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Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) is expected to build business momentum further by introducing the Barton-core Athlon XP processor in October.
Supporting a 333MHz FSB (front-side bus) and 512K cache memory, the 0.13-micron Barton-based Athlon XP offers specifications comparable to those of Intel?s new Pentium 4, AMD said. At present, the processor maker plans to launch two Barton-based products in the fourth quarter.
According to AMD?s original roadmap, the Barton-core processors were positioned to target the low to medium-range market, accompanying the new-generation K8-core products. However, as the K8 processors will not hit the market until sometime later, AMD has seemed to try to maintain its momentum by strengthening specifications of its current K7 platform. Besides introducing the Barton core, the company earlier upgraded the FSB standard of its Athlon XP processors from 266MHz to 333MHz.
Its first FSB 333MHz-supporting processor, the Athlon XP 2700+, is scheduled to be launched on October 7, but this will still adopt the Thoroughbred core with 256K cache memory. The new Barton core will be incorporated into later FSB 333MHz-based products.
With the Thoroughbred Athlon XP 2700+ and later Barton-based products, AMD estimated that 900,000 FSB 333MHz-supporting Athlon XP processors will have reached the market by year-end.
AMD said that it believes it will not encounter significant problems promoting the FSB 333MHz processors, considering an adequate supply of DDR333 memory at present.
Still, to compete against Intel?s P4 platform, AMD said it is planning a series of marketing campaigns, hoping to further raise consumer awareness of what it claims as true performance.
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