AMD releases 750MHz Athlon chip
- — 30 November, 1999 21:49
Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) has regained the lead in the megahertz race from arch-rival Intel with the launch of a 750MHz Athlon processor, and several leading PC makers have already signed up to use the speedy chip in upcoming models.
AMD is releasing the high-end microprocessor along with a new 533MHz version of its K6-2 processor series, confirmed Richard Baker, an AMD spokesman in the UK.
The 750MHz Athlon chip, the company's first chip built on a new 0.18 micron aluminum process, beats out Intel's speediest 733MHz Pentium III processor in terms of raw clock speed. It is priced at $US799 in 1000-unit quantities, AMD said in a statement.
Several PC vendors, including Compaq Computer and IBM, today also announced their intent to ship new PC models with the 750MHz Athlon processor. Compaq, for example, plans to use the speedy Athlon chip in a new Presario model, the statement said. Presario is Compaq's consumer-oriented PC line.
Catering to the rapidly growing low-cost PC segment, AMD today also released a 533MHz K6-2 processor, carrying a list price of $US167 in 1000-unit quantities. Compaq, again, was among the vendors saying that they plan to use the chip, according to a statement issued by AMD.
With the release of the 750MHz Athlon, which follows a 700MHz version introduced a few months ago, AMD is reclaiming the clock-speed crown it briefly lost to Intel when the chip giant last month unveiled its 733MHz Pentium III.
