quarter, more or less.