May 31, 2005

AMD launches dual-core processor Athlon 64 X2

by Dhiram Shah

The Athlon X2 follows on the heels of Intel’s Pentium D and sets the benchmark for dual-core performance. The entry-ticket into the dual-core family is the X2 4200+ (Manchester core), which is clocked at 2.2 GHz and offers 2 x 512 KByte L2 cache. One step up the ladder is the 4400+ (Toledo core) with the same clock speed, but 2 x 1024 KByte cache. Accordingly, the 4600+ and 4800+ are both clocked at 2.4 GHz and integrate 2x 512 KByte and 2 x 1024 KByte L2 cache. Pricing for X2 processors begins at $537 – more than Intel’s high-end Pentium D 840 ($530). Test results from Tom’s Hardware Guide indicate, the X2 is clearly faster the Intel’s Pentium D

More details at Tom’s Hardware