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AMD Introduces New Server Chips
Still working to gain a foothold in the enterprise, Advanced Micro Devices Corp. released a newprocessor and chipset for two-way servers. The Athlon MP 1900+ processor andthe AMD-760 MPX chipset promise to improve the performance of AMD-basedservers.The Athlon MP 1900+ speeds up AMD’s multiprocessor lineby bringing the top clock speed up to 1600MHz. Previously, the fastest chip AMDoffered for multiprocessing was the Athlon MP 1800+, which runs at 1533MHz. AMDuses numbers which reflect how well the chip performs compared to a Pentium 4.Many benchmarks indicate that Athlons outperform Pentium 4s with an equivalentclock speed, so AMD markets the chips with a higher number.
The AMD-760 MPX is an update of AMD’s first two-waychipset, the 760 MP. New in this chipset is better I/O performance. It supports66MHz PCI busses in both 32-bit and 64-bit configurations. In addition, itsperipheral bus control allows for PCI-to-PCI bridging.
Although AMD’s Athlon line has gained recognition forits performance, it has made little headway into the enterprise, particularlyin servers. One factor restricting AMD from entering the enterprise market wasits lack of multiprocessing chipsets – avoid it filled with the introduction of the 760 MP chipset.
Multiprocessing chipsets from AMD require specialversions of the Athlon designed for multiprocessing.