Saving face from last week’s announced postponement of some of its chips, Advanced Micro Devices Tuesday began shipping its Athlon MP processor 2600+.
Currently its fastest processor, the new Athlon 2600+ is based on x86 architecture and was designed mostly for multiprocessing servers and workstations. The chip runs at 2.133 GHz, which is incrementally faster than the 2.0 GHz 2400+. AMD’s Fab 30 in Dresden, Germany manufactured the chip using 0.13 micron copper processor technology.
Like the 2400+, the new Athlon MP processor is compatible with AMD’s stable Socket A infrastructure and supports DDR memory technology. The processors include Smart MP technology providing increased data movement, QuantiSpeed architecture, full-speed cache with hardware data pre-fetch, and 3DNow! Professional technology.
The new chip also takes advantage of advanced cache coherency protocol to manage data and memory traffic and innovative “snoop” buses to facilitate inter-CPU communications. When all these features combine, AMD says Smart MP technology increases available bandwidth, reduces data transfer latencies.
“Enterprise-level computing requires enhanced compatibility as well as leading-edge performance,” said Marty Seyer, vice president of server business segment, Computation Products Group, AMD. “AMD took each of those needs into consideration with the AMD Athlon MP processor line.
Sunnyvale, Calif.-based semiconductor maker said its AMD Athlon MP processors are used by various sectors including oil and gas exploration, Web-hosting services and motion picture rendering. In addition, the company said many of the world’s most prestigious universities use its Athlon MP processors in superclusters for compute-intensive research applications.
The 2600+ is priced at $273 in 1,000-unit quantities and is expected to show up in boxes made by some 49 system builders that AMD said it is working with including @Xi Computer Corporation, ABS, Angstrom Microsystems, Appro, Aspen Systems, Atipa Technologies, BOLData Systems, BOXX Technologies, California Digital, Colfax International, Einux, Elite PC, Linux NetworX, M&A Technology, Micro Pro, Microway, Monarch Computer Systems, PSSC Labs, Penguin Computing, RackSaver, Think Computers and Western Scientific.
