AMD has provided both basic and ultra fast versions of its desktop processor line with three new Phenoms. The chips have the same basic architect, but are designed intentionally for different users by frequency, power consumption and price. The Phenom X4 9950 Black Edition–now AMD’s fastest quad-core desktop CPU at 2.6GHz–is designed for enthusiasts and gamers. On the extreme side of the scale, the Phenom X4 9350e and Phenom X4 9150e are much slower (2.0GHz and 1.8GHz, respectively).

AMD has been promising faster clock speeds since September of 2007, but has been met with challenges that clearly slowed their execution. They have tried to reach 2.6GHz, AMD has boosted the TDP, a measure of the maximum power draw, to 140 watts. By comparison, the 2.5GHz 9850BE has a TDP of 125 watts.

HotHardware has posted some of the first numbers on the 9950BE, and the results are what you’d expect. It is slightly faster than the 9850BE, and offers similar performance to Intel’s 2.4GHz Core 2 Quad Q6600, but it still doesn’t match the performance of Intel’s faster Core 2 Quad and Core 2 Extreme chips, which extend to 3.2GHz. Like all BE versions, the 9950 is designed for easy overclocking using AMD’s OverDrive utility. HotHardware said it was able to crank the 9550BE to 3.1GHz using standard cooling.

You can get both the new 9550BE and 2.5GHz 9850BE at $235. AMD is expected to drop their prices for the 9850BE to $205.