Easy Top Compare Intel And Amd Chips example essay topic

A few years ago Cyrix had the lead in microprocessor speed at the 233 MHz frequency according to PCTODAY. com. But when it came to new technology like migrating from Socket 7 Architecture to SLOT 1, Intel had the lead. Cyrix was targeting the lower-end PC market with inexpensive prices. At the 233 MHz level, Cyrix outperformed Intel and AMD on the same Windows 95 or Windows NT platforms. On September 3, 1999, National Semiconductor Corporation announced it completed the sale of the assets of the Cyrix standalone PC processor business to VIA Technologies. Soon after, there were no more Cyrix chips on the market.

This paper will examine the two largest chipmakers, AMD and Intel. AMD is a global supplier of integrated circuits for the personal and networked computer and communications markets. AMD has with manufacturing facilities in the United States, Europe, Japan, and Asia. AMD produces microprocessors, flash memory devices, and support circuitry for communications and networking applications. Since inception, they have shipped more than 175 million PC processors worldwide. Founded in 1969 and based in Sunnyvale, California, AMD had revenues of $4.6 billion in 2000.

The latest product offering from AMD is their Athlon XP Processor. AMD advertises that their Athlon XP processor allows users to take full advantage of the power of Windows XP. The Athlon processor are made in clock speeds of 1.6 GHz to 1.9 GHz. Founded in 1968 to build semiconductor memory products, Intel introduced the world's first microprocessor in 1971. Today, Intel supplies chips, boards, systems, software, networking and communications equipment, and services that comprise the "ingredients" of computer architecture and the Internet. Intel's mission is to be the preeminent building block supplier to the worldwide Internet economy.

Intel is based in Santa Clara, California and its net revenues for 2001 was $33.7 billion. Since November 2001, Intel has been offering the Pentium 4 family of microprocessors with Net Burst micro-architecture at clock speeds ranging from 1.5 GHz of up to 2.2 GHz. Both chipmakers offer low-cost microprocessors. AMD's low cost microprocessor is called the Duron. On January 21, 2002, AMD introduced their latest variant of the Duron chip, the Duron 1300, and will mostly be found in systems priced at around $425. Intel's low-cost processor is the Celeron.

The Celeron processor is nothing more than a Pentium chip without an L 2 cache. Because it lacks an L 2 Cache, the Celeron processor is significantly slower than a Pentium processor at the same speed. When compared directly with the more expensive Intel Celeron 1300, the new Duron shows significantly higher performance. We will limit the discussion of performance to the two chipmakers high performance market. Although AMD and Intel have changed microprocessor technology and they have gone down different paths with respects to technology, AMD still offers true Pentium compatibility. AMD had to make a change to beat Intel at the chip race.

The processor is one of the main components of the computer that determines the speed at which programs run. The performance of the microprocessor directly affects how fast applications will execute commands; solely based on time. AMD states that there are now two factors that determine the performance capability of a microprocessor. First is the instructions per clock cycle (IPC), which is the amount of work the processor can accomplish in a given clock cycle. Clock speed or frequency, which is measured in gigahertz or megahertz, is the second part of the equation. Therefore performance equals IPC multiplied by frequency.

With the 286,386 and 486 family of microprocessors, all chip manufacturers were racing to improve clock speed because the IPC was relatively equal among them. Starting with the fifth generation of microprocessors, AMD and Intel took different approaches to internal architecture and for the first time IPC is different among competitors in the chip market, although they remain compatible with the x 86 chips. According to AMD, IPC is no longer the same among chip manufacturers. AMD's new Quanti Speed architecture makes their Athlon XP processor run with an optimum balance of IPC and frequency to achieve the highest levels of real world PC application performance. The major differences between the AMD Athlon XP and the Pentium 4 microprocessors are in the outlined in the following table: Feature AMD Athlon XP Pentium IV Operations per clock cycle 9 6 Integer Pipelines 3 4 Floating Point Pipelines 3 2 Full x 86 Decoders 3 1 Graphics Instruction Set 3 D! Now SSE Is the AMD technology faster than the Intel?

From the research conducted for this project that depends on whom you ask. According to AMD, their Athlon family of chips now beats Intel even when you compare a 1.4 GHz Athlon chip to a 1.7 GHz Pentium chip because it can conduct nine operations per clock cycle versus Intel's six operations per clock cycle. The Intel website did not list comparative statistics, but did give links to other websites and computer test organizations. A comprehensive test from a hardware guide web-based tester, says in the majority of performance tests, the new Pentium 4/2200 is ahead.

After all, the top AMD processor has to make do with a 1.6 GHz processor while its arch enemy steps in with 2.2 GHz. A closer look at the comprehensive benchmarks reveals that, despite an overall lead in processor execution time, in Microsoft Office performance as well as Linux Kernel compiling, the Athlon XP still takes a slight lead, despite its 32 percent clock speed disadvantage! Still another hardware tester, Ace's Hardware says there used to be a time where it was very easy top compare Intel and AMD chips. You could simply plug them into the same motherboard and run a few benchmarks. Today, it is possible to make either chip look bad or fantastic just by using another platform.

Ace's Hardware goes on to say that the Intel chip is a bit of a failure, even at 2.2 GHz it is slightly faster than the Athlon ZP, and quite a few times, in fact, it is slower. The biggest decision the average home user needs to make is with the price. There is a $222.00 difference is price between these competitor's best chips this month. Listed below are the average sales prices in the United States: Intel Pentium 4/2200 A $562 Intel Pentium 4/2000 A $364 Intel Pentium 4/2000 $342 AMD Athlon XP 2000+ $340 AMD Athlon XP 1900+ $234 AMD Athlon XP 1800+ $174 So with all of the hype and most professional test organizations saying that the fastest Pentium 4 chips just barely outperform the Athlon XP chips, which chip do you buy? But wait... industry sources say that AMD will introduce the 1.8 GHz Thoroughbred, otherwise know as the Athlon XP 2200+, sometime in March or April, which will definitely outperform the current Pentium 4 in all categories. But what does Pentium have in store?

When will they hit the 3 GHz mark? There is no one clear answer in the microprocessor war. Either company's leading chip will more than likely handle anything the average desktop user can throw at it. Clearly neither microprocessor producer maintains a clear lead in the chip war. Gone are the days when you can count clock speed alone as the benchmark in your computer purchases. "Intel vs. AMD vs. Cyrix" PCtoday. com Dated November 1997.

Accessed 10 February 2002. "Understanding Microprocessor Performance" August 24, 2001, AMD Online. URL: web Accessed February 8, 2002, page 2. Intel Online. URL: web Copyright 2002 Intel Corporation. Accessed 14 February 2002.

"Understanding Intel's Lineup" PC Magazine July 9, 2001. Url: web Accessed February 8, 2002. "El Cheapo: Duron 1300 vs. Celeron 1300" January 17, 2002 URL: web Dated. Accessed February 8, 2002. AMD Online. URL: web Copyright 2002 Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.

Ibid, page 2. Platt, Stephen. "What Makes a Faster Processor? ", September 6, 2001. URL: web Accessed February 11, 2002. De Galas, Johan "Intel vs. AMD 2 GHz Northwood vs. Athlon XP 2000+" January 7, 2002 URL: web Accessed: February 9, 2002.

Volk el, Frank; To pelt, Bert; and Pabst, Thomas. "Pentium 4/200 vs. Athlon XP 2000+ URL web, Accessed February 8, 2002.