(AP) - Advanced Micro Devices Inc. is upgrading its line of desktop computer processors with faster chips, familiar names and revised performance measurements. The chip-maker launched four processors Tuesday - all under the name Athlon XP. AMD says ``XP'' stands for ``extra performance,'' not ``experience'' as in Microsoft's upcoming Windows XP operating system.Athlon XP chips run at speeds ranging from 1.33 gigahertz to 1.53 GHz, which is still below the highest clock speed of rival Intel Corp.'s Pentium 4 processor, which now tops out at 2 GHz. AMD, however, says a processor's frequency is not the best measure of performance, and that its chips outperform Intel in tests of commonly used programs. AMD will market the chips based on performance rather than clock speed. The 1.5 GHz Athlon XP will be sold as the Athlon 1800+. The 1.33 GHz is called the Athlon XP 1500+. The new chips also incorporate several architectural enhancements and consume about 20 percent less power, the company said. AMD also plans to introduce a performance measurement system that will be rolled out next year. Details of that initiative were expected to be released Tuesday. The new Athlon XP chips range in price from $130 for the 1500+ to $252 for the 1800+, when purchased in quantities of 1,000.
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Weekly Memory Prices: The memory price "limbo dance" continues, with most prices continuing to drop, despite already low prices on most modules. Check out my latest weekly price guide, as I looks to find out just how low they can go!
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(NY Timeses) Intel plans to announce that its researchers have come up with a novel method for housing microprocessors that it hopes will speed development of high-performance microchips with more than a billion transistors. The company says such chips could be available in five or six years. The method addresses a major challenge in what is known as packaging, the materials around the central silicon chip that are crucial to providing power, removing heat and connecting the processor to other components of an electronic device.
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ATI Technologies Inc. announced that the RADEON 8500 graphics board, the world's fastest and most technologically advanced graphics board available, and the foundation for ground-breaking visual effects, is shipping to retail outlets worldwide at a manufacturers' suggested retail price (MSRP) of just (US) $299.
The RADEON 8500 graphics board is Windows XP-ready, fully supporting Microsoft's new operating system, which will be available for purchase on October 25, 2001. Customers who buy a RADEON 8500 today and Windows XP on its date of introduction will be able to download Windows XP drivers that same day and immediately enjoy the performance benefits an XP-enabled RADEON 8500 graphics board will provide. Powered by the most advanced graphics processor chip in the world, the RADEON 8500 graphics board delivers up to 32 percent higher performance than the nearest competitive product available. It features a core clock speed of 275 MHz (megahertz), memory clock speed of 275 MHz and 64MB (megabytes) of DDR (double data rate) memory.
Major technological advancements include TRUFORM, an innovative rendering technology that helps to deliver the smoothest, most natural 3D images ever seen on existing and next-generation 3D games; and SMARTSHADER, an advanced technology that is the first application of its kind to take advantage of Microsoft's new DirectX 8.1 specification, including supporting Pixel Shaders Versions 1.2 - 1.4 to enable more complex and realistic texture and lighting effects without sacrificing performance. DirectX 8.1 is an integral part of Windows XP. All the features available on the DirectX platform are also available under OpenGL.
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