AMD Offers Faster Chips, Cuts Some Prices

Advanced Micro Devices Inc., Intel Corp.’s biggest rival in personal-computer processors, introduced faster chips for laptops and cheaper desktop PCs and cut prices on older products by as much as 49%.

Compaq Computer Corp. will use the new 1.1 gigahertz Athlon 4 and 900 megahertz Duron chip in some Presario-brand mobile PCs, Advanced Micro said. The chip maker also unveiled a 1 GHz Duron for inexpensive desktop PCs.

AMD introduced the Athlon 4 in May. That marked its first competitive offering for laptops in several months, since the company’s K6-2 lost popularity after being outperformed by Intel’s Pentium III.

Shares of Sunnyvale, Calif.-based AMD rose 7 cents to $14.46 on the New York Stock Exchange. Intel rose 13 cents to $28.20 on Nasdaq.