AMD's latest Athlon XP processor uses a smaller fabrication process and runs at a higher clock speed than its 'Palomino' predecessors. ZDNet puts it through its benchmark paces.
| Athlon
XP/2200+ Introduction How we tested Application performance Encoding performance Rendering performance Internet Performance Gaming performance Workstation performance Conclusions |
The Athlon XP/2200+ is AMD´s first desktop processor built using a 0.13-micron fabrication process. As a result of this move, the chip´s die shrinks from 128mm2 to 80mm2 and the processor consumes less power.
AMD has made no new architectural changes for the Athlon XP/2200+ (1800MHz), so the new processor -- known by the codename ‘Thoroughbred´ -- is no faster than the previous ‘Palomino´ model at the same clock speed.
The smaller die size of the Thoroughbred means that AMD can manufacture the chip more easily. The company now has a clear advantage over Intel in this respect: the Pentium 4 has a much larger die size (146mm2), and is therefore more expensive to make. The other Athlon XP versions (1700+, 1800+, 1900+, 2000+, and 2100+) will soon be available only as 0.13-micron chips.
Moving the Athlon XP/2200+´s fabrication process to 0.13 microns allows AMD to shrink the die size to just 80mm2, resulting in reduced production costs and lower power consumption.
Thanks to its 0.13-micron internal structures, the Thoroughbred Athlon XP requires less voltage and therefore uses less power than its predecessors. The Athlon XP/2200+, whose actual clock speed is 1,800MHz, needs only 1.65 volts compared to 1.75 volts for the 0.18-micron Palomino versions. Power consumption also drops: the forthcoming 0.13-micron version of the Athlon XP/2100+ uses only 62.1 Watts -- slightly less than the 0.18-micron version of the Athlon XP/1700+ (64 Watts). The specification of the cooling fans are not smaller, however, due to the fact that shrinking the chip area from 128mm2 to 80mm2 makes heat dissipation more difficult.
AMD´s new 0.13-micron Thoroughbred processors use considerably less power
than their 0.18-micron Palomino predecessors.
Integrating AMD´s new processors into PCs will require new
voltages to be available on motherboards. In most cases, this will be accomplished by a simple BIOS update. Information about motherboards that support AMD´s new processors are available on the support sites of the board manufacturers or on AMD´s Web site.
| Intel v AMD | |||||||
| Processor |
Pentium 4/2533 |
Athlon XP/2100+ |
Athlon XP/2200+ |
||||
| Clock speed (GHz) | 2.53 | 1.73 | 1.8 | ||||
| Codename | Northwood | Palomino | Thoroughbred | ||||
| Level 1 cache (KB) | 8 (+12KB Trace Cache) | 128 | 128 | ||||
| Level 2 cache (KB) | 512 | 256 | 256 | ||||
| Fabrication process (microns) | 0.13 | 0.18 | 0.13 | ||||
| Die size (mm2) | 146 | 128 | 80 | ||||
| Voltage | 1.5 | 1.75 | 1.65 | ||||
| Power consumption (Watts) | 59.3 | 72 | 67.9 | ||||
| Price (US$ per chip, in 1,000-chip units) | 637 | 229 | 241 | ||||
6%
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