AMD Launches Multiprocessor Athlon XP

Less than a week after launching its new Athlon XP processor family, Advanced Micro Devices has rolled out its first Athlon MP processors based on the same QuantiSpeed architecture, the company said in a statement Monday.

The Athlon MP (multiprocessor) chips for servers and workstations are available in 1800+, 1600+ and 1500+ models. The names for the new multiprocessor chips follow the lead from the new Athlon XP series, which uses the same model numbering. AMD, which calls the branding method 'True Performance Initiative' (TPI), is trying to move away from labeling its chips according to their clock speed. Company representatives say the new measurement better shows the performance of the chips compared to previous AMD chips and those of rivals, including chip giant Intel.

For example, while the 1800+ runs at a clock speed of 1.53GHz, AMD believes that the QuantiSpeed architecture allows the chips to be compared favorably to chips from the competition running at up to 1.8GHz. AMD announced the new family of Athlon chips and the revised naming policy last week.

That new line of four Athlon XP processors is already available in machines from Compaq and Hewlett-Packard. The chips run at clock speeds ranging from 1.33 GHz to 1.53 GHz. Under the new naming convention that takes the focus off simple clock speed, the chips are named Athlon XP 1500+, 1600+, 1700+, and 1800+.

Available Soon

Systems using the Athlon MP are scheduled to become available this quarter in the United States, Europe, Japan, and in the Asia-Pacific region, AMD said. A list of system manufacturers using the chips was not immediately available, but when AMD unveiled its first multi-processor Athlon in June, twenty vendors were on board at the launch. However, the list did not include top-tier vendors such as Dell and IBM.

The 1.53-GHz Athlon MP 1800+ is priced at $302, the 1.4-GHz MP 1600+ is priced at $210, and the 1.33-GHz MP 1500+ is priced at $180. Prices are for 1000-unit quantities, a standard measurement for chip prices.