home about pictures reference trade links  

Am5x86 MICROPROCESSOR BRINGS FIFTH-GENERATION PERFORMANCE TO DESKTOPS AND PORTABLES

AUSTIN, TEXAS--NOVEMBER 6, 1995--Advanced Micro Devices today announced it has begun sampling of the Am5x86(TM) microprocessor, the personal computer industry's best value to run today's office productivity applications.

The Am5x86 microprocessor outperforms a Pentium 75 device in industry-standard benchmark tests, delivering fifth-generation performance while taking advantage of existing 486 system designs and infrastructure, including motherboards and chipsets. Production shipments of the new Am5x86 device will begin in December.

The Am5x86 device is based on AMD's enhanced Am486reg. microprocessor and runs at 133 megahertz. It is manufactured using AMD's sixth-generation 0.35-micron process technology. A 16-Kbyte write-back cache, along with an integrated floating-point unit (FPU), increases the performance of the Am5x86 device's core.

Benchmark tests using Winstone 95, CPUmark16, and CPUmark32 show that the Am5x86 microprocessor provides up to 9 percent better performance than a Pentium 75-based system.

"The Am5x86 device provides true price/performance value to computer manufacturers who require fifth-generation performance," said Larry Hollatz, vice president of AMD's Personal Computer Products Division. "We can provide this value, along with fifth-generation performance, by utilizing AMD's sixth-generation manufacturing process."

The Am5x86 microprocessor extends AMD's heritage of microprocessor excellence and innovation, while maintaining the company's tradition of providing its customers differentiated products within the standard for mainstream personal computing established by Microsoft Corporation. "That model has enabled AMD to become the world's second-largest manufacturer of Windows-compatible microprocessors, shipping more than 80 million x86 microprocessors since 1982 and 30 million in the past three years," Hollatz said.

Because the Am5x86 microprocessor takes advantage of fourth-generation infrastructure, no motherboard redesign is required for today's desktop and portable systems. The Am5x86 device is compatible with the installed base of x86 software, including Microsoft's Windows and Windows 95 operating systems, and also provides a cost-effective, high-performance upgrade solution for 486 DX2-66 and DX4-100 customers.

Performance for Portables
The Am5x86 microprocessor not only outperforms the Pentium 75 device, it also consumes less power, resulting in increased battery life and less heat generation. Because of its high performance, portable systems using the Am5x86 processor can be designed without an L2 cache, thereby lowering system cost, saving space and improving system reliability.

The Am5x86 device also includes an industry-standard 2-pin System Management Mode for power management and a stop clock for reduced power consumption. Chipset and BIOS support for the Am5x86 microprocessor is available through AMD's third-party Fusion Partner program.

Availability and Pricing
Shipments of the Am5x86 microprocessor will begin in December. The device will be available in a 168-pin PGA (pin grid array) and a 208-pin SQFP (small quad flat pack) package, both priced at $93 each in 1,000-piece quantities.

Advanced Micro Devices, Inc., is the fourth-largest U.S. merchant-supplier of integrated circuits. Focusing on the personal and networked computing and communications markets, AMD produces microprocessors and related peripherals, memories, programmable logic devices, and circuits for telecommunications and networking applications. AMD has sales offices worldwide and manufacturing facilities in Sunnyvale, Calif.; Austin, Texas; Bangkok, Thailand; Penang, Malaysia; Singapore; Basingstoke, England; and Aizu-Wakamatsu, Japan.

 

 

Return to main reference page

 
Copyright © 2006 CPUShack.Net All pictures and content are property of CPUShack.Net. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without the express written permission of CPUShack.Net

Contact The CPUShack