AMD intros 65-nanometer Athlon 64 X2 chips
updated 09:50 am EST, Tue December 5, 2006
AMD 65-nm Athlon 64 Chips
The Athlon 64 X2 processor is now being made on a 65-nanometer process, AMD said today. Codenamed "Brisbane," the updated version of the chip uses a combination of a higher-density manufacturing method and the use of strained silicon, both of which improve the efficiency of the processor and reduce the heat it generates. The newer Athlon 64 X2 consumes an average of 65 watts of power -- a full 30% less than current 90nm chips use, AMD says. The improvement places AMD back in direct contention with Intel, which has had 65nm Core and Pentium 4 CPUs since October of last year.
Four speed grades of the processor are being introduced today: 4000+ (2.1GHz), 4400+ (2.3GHz), 4800+ (2.5GHz), and 5000+ (2.6GHz). All four include 512K of level 2 cache per core and are otherwise unchanged from their 90nm counterparts. The new chips are available to system builders beginning today between prices of $169 and $301 in batches of 1000, though AMD is only expecting large-scale availability early next year.
