AMD Athlon 64 X2 Unveiled

[excerpt] Completing the world’s only broad dual-core client and server processor line-up, AMD today announced the immediate availability of the AMD Athlon 64 X2 dual-core processor. The AMD Athlon 64 X2 dual-core processor is poised to deliver an experience unmatched in the industry, targeting prosumer and digital media enthusiasts, as well as those who run many software applications simultaneously. These new processors, designed for desktop and desktop-replacement notebooks, shatter the hourglass icon by delivering performance improvements of up to 80 percent on select digital media and productivity applications compared to single-core AMD Athlon^™ 64 processors. The AMD Athlon 64 X2 dual-core processor will be supported by leading OEMs including Acer, Alienware, HP and Lenovo, as well as more than 40 leading system-builder partners worldwide.

“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,” said Bob Brewer, Corporate Vice President, Desktop Business, Microprocessor Solutions Sector (MSS), AMD. “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.”





PC power-users frustrated by the hourglass icon when trying to work on multiple programs at once, while also running background applications like anti-virus software, spyware filters, firewall software, and music, can significantly increase performance with the AMD Athlon 64 X2 dual-core processor. For example, the AMD Athlon 64 X2 dual-core processor is designed to allow consumers and businesses to simultaneously download audio files such as MP3s, burn a CD, check and write e- mail, edit a digital photo and run virus protection – all without slowing down their computer.

The AMD Athlon 64 X2 dual-core processor can also deliver superior performance as multi-threaded applications continue to spread from the server to the client and consumer markets. With its impressive performance on existing client multi-threaded applications, the AMD Athlon 64 X2 dual-core processor will take prosumers and digital media enthusiasts to a new level with content creation and multimedia experiences.

AMD Athlon 64 X2 dual-core processor performance benchmarks have already yielded powerful results. Digital media applications can see an average of a 34 percent increase compared to similar single-core AMD Athlon 64 processors, while overall productivity benchmark results can see a 22 percent average increase. These dramatic performance gains available with AMD Athlon 64 X2 dual-core processors allow power-hungry users to usher in the next generation of digital media software with amazing high definition video rendering and editing, digital content creation, imaging, and audio mixing.

Partner Support
Partners including Alienware and HP are among the leading manufacturers planning to offer AMD Athlon 64 X2 dual-core processor-based systems.

“Alienware demands the latest and most powerful technology for its systems, and the AMD Athlon 64 X2 dual-core processor easily fits this stringent criteria by providing remarkable performance enhancements for digital media, content creation and multi-tasking,” said Frank Azor, Senior Vice President and General Manager for Alienware Worldwide Product Group, Alienware Corporation. “Alienware is excited to be working with AMD to put this ground-breaking technology in the hands of our global customer base.”

“HP is always looking for opportunities to deliver leading-edge technologies to our customers that will dramatically improve their computing experience,” said John Romano, Senior Vice President, Consumer PC Global Business Unit, HP. “The AMD Athlon 64 X2 dual-core processor running on HP systems will offer users the ability to enjoy and create with their digital content, work on multiple demanding tasks at once, as well as run background applications – all with a smooth operation of each task.”

Dual-Core AMD64 Architecture
Dual-core processors are the next evolution of AMD64’s Direct Connect Architecture. Because AMD64 technology was designed from the ground up for multi-core technology, the AMD Athlon 64 X2 dual-core processor directly connects two cores on a single die, improving overall system performance and efficiency and helping to eliminate the bottlenecks inherent in a front-side-bus architecture.

In addition, unlike other dual-core systems, migrating to dual-core processing based on AMD64 technology can be seamless because of the non-disruptive upgrade path for existing infrastructures. The AMD Athlon 64 X2 dual-core processor is designed to deliver the incredible performance of a multi-core processor with the same 939-pin infrastructure as the single-core AMD Athlon 64 processors, requiring only a BIOS upgrade. For platform manufacturers, this means the AMD Athlon 64 X2 dual-core processor can eliminate the time and expense involved in redesigning components, which represent savings then passed on to their customers. Systems builders can also have readily available parts to build their branded products without disruption. Digital media enthusiasts will see the infrastructure benefits carry over to performance benefits, especially as multi-tasking takes hold of consumer PC end users.

“Multi-tasking is becoming increasingly prevalent as end users attempt to do more with their PCs, particularly in the areas of digital content creation and multimedia consumption,” said Roger Kay, Vice President of Client Computing at IDC. “Dual-core processor technology will demonstrate immediate benefits, enabling users to run these compute-cycle-hungry programs and background applications such as security simultaneously without degrading performance. Dual-core will allow users to do more computing in less time.”

AMD64 and Gaming
As PC gaming continues to escalate, the award-winning AMD Athlon^™ 64 FX processor consistently outperforms the competition on relevant gaming benchmarks. The AMD Athlon 64 FX processor is recognized throughout the industry as the world’s highest-performing processor for 3D games. Because today’s games are single-threaded, gamers who are seeking to break the limits on application performance will continue to be best served with the incredible performance of the single-core AMD Athlon 64 FX processor. AMD plans to introduce a dual-core version of the AMD Athlon 64 FX processor when multi-threaded software games are available to take advantage of its benefits. In the meantime, AMD will continue to scale the performance of the AMD Athlon 64 FX processor to meet gamers’ demanding needs.

The availability of the AMD Athlon 64 X2 dual-core processor follows the successful introduction of the dual-core AMD Opteron^™ processor, the world’s first x86 dual-core processor for the server and workstation markets. AMD will be showcasing AMD Athlon 64 X2 dual-core processors at Computex in the AMD booth (TF1L, Hall 4). For more information on the AMD Athlon 64 X2 dual-core processor, visit www.multicore.amd.com.

Pricing and Availability
A broad portfolio of AMD Athlon 64 X2 dual-core processors will be supported by leading OEMs including Acer, Alienware, HP and Lenovo, as well as more than 40 leading system builder partners worldwide. For desktop-replacement notebooks, the AMD Athlon 64 X2 dual-core processor is also available to OEMs worldwide.

The AMD Athlon 64 X2 dual-core processors 4800+, 4600+, 4400+ and 4200+ are priced based on performance at $1001, $803, $581 and $537, respectively, in 1,000-unit quantities. For pricing details, please visit: http://www.amd.com/pricing.