AMD has begun volume shipments of its triple-core Phenom processor to OEMs and product will be in stores by the end of the month. Just as it promised.

Now that's a good habit to form.

A company spokesman confirmed today that product is indeed shipping to OEMs this quarter, just as promised. The triple-core line will be sold under the brand name of Phenom 8000, in contrast with the quad-core Phenom 9000 that is already shipping.

AMD declined to say what we can expect for clock speeds, which OEMs are shipping them or what the prices of the machines will be, however. That's all planned for the formal launch later this month. Given that the triple-core is being positioned as a more affordable choice than quad-core, expect it to be a little slower, perhaps in the 2.1 to 2.2GHz range.

HP has 2.2GHz Phenom 9500 desktops in the $850-$950 range, while Gateway has 2.3GHz Phenom 9600 machines for around $1,000, so the Phenom 8000s will likely sell for less than that. AMD's dual core processors retain the Athlon name, which AMD had originally planned to retire with this new generation of processors but later decided to give it a stay of execution.