Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
All Athlon MP processors use the same Socket A interface used by later models of the
Athlon and all Duron and Athlon XP processors.
The Athlon MP was replaced by the AMD Opteron. For more details about the Athlon
MP, see the AMD website.
AMD K8 Processors
AMD'sK8familyofprocessorsincludesthefirst64-bitdesktopprocessors,whichsetthe
standard for 64-bit extensions of the venerable 32-bit x86 architecture. The K8 family is
thefirstx86processorstointegratethememorycontroller,andalsoincludesthefirsttruly
integrated dual-core processors. Although early versions of the K8 family were plagued
by frequent socket changes, recent and current versions of the family offer an easy up-
grade path to more advanced designs and DDR2 and DDR3 support.
AMD Athlon 64 and 64 FX
The AMD Athlon 64 and 64 FX, introduced in September 2003, are the first 64-bit pro-
cessors fordesktop(andnotserver)computers. Originally code-named ClawHammer,the
Athlon 64 and 64 FX are the desktop element of AMD's 64-bit processor family, which
alsoincludestheOpteron(code-namedSledgeHammer)serverprocessor.ThefirstAthlon
64 and 64 FX (shown in
Figure 3.36
)
are essentially Opteron chips designed for single-
processor systems. In some cases, they have decreased cache or memory bandwidth cap-
abilities.
Figure 3.36
AMD Athlon 64 FX (Socket 939 version).
Photo courtesy of AMD.
