Legit Reviews takes a closer look at the AMD Phenom triple-core processors which will be available in Q1 2008. Here's an excerpt:

Since AMD hasn't shown any benchmark numbers to the media, nor released what clock frequencies the triple-core Phenoms will be set to operate, a lot is up in the air. One thing is for certain though, AMD will be releasing these triple core processors and has them on the roadmap for Socket AM3 in 2009. Since AMD was so tight lipped about this launch it's sure to have been a bit of a curve ball for Intel. For months everyone was reporting on lackluster clock frequencies on Barcelona and Phenom, but all of a sudden AMD can pull off higher clocks, cut prices and has a triple-core offering. You, of course, lose a core, but do you really need four cores today? That's the point AMD is trying to drive home and if the price is right the marketing drive might win some people over. Which makes you think, if triple-core takes off and AMD's customers orders a ton of them, will AMD be able to keep up with the orders? AMD has said that Barcelona and Phenom yields are good, so if that isn't a lie they might have an issue with producing these in mass quantities. AMD would then be forced to either turn down sales or disable good quad-cores to fill orders. For some reason, I don't see AMD scavenging good quad-cores to sell less expensive parts to save sales. I guess we will find out what happens in 2008!

The VR-Zone crew says AMD has two triple-core Phenoms on its roadmap for March 2008. The two processors will be code-named "Troliman," and they will bear 7600 and 7700 model numbers. Clock speeds will be 2.3GHz for the 7600 and 2.5GHz for the 7700. Both chips will fit into Socket AM2 motherboards and sport 512KB of L2 cache per core, 2MB of shared L3 cache per chip, and 89W thermal envelopes.