The Athlon 64 X2 is the first dual-core desktop CPU manufactured by AMD. A multi-core processor (or chip-level multiprocessor, CMP) combines two or more independent cores into a single package composed of a single Integrated A desktop computer is a Personal computer (PC in a form intended for regular use at a single location as opposed to a mobile Laptop or portable computer It is essentially a processor consisting of two Athlon 64 cores joined together on one die with additional control logic. The Athlon 64 is an eighth-generation AMD64 architecture Microprocessor produced by AMD, released on A die in the context of Integrated circuits is a small block of semiconducting material on which a given functional circuit is fabricated The cores share one dual-channel memory controller, are based on the E-stepping model of Athlon 64 and, depending on the model, have either 512 or 1024 KiB of L2 Cache per core. The Athlon 64 X2 is capable of decoding SSE3 instructions (except those few specific to Intel's architecture), so it can run and benefit from software optimizations that were previously only supported by Intel chips. SSE3, also known by its Intel code name Prescott New Instructions (PNI, is the third iteration of the SSE instruction set for the IA-32 architecture This enhancement is not unique to the X2, and is also available in the Venice and San Diego single core Athlon 64s.

In June 2007, AMD released low-voltage variants of their low-end 65 nm Athlon 64 X2, named "Athlon X2". The Athlon 64 X2 is the first dual-core desktop CPU manufactured by AMD. The Athlon 64 X2 is the first dual-core desktop CPU manufactured by AMD. ^[1] The Athlon X2 processors feature reduced TDP of 45 W. The Athlon 64 X2 is the first dual-core desktop CPU manufactured by AMD. The Thermal Design Power (TDP (sometimes called Thermal Design Point) represents the maximum amount of power the cooling system in a computer is required to dissipate The watt (symbol W) is the SI derived unit of power, equal to one Joule of energy per Second. ^[2]

Contents 1 Multithreading 2 Manufacturing costs 3 Change of model nomenclatures 4 CPU cores 4.1 Athlon 64 X2 4.1.1 Manchester (90 nm SOI) 4.1.2 Toledo (90 nm SOI) 4.1.3 Windsor (90 nm SOI) 4.1.4 Brisbane (65 nm SOI) 4.2 Athlon X2 4.2.1 Brisbane (65 nm SOI) 5 See also 6 External links 7 References

Multithreading

The main benefit of dual-core processors like the X2 is their ability to process more software threads at the same time. A thread in Computer science is short for a thread of execution. The ability of processors to execute multiple threads simultaneously is called thread-level parallelism (TLP). By placing two cores on the same die, the X2 effectively doubles the TLP over a single-core Athlon 64 of the same speed. The need for TLP processing capability is dependent on situation to a great degree, and certain situations benefit from it far more than others. Certain programs are currently only written with one thread, and are therefore unable to utilize the processing power of the second core.

Programs often written with multiple threads and capable of utilizing dual-cores include many music and video encoding applications, and especially professional rendering programs. High TLP applications currently correspond to server/workstation situations more than the typical desktop. A server is a Computer dedicated to providing one or more services over a computer network typically through a request-response routine A workstation, such as a Unix workstation, RISC workstation or Engineering workstation, is a high-end Microcomputer These applications can realize almost twice the performance of a single-core Athlon 64 of the same specifications. Multi-tasking also runs a sizable number of threads; intense multi-tasking scenarios have actually shown improvements of considerably more than two times [2]. In computing Multitasking is a method by which multiple tasks also known as processes, share common processing resources such as a CPU. This is primarily due to the excessive overhead caused by constantly switching threads, and could potentially be improved by adjustments to operating system scheduling code. An operating system (commonly abbreviated OS and O/S) is the software component of a Computer system that is responsible for the management and coordination Scheduling is a key concept in Computer multitasking and Multiprocessing Operating system design and in Real-time operating system design

In the consumer segment of the market as well, the X2 improves upon the performance of the original Athlon 64, especially for multi-threaded software applications. The overall increase in performance of the entry level Athlon 64 X2 chip (the Athlon 64 X2 3800+) over the single-core Athlon 64 3800+ chip is almost 10%. The Athlon 64 is an eighth-generation AMD64 architecture Microprocessor produced by AMD, released on The spread between the latter and the Athlon 64 X2 5000+ is almost 40% ^[3]. One can interpret from these numbers that the majority of applications (at least in the benchmark test) are still largely single thread-dominated, hence the absence of a larger gap between the two 3800+ processors. As software programmers begin to take advantage of multi-core processing, the spread between single- and multi-core processors will increase.

Further information: Multi-core (computing)

Manufacturing costs

Having two cores, the Athlon 64 X2 has an increased number of transistors. A multi-core processor (or chip-level multiprocessor, CMP) combines two or more independent cores into a single package composed of a single Integrated In Electronics, a transistor is a Semiconductor device commonly used to amplify or switch electronic signals The 1-MiB-L2-cache 90 nm Athlon 64 X2 processor is 219 mm² in size with 243 million transistors [3] whereas its 1-MiB-L2-cache 90 nm Athlon 64 counterpart is 103. In Electronics, a transistor is a Semiconductor device commonly used to amplify or switch electronic signals The Athlon 64 is an eighth-generation AMD64 architecture Microprocessor produced by AMD, released on 1 mm² and has 164 million transistors [4]. The 65 nm Athlon 64 X2 with only 512 KiB L2 per Core reduced this to 118 mm² with 221 million transistors compared to the 65 nm Athlon 64 with 77. 2 mm² and 122 million transistors. As a result, a larger area of silicon must be defect free. Silicon (ˈsɪlɪkən or /ˈsɪlɪkɒn/ silicium is the Chemical element that has the symbol Si and Atomic number 14 Crystalline solids have a very regular atomic structure that is the local positions of atoms with respect to each other are repeated at the atomic scale These size requirements necessitate a more complex fabrication process, which further adds to the production of fewer functional processors per single silicon wafer. Semiconductor device fabrication is the process used to create chips the Integrated circuits that are present in everyday Electrical and electronic This lower yield makes the X2 more expensive to produce than the single-core processor. Semiconductor device fabrication is the process used to create chips the Integrated circuits that are present in everyday Electrical and electronic

In the middle of June 2006 AMD stated that they would no longer make any non-FX Athlon 64 or Athlon 64 X2 models with 1-MiB L2 caches ^[4]. This led to only a small production number of the Socket-AM2 Athlon 64 X2 with 1 MiB L2 cache per core, known as 4000+, 4400+, 4800+, and 5200+. The Athlon 64 X2 with 512 KiB per core, known as 3800+, 4200+, 4600+, and 5000+, were produced in far greater numbers. The introduction of the F3 stepping then saw several models with 1 MiB L2 cache per core as production refinements resulted in an increased yield.

Change of model nomenclatures

The model numbers of the new line of processors was apparently changed from the PR system used in its predecessors, the Athlon 64 X2. The PR ( P erformance R ating system was developed by AMD in the mid-1990s as a method of comparing their X86 processors to those of rival The new model numbering scheme, for later released Athlon X2 processors, is a four digit model number with different family indicator as the first number ^[5], while Sempron remained using the LE prefix, as follows:

Series number ^[5]

Processor series	Indicator
Phenom quad-core (Agena)	9
Phenom triple-core (Toliman)	7
Athlon dual-core (Kuma)	6
Athlon single-core (Lima)	1
Sempron LE single-core (Sparta)	1

CPU cores

Athlon 64 X2

Manchester (90 nm SOI)

• CPU-Stepping: E4
• L1-Cache: 64 + 64 KiB (Data + Instructions), per core
• L2-Cache: 256, 512 KiB fullspeed, per core
• MMX, Extended 3DNow!, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, AMD64, Cool'n'Quiet, NX Bit
• Socket 939, HyperTransport (1000 MHz, HT1000)
• VCore: 1. Silicon on insulator technology ( SOI) refers to the use of a layered silicon-insulator-silicon Substrate in place of conventional silicon substrates in semiconductor MMX is a single instruction multiple data (SIMD Instruction set designed by Intel, introduced in 1997 in their Pentium line of 3DNow! is the Trade name of a multimedia extension created by AMD for its processors starting with the K6-2 in 1998 S treaming '''S'''IMD E xtensions ( SSE) is a SIMD (Single Instruction Multiple Data Instruction set extension to the X86 SSE2, Streaming SIMD Extensions 2, is one of the IA-32 SIMD (Single Instruction Multiple Data Instruction sets SSE2 was first introduced by SSE3, also known by its Intel code name Prescott New Instructions (PNI, is the third iteration of the SSE instruction set for the IA-32 architecture x86-64 is a Superset of the x86 instruction set architecture. Cool'n'Quiet is a CPU speed throttling and power saving technology introduced by AMD with their Athlon 64 processor line The NX bit, which stands for No eXecute, is a technology used in CPUs to segregate areas of memory for use by either storage of processor instructions (or code Socket 939 is a CPU socket released by AMD in June 2004 to supersede the previous Socket 754 for Athlon 64 processors 35 V - 1. 4 V
• Power Consumption (TDP): 89 Watt
• First Release: 1 August 2005
• Clockrate: 2000 - 2400 MHz
  • 256 KiB L2-Cache:
    • 3600+: 2000 MHz
  • 512 KiB L2-Cache:
    • 3800+: 2000 MHz
    • 4200+: 2200 MHz
    • 4600+: 2400 MHz (110 Watt TDP)

Toledo (90 nm SOI)

• CPU-Stepping: E6
• L1-Cache: 64 + 64 KiB (Data + Instructions), per core
• L2-Cache: 512 or 1024 KiB fullspeed, per core
• MMX, Extended 3DNow!, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, AMD64, Cool'n'Quiet, NX Bit
• Socket 939, HyperTransport (1000 MHz, HT1000)
• VCore: 1. The Thermal Design Power (TDP (sometimes called Thermal Design Point) represents the maximum amount of power the cooling system in a computer is required to dissipate Events 30 BC - Octavian (later known as Augustus enters Alexandria, Egypt, bringing it under the control of the Roman Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Silicon on insulator technology ( SOI) refers to the use of a layered silicon-insulator-silicon Substrate in place of conventional silicon substrates in semiconductor MMX is a single instruction multiple data (SIMD Instruction set designed by Intel, introduced in 1997 in their Pentium line of 3DNow! is the Trade name of a multimedia extension created by AMD for its processors starting with the K6-2 in 1998 S treaming '''S'''IMD E xtensions ( SSE) is a SIMD (Single Instruction Multiple Data Instruction set extension to the X86 SSE2, Streaming SIMD Extensions 2, is one of the IA-32 SIMD (Single Instruction Multiple Data Instruction sets SSE2 was first introduced by SSE3, also known by its Intel code name Prescott New Instructions (PNI, is the third iteration of the SSE instruction set for the IA-32 architecture x86-64 is a Superset of the x86 instruction set architecture. Cool'n'Quiet is a CPU speed throttling and power saving technology introduced by AMD with their Athlon 64 processor line The NX bit, which stands for No eXecute, is a technology used in CPUs to segregate areas of memory for use by either storage of processor instructions (or code Socket 939 is a CPU socket released by AMD in June 2004 to supersede the previous Socket 754 for Athlon 64 processors 35 V - 1. 4 V
• Power Consumption (TDP):
  • 89 Watt: 3800+, 4200+ and 4400+
  • 110 Watt: 4400+, 4600+ and 4800+
• First Release: 21 April 2005
• Clockrate:: 2000 - 2400 MHz
  • 512 KiB L2-Cache:
    • 3800+: 2000 MHz
    • 4200+: 2200 MHz
    • 4600+: 2400 MHz
  • 1024 KiB L2-Cache:
    • 4400+: 2200 MHz
    • 4800+: 2400 MHz

Windsor (90 nm SOI)

• CPU-Stepping: F2, F3
• L1-Cache: 64 + 64 KiB (Data + Instructions), per core
• L2-Cache: 256, 512 or 1024 KiB fullspeed, per core
• MMX, Extended 3DNow!, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, AMD64, Cool'n'Quiet, NX Bit, AMD Virtualization
• Socket AM2, HyperTransport (1000 MHz, HT1000)
• VCore: 1. The Thermal Design Power (TDP (sometimes called Thermal Design Point) represents the maximum amount of power the cooling system in a computer is required to dissipate Events 753 BC - Romulus and Remus found Rome ( traditional date) Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Silicon on insulator technology ( SOI) refers to the use of a layered silicon-insulator-silicon Substrate in place of conventional silicon substrates in semiconductor MMX is a single instruction multiple data (SIMD Instruction set designed by Intel, introduced in 1997 in their Pentium line of 3DNow! is the Trade name of a multimedia extension created by AMD for its processors starting with the K6-2 in 1998 S treaming '''S'''IMD E xtensions ( SSE) is a SIMD (Single Instruction Multiple Data Instruction set extension to the X86 SSE2, Streaming SIMD Extensions 2, is one of the IA-32 SIMD (Single Instruction Multiple Data Instruction sets SSE2 was first introduced by SSE3, also known by its Intel code name Prescott New Instructions (PNI, is the third iteration of the SSE instruction set for the IA-32 architecture x86-64 is a Superset of the x86 instruction set architecture. Cool'n'Quiet is a CPU speed throttling and power saving technology introduced by AMD with their Athlon 64 processor line The NX bit, which stands for No eXecute, is a technology used in CPUs to segregate areas of memory for use by either storage of processor instructions (or code x86 virtualization is the method by which X86 -based "guest" operating systems are run under another "host" x86 operating system with little or no modification The Socket AM2, renamed from Socket M2 (to prevent using the same name as Cyrix MII processors is a CPU socket designed by AMD for desktop 25 V - 1. 35 V
• Power Consumption (TDP): 35 Watt (3800+ EE SFF), 65 Watt (3600+ to 5200+ EE) , 89 Watt (3800+ to 6000+) , 125 Watt (6000+ to 6400+)
• First Release: May 23, 2006
• Clockrate: 2000 MHz - 3200MHz
  • 256 KiB L2-Cache:
    • 3600+: 2000 MHz
  • 512 KiB L2-Cache: (often mislabeled as Brisbane core)
    • 3800+: 2000 MHz
    • 4200+: 2200 MHz
    • 4600+: 2400 MHz (F2&F3)
    • 5000+: 2600 MHz (F2&F3)
    • 5400+: 2800 MHz (F3)
  • 1024 KiB L2-Cache:
    • 4000+: 2000 MHz
    • 4400+: 2200 MHz
    • 4800+: 2400 MHz
    • 5200+: 2600 MHz (F2&F3)
    • 5600+: 2800 MHz (F3)
    • 6000+: 3000 MHz (F3)
    • 6400+: 3200 MHz (F3)

Brisbane (65 nm SOI)

• CPU-Stepping: G1, G2
• L1-Cache: 64 + 64 KiB (Data + Instructions), per core
• L2-Cache: 512 KiB fullspeed, per core
• MMX, Extended 3DNow!, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, AMD64, Cool'n'Quiet, NX Bit, AMD Virtualization
• Socket AM2, HyperTransport (1000 MHz, HT1000)
• VCore: 1. The Thermal Design Power (TDP (sometimes called Thermal Design Point) represents the maximum amount of power the cooling system in a computer is required to dissipate Events 1430 - Siege of Compiègne: Joan of Arc is captured by the Burgundians while leading an army to relieve Compiègne Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Silicon on insulator technology ( SOI) refers to the use of a layered silicon-insulator-silicon Substrate in place of conventional silicon substrates in semiconductor MMX is a single instruction multiple data (SIMD Instruction set designed by Intel, introduced in 1997 in their Pentium line of 3DNow! is the Trade name of a multimedia extension created by AMD for its processors starting with the K6-2 in 1998 S treaming '''S'''IMD E xtensions ( SSE) is a SIMD (Single Instruction Multiple Data Instruction set extension to the X86 SSE2, Streaming SIMD Extensions 2, is one of the IA-32 SIMD (Single Instruction Multiple Data Instruction sets SSE2 was first introduced by SSE3, also known by its Intel code name Prescott New Instructions (PNI, is the third iteration of the SSE instruction set for the IA-32 architecture x86-64 is a Superset of the x86 instruction set architecture. Cool'n'Quiet is a CPU speed throttling and power saving technology introduced by AMD with their Athlon 64 processor line The NX bit, which stands for No eXecute, is a technology used in CPUs to segregate areas of memory for use by either storage of processor instructions (or code x86 virtualization is the method by which X86 -based "guest" operating systems are run under another "host" x86 operating system with little or no modification The Socket AM2, renamed from Socket M2 (to prevent using the same name as Cyrix MII processors is a CPU socket designed by AMD for desktop 25 V - 1. 35 V
• Die Size: 126 mm²
• Power Consumption (TDP): 65 Watt
• First Release: Dec 5, 2006
• Clockrate: 1900 MHz - 2900MHz
  • 3600+: 1900 MHz
  • 4000+: 2100 MHz
  • 4200+: 2200 MHz (G1&G2)
  • 4400+: 2300 MHz (G1&G2)
  • 4600+: 2400 MHz (G2)
  • 4800+: 2500 MHz (G1&G2)
  • 5000+: 2600 MHz (G1&G2)
  • 5200+: 2700 MHz (G1&G2)
  • 5400+: 2800 MHz (G2)
  • 5600+: 2900 MHz (G2)

Athlon X2

'64' was omitted from the name of the Brisbane 'BE' series; the 64-bit marketing campaign initiated by AMD became insignificant once essentially all consumer CPUs became 64-bit processors. The Thermal Design Power (TDP (sometimes called Thermal Design Point) represents the maximum amount of power the cooling system in a computer is required to dissipate Events 63 BC - Cicero reads the last of his Catiline Orations. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.

Brisbane (65 nm SOI)

• CPU-Stepping: G1, G2
• L1-Cache: 64 + 64 KiB (Data + Instructions), per core
• L2-Cache: 512 KiB fullspeed, per core
• MMX, Extended 3DNow!, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, AMD64, Cool'n'Quiet, NX Bit, AMD Virtualization
• Socket AM2, HyperTransport (1000 MHz, HT1000)
• VCore: 1. Silicon on insulator technology ( SOI) refers to the use of a layered silicon-insulator-silicon Substrate in place of conventional silicon substrates in semiconductor MMX is a single instruction multiple data (SIMD Instruction set designed by Intel, introduced in 1997 in their Pentium line of 3DNow! is the Trade name of a multimedia extension created by AMD for its processors starting with the K6-2 in 1998 S treaming '''S'''IMD E xtensions ( SSE) is a SIMD (Single Instruction Multiple Data Instruction set extension to the X86 SSE2, Streaming SIMD Extensions 2, is one of the IA-32 SIMD (Single Instruction Multiple Data Instruction sets SSE2 was first introduced by SSE3, also known by its Intel code name Prescott New Instructions (PNI, is the third iteration of the SSE instruction set for the IA-32 architecture x86-64 is a Superset of the x86 instruction set architecture. Cool'n'Quiet is a CPU speed throttling and power saving technology introduced by AMD with their Athlon 64 processor line The NX bit, which stands for No eXecute, is a technology used in CPUs to segregate areas of memory for use by either storage of processor instructions (or code x86 virtualization is the method by which X86 -based "guest" operating systems are run under another "host" x86 operating system with little or no modification The Socket AM2, renamed from Socket M2 (to prevent using the same name as Cyrix MII processors is a CPU socket designed by AMD for desktop 15 V - 1. 20 V
• Die Size: 118 mm²
• Power Consumption (TDP): 45 Watt
• First Release: June 1, 2007
• Clockrate: 1900 MHz - 2300 MHz
  • BE-2300: 1900 MHz
  • BE-2350: 2100 MHz (G1&G2)
  • BE-2400: 2300 MHz (G2)

See also

• List of AMD Athlon X2 microprocessors
• List of AMD Athlon 64 microprocessors
• List of AMD microprocessors
• Parallel computing

External links

• Athlon 64 model overview on AMD site
• Athlon64 X2 product site
• Comparison with the Intel Core Duo
• AMD Athlon 64 Power and Thermal Data Sheet site pdf

References

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