An online retail store is taking orders for Advanced Micro Devices' upcoming 12-core Opteron processors, code-named Magny-Cours, ahead of the official launch.

Provantage is taking orders for Opteron X12 6100 series chips that run at clock speeds between 1.7GHz and 2.4GHz. The chips have 12 cores, with 16MB or 18MB of cache, and draw between 65 watts and 105 watts of power.

Chip prices range from $293 to $1,491 depending on clock speed, cache size and power. The most expensive chip is the Opteron X12 6176 SE processor, which runs at 2.3GHz, has 18MB of cache and draws 105 watts of power. It is priced at $1,491.

AMD did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the chips and pricing. The company has already started shipping Magny-Cours processors to server manufacturers, which will be announcing products as early as next week.

Full story: Computerworld