Apr 16, 2005 02:01 PM
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(Updated Apr 16, 2005 02:01 PM)
This is a review on AMD Athlon 64 Bit processor. I was denied a new category for'Processors' By Mouthshut, so Posting it under this title.
Until some years Intel was to be the performance leader in the microprocessors business and many big names like IBM, Cyrix had to play a second fiddle as far as performance is considered and when AMD came out with a masterstroke called theAthlon things changed dramatically! It would be an understatement if said that they gave Intel just a run for their money because they did much more! Athlon was to be the supreme best until Intel stepped in with their current crop of P4 Processors with 800 MHz FSB. But now AMD again have taken a step forward on beating Intel in the performance business. They are the first to step into the 64-bit Desktop CPU arena.
Now the question arises. How does it perform? Is it worth the hype surrounding it? Let me first give you an overview of 64 Bit processors. In the simplest terms it means handling more data at one go. A Bit is a smallest unit of data in computers.8 Bits form a Byte. In the 32 Bit computing(i.e. the one we have been using up till now) generally have 4 sets of Bytes i.e. 32 bits. These 32 bits form a ‘word’. A word may contain a general computer instruction or a storage address or any type of data that is to be calculated. Thus the 64-bit microprocessor is one with 64-bit word size. In layman terms it’s faster! The good part is that, AMD’s implementation of 64-bit technology is backward compatible with the existing 32-bit architecture, thus our current applications will continue to run just fine on this new architecture. Microsoft has already released a 64-bit Beta version of Windows XP for AMD 64.
The Goodies -:
It is codenamed as Claw hammer and comes up with 2.0 GHz clock speed. The clock speed of AMD is different as compared to Intel. Thus 2.0 GHz on AMD is comparable to 3.2 GHz of Intel! The earlier problem of over heating of AMD processor’s are eradicated with excellent heat sinks provided with its version of Athlon, and now here it comes up with uniform heat spreader which is the technology used by the Intel. It is like a piece of metal, which comes on top of the processor, thus taking care of over heating. The transistors used in this processor are over 105 million and so it explains larger size of this processor as compared to Intel. The processor is manufactured using the 0.13 micron technology and runs at a voltage of 1.5 volts. It has also got the SOI technology, which enables the silicon chips to run at higher speeds while consuming lesser voltage than the conventional silicon chips.
Another significant change is the incorporation of internal DDR memory controller and hypertransport links directly into the CPU, this is considerably reduce the time taken by the processor to access memory. The Hypertransport technology is used for high-speed communication between CPU and the other circuitry of the system. It also reduces the number of buses in the system, which can reduce the system bottlenecks. It has also come up with a ‘ Cool ‘n’ quiet’ technology which can effectively lower the power consumption and enable a quieter-running system while delivering performance on demand. It also reduces the heat output from the PC. AMD Athlon 64 processors are enabled with enhanced virus protection with Microsoft Windows XP service pack 2. It prevents the spread of certain malicious viruses, which are transported via e-mail and instant messaging applications.
Thus my suggestion would be in future go in for a 64 bit technology because it can also work with 32-bit operating system, this is done by enabling the AMD64 processors to run in one of the two modes, Legacy mode and Long mode. The Legacy mode removes all the 64-bit support and enables the processor to run strictly in 32-bit mode, necessary for running most current operating system including windows. While in the Legacy mode is used as a compatibility mode or a 64-bit mode.
AMD is true value for money! Any inputs on this or comparisons with Intel are welcome in the comments section.
