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| AMD launches 64-bit dual core processors |
| Wednesday, June 01, 2005 at 18:21 by Laurence Norah |
AMD have launched their 64 bit dual core consumer processor, the AMD Athlon 64 X2, approximately a month after the dual core Opteron launch.
The X2 processor, which AMD state is available immediately, offers users the benefit of having dual processors on a single chip, and can offer users performance increases of up to 80% in certain applications.
Over 40 system builders as well as OEMs will be supporting the new processor, which should allow users to multi-task more effectively. Although applications which are specifically optimised for multiple processors are not exactly widespread, users can still benefit from having a dual core system as they will be able to run multiple applications with the load spread across the cores. As multiple cores become more popular however, we expect to see more applications written for them.
In terms of gaming, AMD still state that their top of the range Athlon 64 FX processor is the one to get. Games are currently written to be single threaded, so a high performance single processor can still beat the dual core processor for the time being. However a dual core version of the Athlon 64 FX will be introduced when multi-threaded games are available to take advantage of it.
Four versions of the X2 have been released, the 4800+, the 4600+, the 4400+ and the 4200+. As well has having differing clockspeeds, the chips also have different amounts of Level 2 cache. This results with processors with the following specifications:
4200+ - 2.2GHz clockspeed, 512kB L2 cache per core
4400+ - 2.2GHz clockspeed, 1MB L2 cache per core
4600+ - 2.4GHz clockspeed, 512kB L2 cache per core
4800+ - 2.4GHz clockspeed, 1MB L2 cache per core
The processors aren't exactly cheap either. The days when AMD was the cheap alternative to Intel appear to be well over, with prices for the processors, in 1,000 unit quantities, as follows:
4200+ - $537
4400+ - $581
4600+ - $803
4800+ - $1,001
From where we're sitting, the 4400+ seems to offer the best performance / price rating, the jump up to the 4600+ is pretty steep.
The Athlon 64 X2 processors come in a socket 939 pin setup, so should work with most existing socket 939 processors, although a bios upgrade may be necessary. Whilst many of you are probably not thinking about going straight to a dual core setup for the time being, we suspect that at some point in the future you will probably end up with a dual core system.
Benchmarks around the web seem to indicate that AMD have the edge over Intel in the dual core market in terms of speed, so if a system upgrade is in the pipeline for you, we'd suggest thinking seriously about making the move to an AMD based dual core setup.
In the meantime, here are some words of marketing wisdom from Bob Brewer, Corporate Vice President, Desktop Business, Microprocessor Solutions Sector (MSS), AMD:
With the introduction of the AMD Athlon 64 X2 dual-core processor, desktop users will gain incredible performance benefits with the ability to multi-task and do more in less time. Today, AMD demonstrates yet another performance lead within the industry as the only company with a broad portfolio of multi-core technology, from server and workstation to now client solutions with the addition of the new AMD Athlon 64 X2 dual-core processor.
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| If you have a 939 pin based board now you don't have to repurchase. All intel systems will need board replacements to get their dual cores to work. This is a sizeable cost benefit to the AMD crowd. Think of the time involved in upgrading your system.
Open the box, remove cables and wiring, remove the motherboard, install new processor and heatsink onto the new board, insert new motherboard, plug all those cables and wires back in, then reinstall your operating system and any additional device drivers needed. If you are a home user you may have to reactivate your WinXP Home.
On the AMD side you simply open the case, remove the heatsink, remove your processor, put the new processor and heatsink on and restart your computer. Off you go.
Of course, if you don't already have a 939 based board then you have the same issues as the intel platform but most likely you'll be able to restart your computer without the need to reinstall the OS.
939 based boards for AMD processors have been out for a long time now so there's a wealth of solidly tested boards available and a great price advantage with a plethora of features. |
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