2.5Ghz first quarter 2008.
3.0Ghz second quarter 2008.

"The problem is, and I hate to ruin the surprise here, Phenom isn't
faster than Intel's Core 2 Quad clock for clock. In other words, a
2.3GHz Phenom 9600 will set you back at least $283 and it's slower
than a 2.4Ghz Core 2 Quad Q6600, which will only cost you $269. And
you were wondering why this review wasn't called The Return of the
Jedi."

"If you were looking for a changing of the guard today it's just not
going to happen. Phenom is, clock for clock, slower than Core 2 and
the chips aren't yet yielding well enough to boost clock speeds above
what Intel is capable of. While AMD just introduced its first 2.2GHz
and 2.3GHz quad-core CPUs today, Intel previewed its first 3.2GHz quad-
core chips. We were expecting Intel to retain the high end performance
crown, but also expected AMD to chip away at the lower end of the quad-
core market - today's launch confirms that Intel is still the king of
the quad-core market."

And I hope that AMD's new CPU 2009 will be released close after intels
nehalem.
luckily they have a good GPU.
Phenom at 3Ghz is enough to survive in the CPU market but barely.

I don't like seeing AMD like this. Right now, I think the only option
they're going to have is to beat Intel by price.

The GPU market looks very good for AMD
nvidia has no answer for the 3850 product.
3870 is a bit slower than the GT but it is also cheaper to build, and
3870x2 is just around the corner. But you can actually already buy two
3870 GPUs.

You might want to do a little reading.  The 8800 GT is not only the
answer, but trumps the 3850 and 3870.  Don't get me wrong, both are
great choices but AMD isn't holding an Ace in this column as you
suggest.

http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3151&p=12

"Without a doubt, AMD is back in the graphics game. When the Radeon HD
2900 XT launched, we couldn't be more surprised at how poorly the
product did. The lack of competition allowed NVIDIA to sit back and
relax as the orders for more 8800-based product kept on flowing in.
While the Radeon HD 3870 isn't faster than the GeForce 8800 GT, if AMD
can hit its price point, it is a viable alternative if you're looking
to save money.

AMD is in a lot of trouble however if the 8800 GT pricing/availability
problem does get worked out; the 8800 GT does offer better performance-
per-watt and better performance in general, at the same price the
decision is clear, but luckily for AMD the two don't appear to be
selling at the same price."