K6-III Press Release
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AMD INTRODUCES INDUSTRY-LEADING AMD-K6*-III PROCESSOR
WITH 3DNow!(tm) TECHNOLOGY
- New TriLevel Cache Design Enables AMD-K6®-III to Deliver Superior
Performance on Windows® 98 and Windows NT® for Consumer Enthusiasts and
Business Power Users -
SUNNYVALE, CA-FEBRUARY 22, 1999-AMD today introduced its highest
performance x86 microprocessor for desktop PCs-the AMD-K6®-III processor
with 3DNow!(tm) technology. AMD has begun volume shipments of the 400-MHz
AMD-K6-III processor and is sampling the 450-MHz AMD-K6-III to OEM
customers. Desktop systems based on the AMD-K6-III processor will be
available from leading PC makers, including Compaq Computer Corporation.
The AMD-K6-III processor outperforms Intel's Pentium® III processor by more
than one speed grade on leading business and consumer applications,
according to the Ziff-Davis Winstone® 99 benchmark.
-more-
"The AMD-K6-III processor with 3DNow! technology is the ultimate
sixth-generation PC processor for consumer enthusiasts and business power
users," said S. Atiq Raza, AMD co-chief operating officer and chief
technical officer. "By combining AMD's innovative 3DNow! instructions with
our new TriLevel Cache design, the AMD-K6-III processor delivers
industry-leading performance in the Microsoft® Windows® 98 and Windows NT®
environments and enables a superior 3D visual computing experience."
AMD's TriLevel Cache design, an advanced cache memory architecture
debuting in the AMD-K6-III processor, significantly boosts overall PC
performance by providing the industry's largest and fastest total system
cache for Windows compatible desktop PCs.
"Compaq welcomes today's introduction of the 450-MHz and 400-MHz
AMD-K6-III processors with 3DNow! technology, which we plan to use in a new
and more powerful Presario series-the fastest Internet PCs from Compaq to
date," said Mike Larson, vice president and group general manager of
Compaq's Consumer Products Group. "With its innovative TriLevel Cache design
and 3DNow! technology, the AMD-K6-III will command the attention of the PC
enthusiast."
AMD-K6®-III Processor Enables Highest Performance for Desktop PCs
AMD's TriLevel Cache design enables the AMD-K6-III processor to
process instructions faster and deliver better performance at the same clock
rate than the AMD-K6-2 processor and Intel's Pentium III. According to the
Winstone 99 benchmark on Windows 98 and Windows NT, an AMD-K6-III/450
processor-based PC delivers significantly better mainstream business
software performance than an equally configured 450-MHz Pentium III
processor-based PC. The same benchmark tests on Windows 98 show that a PC
powered by the AMD-K6-III/450 also outperforms a 500-MHz Pentium III based
system.
"The AMD-K6-III processor enables PC manufacturers and resellers to
deliver powerful desktop PCs at any systems price point," added Raza. "The
AMD-K6-III not only outperforms an equally clocked Pentium III by the
equivalent of one speed grade, it also leverages the cost-effective,
high-performance 100-MHz Super7(tm) infrastructure to deliver a superior
combination of price and performance. Simply put, PC makers will be able to
build better, higher-performance systems with the AMD-K6-III processor."
-more-
About the TriLevel Cache Design
AMD's innovative TriLevel Cache design maximizes the overall system
performance of AMD-K6-III processor-based desktop PCs by delivering one of
the industry's largest maximum combined system caches. This larger total
cache results in higher system performance.
The TriLevel Cache design includes a full-speed 64KB Level 1 (L1) cache (a
standard feature of the AMD-K6 processor family), an internal full-speed
backside 256KB Level 2 (L2) cache, and a 100-MHz frontside bus to an
optional external Level 3 (L3) cache on the Super7 motherboard. With a total
of 320KB of combined L1 and L2 cache, the AMD-K6-III processor has more
internal cache memory than any other x86 CPU available today. No other x86
processor supports an external L3 cache on the motherboard.
When compared to a Pentium III based PC with a maximum total cache
of 544KB (32KB internal L1 cache and a maximum of 512KB of half-speed
external L2 cache), an AMD-K6-III processor-based PC with a combined cache
size of 1,344KB (64KB L1 cache, 256KB L2 cache, and 1,024KB external L3
cache) delivers up to two and a half times more total system cache.
AMD's TriLevel Cache design is not only the largest cache
implementation for desktop PCs, it is exceptionally fast. The backside 256KB
L2 cache of the AMD-K6-III processor operates at full processor speed. For
example, the internal L2 cache of an AMD-K6-III/450 processor operates at a
full 450 MHz.
The TriLevel Cache design also offers an internal multiport cache
design. This flexible design feature delivers higher system performance by
enabling simultaneous 64-bit reads and writes of both the L1 cache and the
L2 cache. In addition, each cache can be accessed simultaneously by the
processor core.
About the AMD-K6®-III Processor
The AMD-K6-III processor with 3DNow! technology incorporates AMD's
TriLevel Cache design to enable leading-edge performance for today's
consumer PC enthusiasts and business power users. The 21.3-million
transistor AMD-K6-III processor is manufactured on AMD's 0.25-micron,
five-layer-metal process technology using local interconnect and shallow
trench isolation at AMD's Fab 25 wafer fabrication facility in Austin,
Texas. The AMD-K6-III processor is packaged in a 100-MHz Super7
platform-compatible, 321-pin ceramic pin grid array (CPGA) package
using C4 flip-chip interconnection technology.
About 3DNow!(tm) Technology
3DNow! technology, the first innovation to the x86 architecture that
significantly enhances floating-point-intensive 3D graphics and multimedia
applications, uses SIMD (Single Instruction Multiple Data) and other
performance enhancements to enable a superior visual computing experience.
Introduced as a key feature of the AMD-K6-2 processor in May 1998, 3DNow!
technology has more than a nine-month time-to-market head start over
competing CPU-based 3D enhancement technologies. The worldwide installed
base of 3DNow! technology-enhanced PCs is planned to grow to about 14
million systems by the end of this quarter. AMD processors with 3DNow!
technology span the complete range of desktop and mobile computing, from
sub-$1,000 PCs to high-performance laptops based on the Mobile AMD-K6-2
processor to high-end multimedia desktop systems powered by the new
AMD-K6-III processor. Support for 3DNow! technology exists today in the leading
industry-standard application programming interfaces (APIs), including
Microsoft's DirectX 6.x and SGI's OpenGL APIs. In addition, numerous hardware
and software products have been optimized for 3DNow! technology. Accolade,
Activision, Criterion Studios, Digital Anvil, Eidos, GT Interactive, Gremlin, id Software,
Interplay, Psygnosis, Rage, and 3DO recently announced their support for
3DNow! technology in several of their forthcoming software titles. These
publishers and developers join a growing list of software and hardware
developers, including Microsoft, IBM, Epic Games, 3Dfx, and Matrox, that
already support 3DNow! in their leading 3D graphics-intensive applications
and hardware. New titles supporting 3DNow! technology continue to be added.
For a complete list of hardware and software products that support 3DNow!
technology, visit the AMD web site at
www.amd.com/products/cpg/k623d/optimized.html.
AMD-K6®-III Processor Pricing
The AMD-K6-III/450 processor is priced at $476, and the AMD-K6-III/400
processor is priced at $284, each in 1,000-unit quantities.
About AMD
AMD is a global supplier of integrated circuits for the personal and
networked computer and communications markets. AMD produces processors,
flash memories, programmable logic devices, and products for communications
and networking applications. Founded in 1969 and based in Sunnyvale,
California, AMD had revenues of $2.5 billion in 1998. (NYSE: AMD).
Cautionary Statement
Investors are cautioned that all forward-looking statements of
management's expectations involve risks and uncertainties that could cause
actual results to differ materially from current expectations. Any
forward-looking statement about AMD-K6-III processors involves risks and
uncertainties, including whether the company will be successful in producing
the processors at higher speed grades; the company will produce the
processors in volumes required by customers; or customer demand for the
processors will continue at current or greater levels. Investors are urged
to consult the risks and uncertainties detailed in the company reports filed
with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
WORLD WIDE WEB: Press announcements and other information about AMD are
available on the Internet via the World Wide Web. Type amd.com at
the URL prompt. Software titles supporting 3DNow! technology can be found
at: amd.com
NOTE TO EDITOR: Readers may obtain additional information by calling 1 (800)
222-9323 or (408) 749-5703.
AMD, the AMD logo, K6, 3DNow!, and combinations thereof, and Super7 are
trademarks, and AMD-K6 is a registered trademark of Advanced Micro Devices,
Inc.
Microsoft , Windows, and Windows NT are registered trademarks of Microsoft
Corporation.
Winstone is a registered trademark of Ziff-Davis, Inc., in the U.S. and
other countries. Winstone scores are Business Winstone overall scores.
Pentium is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation.
Other product names used in this publication are for identification purposes
only and may be trademarks of
processor.org
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