AMD: Two Cores are Better Than One

AMD's new Athlon 64 X2 dual-core processor is now available for desktop and laptop computers. Among the companies supporting this new CPU ands Alienware Computers and HP.

AMD says the new dual core Athlon 64 X2 delivers performance improvements of up to 80 percent on select digital media and productivity applications compared to single-core AMD Athlon 64 processors.

The AMD Athlon 64 X2 dual-core processor will be supported by OEMs such as Acer, Alienware, HP and Lenovo, as well as more than 40 leading system-builder partners worldwide.

According to the company “Digital media applications can see an average of a 34 percent increase compared to similar single-core AMD Athlon 64 processors, while overall productivity benchmark results can see a 22 percent average increase.”

Applications will have to be written to specifically support the capabilities of the new dual cores processors.

The AMD Athlon 64 X2 dual-core processors 4800+, 4600+, 4400+ and 4200+ are priced based on performance at $1001, $803, $581 and $537, respectively, in 1,000-unit quantities.