Why arent the new AM3 CPUs called Phenom III?

As you may have spotted, AMD has today launched a range of DDR3 Phenom II processors. These new CPUs plug into the new AM3 socket. So why not just call the new range of CPUs Phenom IIIs? That would be nice and clear: AM3, DDR3, Phenom III – job done.

As it is, AMD has created an incredibly confusing situation. It now has some Phenom II CPUs that are DDR3 compatible and some that aren’t. And it hasn’t even tried to distinguish the two by using a different series of numbers, or by making the new CPUs have really high clock speeds.

Let’s take the 3GHz Phenom II X4 940 Black Edition and the 2.8GHz Phenom II X4 925 – which is the better CPU? Surely it’s the former, as this has a higher clock speed and is multiplier unlocked? However, it’s the latter that’s newer and is Socket AM3- and DDR3-compatible. It’s massively confusing that two ranges of CPU can share the same family name (Phenom II X4) and have overlap when it comes to the supposedly differentiating numbers.

Consider the same situation if AMD had called its new range of CPUs Phenom III . Now you’ve got a Phenom III X4 at 2.8GHz and a Phenom II X4 at 3GHz – the situation is a lot clearer, as you know the former has something else to offer and you need to look beyond the relative clock speeds.

Oh, and while I’m ranting, why is the only CPU with an unlocked multiplier a Phenom II X3? Why no Phenom II X4 Black Edition?