Despite of the fact that Advanced Micro Devices is not going to launch its highly-anticipated 2.60GHz quad-core processor until the second half of the year, it will still offer higher-performance AMD Phenom model in April 2008.

Back in early February a source familiar with the plans of AMD revealed that AMD Phenom processor models 9550 (2.20GHz), 9650 (2.30GHz) and 9750 (2.40GHz) based on the new stepping will be released commercially in April. Various media reports now suggest that along with the launch of the new microprocessors AMD will also release model 9850 at 2.50GHz clock-speed.

The new microprocessors are based on the new B3 core stepping and should generally have a little higher performance due to the lack of the well-known TLB erratum compared to AMD Phenom models 9500 and 9600 available now.

AMD originally promised to release its Phenom 9700 and 9900 processors at 2.40GHz and 2.60GHz in early 2008, but after the company discovered its TLB erratum the chipmaker reconsidered its release schedule. As a consequence, the 2.60GHz model is now due only in Q3 2008.

Even though AMD Phenom 9850 at 2.50GHz will hardly provide breakthrough performance, it will allow AMD to offer more competitive product and either preserve or increase its average selling prices (ASP).

AMD did not comment on the news-story.