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Introduction
The NameSays It All
AMD has been leading in the performance per megahertz area for a few years
now and this new name just tells the world about it. XP comes from the
words- "extreme performance." The number following XP refers
to the performance value of the CPU in relation to Intel's line of CPUs.
So the term "XP" should not be associated with Windows XP.
So What's New?
This chip uses the new "Palomino" core and proves to gain
about 7% more performance per clock than previous Athlons based on the
"Thunderbird"-core. This CPU supports multiprocessor configurations
as the AthlonMP and the Mobile Athlon4 processors. These new CPUs consume
20% less juice than their thunderbird cousins, making them easier to keep
cool. Support for the full Intel SSE instruction set is now in place.
A Hardware auto data pre-fetching unit has been added. The L1 Data TLB
(Translation Look-Aside Buffer) has been increased from 32 to 40 entries.
A much needed thermal diode to monitor processor temperature has been
included.
Check Out My New Skins!
The XP defiantly has a new look about it. The first thing that you may
notice is that the gray ceramic packaging, which housed the Duron and
Thunderbirds for so many years is gone, being replaced by a brown PCB
(printed Circuit Board). AMD says that this new packaging dissipates the
thermal energy of the core more efficiently. This new packaging is also
weighs much less than the older style.The underside of the Athlon MP 1800+
has several of the CPU components, which used to be on top. The pin placement
and count has remained identical to the Athlon MP 1.2GHz, this helps make
it fully backward compatible with many previous AMD chipsets (like the
AMD 760MP).
The bluish Thunderbird compared to the newer XP
|
Athlon (Thunderbird) |
Athlon XP (Palomino) |
| CPU Interface |
Socket A |
Socket A |
| Fabrication Process |
.18µ |
.18µ |
| Number of Transistors |
37 million |
37.5 million |
| Die Size |
120mm² |
128mm² |
Benchmarks
By Daniel L. Berry
2001
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