The Big Processor Guide - AMD Cores

Advanced Micro Devices, Inc., has historically been a small but notable figure in the microprocessor market. While never matching the enormous size of long-time rival (and one-time partner) Intel, they have firmly established themselves as the second biggest player in the marketplace. In the days of the 486, they were noted for producing chips able to clock to higher speeds than those made by Intel, who originated the architecture. In more modern times they have established themselves as a leader (at least for now) in high performance, low power consumption products, and have leveraged innovations such as HyperTransport to prove that the little guy can score technological wins.

While computer processors are their most high-profile business, a substantial portion of AMD's revenues have historically come from flash memory production (since spun off as Spansion, of which they own a good portion). They are also a player in the embedded device processor market now. And July 24, 2006, they announced they would be merging with ATI, thus putting them in the chipset and video card markets.

Note: All Front Side Bus speeds are listed at the frequency of the clock that drives them; double-pumping is indicated by a "x2" and quad-pumping by an "x4". This page identifies sockets that support those features."HTT" indicates the processor uses HyperTransport.

Desktop

Mainstream

Phenom

The next generation, Phenom brings the new K10 microarchitecture to the desktop.

Toliman: Agena with one of the four cores disabled. All of the L3 cache is present. Because L2 cache in the K10 design is kept separate for the individual cores, the L2 cache associated with the disabled core is also disabled, so the total amount of L2 cache is reduced. Ditto for the L1 cache.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Agena Phenom X3 AM2+ 3 512 KB HTT 65 nm 2.4 GHz (8750)

Agena: The first generation product, with 128 KB of L1 cache per core and a shared 2 MB L3 cache. Suffered a severe sales setback due to the TLB erratum issue. Adds support for SSE4a, which is not the same as Intel's SSE4.1.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Agena Phenom X4 AM2+ 4 512 KB HTT 65 nm 2.4 GHz (9750)

Athlon X2

Exactly like the Athlon 64 X2, but with a shorter name. No, really.

Brisbane: A slightly later stepping, with slightly lower power consumption, than the Athlon 64 X2 Brisbane.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Brisbane Athlon X2 AM2 2 512 KB HTT 65 nm 2.3 GHz (BE-2400)

Athlon 64 X2

The Athlon 64 X2 is AMD's first dual core desktop processor. It was originally aimed at the enthusiast market, but (as such things do) has gradually moved toward the mainstream. These chips essentially combine two Athlon 64 cores into a single device, with some links to allow communication between the two cores. While having two cores does not mean double the performance, there are applications where it can make a substantial difference.

Brisbane: A die shrink of Windsor (now exclusively with 512 KB of L2 cache per core). As is often the case for die shrinks, Brisbane's most apparent advantage is that it produces less heat. Its reduced size also lets AMD put more dice on one wafer, which means reduced production costs. AMD hopes to eek out slightly higher clock speeds, but time will tell on that point. Brisbane was initially troubled by yield issues (probably due to AMD's fairly evolutionary manufacturing process) and by increased L2 cache latency (to provide the option of increased L2 cache sizes later on).

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Brisbane Athlon 64 X2 AM2 2 512 KB HTT 65 nm 2.7 GHz (5200+)

Windsor: Making the jump to Socket AM2, adds support for DDR2 memory. Dual Core.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Windsor Athlon 64 X2 AM2 2 512 KB HTT 90 nm 2.8 GHz (5400+)
AMD Windsor Athlon 64 X2 AM2 2 1 MB HTT 90 nm 3.2 GHz (6400+)

Toledo: Manchester, but with twice the cache.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Toledo Athlon 64 X2 939 2 1 MB HTT 90 nm 2.4 GHz (4800+)

Manchester: Essentially 2 Athlon 64 Venice cores integrated into one chip.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Manchester Athlon 64 X2 939 2 512 KB HTT 90 nm 2.4 GHz (4600+)

Athlon 64

The standards-bearer, the Athlon 64 is AMD's mainstream product.

Lima: Reduced-power Athlon 64. Essentially a single-core version of the Athlon 64 X2 Brisbane.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Lima Athlon 64 AM2 1 512 KB HTT 65 nm 2.4 GHz (3800+ EE)

Orleans: Making the jump to Socket AM2, adds support for DDR2 memory.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Orleans Athlon 64 AM2 1 512 KB HTT 90 nm 2.4 GHz (3800+)

San Diego: Venice with twice the cache. San Diego was first deployed in the Athlon 64 FX series, and eventually found its way into regular Athlon 64s.

ManufacturerCoreSeriesSocketCoresL2 Cache/CoreFSBProcess SizeTop Speed
AMD San Diego Athlon 64 939 1 1 MB HTT 90 nm 2.4 GHz (4000+)

Venice: Boasting an improved memory controller, and using less power than Clawhammer and Newcastle, Venice is truly a force to be reckoned with. Venice is a Socket 939-only chip. The first Athlon 64 X2 (dual-core) chips, Toledo and Manchester, are based on Venice.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Venice Athlon 64 939 1 512 KB HTT 90 nm 2.4 GHz (3800+)

Winchester: AMD's first 90 nm processors, Winchester was also the first Socket 939-only chip. With dramatically reduced power use and an improved memory controller, Winchester was a promising but short-lived step forward. It was quickly phased out in favor of Venice. Winchester brought SSE3 instructions to the line as well.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Winchester Athlon 64 939 1 512 KB HTT 90 nm 2.2 GHz (3500+)

Newcastle: the immediate successor to ClawHammer, Newcastle is almost identical. However, it has half as much L2 cache and reduced P-ratings to compensate. Newcastle displaced Clawhammer very quickly.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Newcastle Athlon 64 754 1 512 KB HTT 130 nm 2.4 GHz (3400+)
AMD Newcastle Athlon 64 939 1 512 KB HTT 130 nm 2.4 GHz (3800+)

Clawhammer: the consumer version of the Opteron processors, and the world's first desktop 64-bit processors, Clawhammer chips were the first available for Socket 754, and were intended to be the successor to the Athlon XP. The original Clawhammers had 1 MB of L2 cache; later chips would be sold with only 512 KB, allegedly as a way of coping with manufacturing defects.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Clawhammer Athlon 64 754 1 512 KB HTT 130 nm 2.2 GHz (3400+)
AMD Clawhammer Athlon 64 939 1 512 KB HTT 130 nm 2.2 GHz (3500+)
AMD Clawhammer Athlon 64 754 1 1 MB HTT 130 nm 2.4 GHz (3700+)
AMD Clawhammer Athlon 64 939 1 1 MB HTT 130 nm 2.4 GHz (4000+)

Athlon XP

In its day, the Athlon XP was respected by the technical community, adored by the value-conscious, and revered by overclockers. With an initially slow start, the Athlon XP eventually came roaring forward to flex its muscle. The XP series were the first to bear "PR Rating" designations.

Thorton: Something of a rarity, Thortons are basically Bartons with half their L2 cache disabled and their bus speed reduced, giving them specs identical to Thoroughbred B units. A clever use of Bartons with partially-defective L2 cache.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Thorton Athlon XP A 1 256 KB 133 MHz x2 130 nm 2.2 (3100+)

Barton: The last gasp of Socket A, allowing it to go out with a bang and not a whimper. The Barton was a modified Thoroughbred B with more cache and the capability to use higher Front Side Bus speeds. It was given higher performance ratings relative to its clock speed than its predecessors, partly because of its greater cache. Virtually all Barton chips are actually the same chip, set to operate at a different speeds- thus making it a very overclocker-friendly processor.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Barton Athlon XP A 1 512 KB 166 MHz x2 130 nm 2.17 GHz (3000+)
AMD Barton Athlon XP A 1 512 KB 200 MHz x2 130 nm 2.2 GHz (3200+)

Thoroughbred B: The "B" chip represented a shift: in order to increase scalability (the ability to make faster versions of the chip), an extra layer (the ninth) was added to the core. This was rather like dealing with heavy city congestion by building subways, or skywalks. All previous Athlon XP cores were declared obsolete at its release, and all Palomino or Thoroughbred A processors were gradually displaced by Thoroughbred B versions of themselves. Some Thoroughbred B chips also supported a higher FSB.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Thoroughbred B Athlon XP A 1 256 KB 133 MHz x2 130 nm 2.13 GHz (2600+)
AMD Thoroughbred B Athlon XP A 1 256 KB 166 MHz x2 130 nm 2.25 GHz (2800+)

Thoroughbred A: The "A" was added later to this successor to the Palomino, to separate it from the "B" revision. The Thoroughbred was a significantly more able processor than the Palomino, and cooler as well. This was in part due to a smaller process size.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Thoroughbred A Athlon XP A 1 256 KB 133 MHz x2 130 nm 1.8 GHz (2200+)

Palomino: The first big upgrade to the Thunderbird Athlon and the initiator of QuantiSpeed ratings, this processor offered much greater potential speed at the cost of increased heat. The Palomino produced a large amount of heat compared to its contemporaries, and gave the AMD line its current reputation of running warmer. Could not be unlocked in the same way as Thunderbird Athlons, though it was still possible.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Palomino Athlon XP A 1 256 KB 133 MHz x2 180 nm 1.73 GHz (2100+)

Athlon

In many ways, these were the chips that put AMD in a petition to really compete with Intel. Comparatively faster and cheaper, the Athlons firmly established AMD's foothold in the enthusiast market.

Thunderbird: The grand-daddy of the Socket A chips. It set the standards for the future generations, especially as regards its price advantage over Intel's offerings. First AMD processor with locked multipliers, though this could be undone with a common pencil.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Thunderbird Athlon Slot A 1 256 KB 100 MHz x2 180 nm 1.0 GHz
AMD Thunderbird "B" Athlon A 1 256 KB 100 MHz x2 180 nm 1.4 GHz
AMD Thunderbird "C" Athlon A 1 256 KB 133 MHz x2 180 nm 1.4 GHz

Pluto/Orion: AKA K75. The second (and last) Athlon "Classic", Pluto was essentially a die shrink of Argon.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Pluto Athlon Slot A 1 512 KB 100 MHz x2 180 nm 850 MHz
AMD Orion Athlon Slot A 1 512 KB 100 MHz x2 180 nm 1.0 GHz

Argon: AKA K7. The first Athlon "Classic", Argon represented a substantial improvement over previous K6-based designs. With an improved Floating-Point Unit and more L1 and L2 cache, it helped greatly expand AMD's market.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Argon Athlon Slot A 1 512 KB 100 MHz x2 250 nm 700 MHz

K6-III

In essence the K6-III is a K6-2 with on-die L2 cache.

Sharptooth: AKA Model 9. Sharptooth added its own on-die L2 cache, essentially treating motherboard-mounted cache as L3 cache rather than L2 cache. While expensive to produce (its transistor count nearly matched the Athlon that succeeded it, and was far greater than the K6-II), it proved to be quite profitable. A solid performer brought to market while Intel was struggling with manufacturing issues, Sharptooth became popular even among traditionally Intel-only vendors.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Sharptooth K6-III Super 7 1 256 KB 100 MHz 250 nm 450 MHz

K6-2

At its base, the K6-2 was the K6 with the addition of AMD's 3DNow! instruction set. The K6-2 struck a major blow against Intel by performing well and being very cheap.

Chomper: AKA Model 8. Available in several variants. The CXT variant added write combining.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Chomper K6-2 7 1 0 KB 66 MHz 250 nm 266 MHz
AMD Chomper K6-2 Super 7 1 0 KB 95 MHz 250 nm 333 MHz
AMD Chomper K6-2 Super 7 1 0 KB 100 MHz 250 nm 350 MHz
AMD Chomper CXT K6-2 Super 7 1 0 KB 66 MHz 250 nm 366 MHz
AMD Chomper CXT K6-2 Super 7 1 0 KB 95 MHz 250 nm 475 MHz
AMD Chomper CXT K6-2 Super 7 1 0 KB 97 MHz 250 nm 533 MHz
AMD Chomper CXT K6-2 Super 7 1 0 KB 100 MHz 250 nm 550 MHz

K6

Built on recently-acquired NexGen's Nx86 chip, retooled for Socket 7, the K6 was AMD's bid to put itself back in competitive standing with Intel. Performance was comparable to the Pentium Pro. The K6 launched shortly before the Pentium II, but ultimately was similar in performance. For this reason P-ratings were dropped for this series. The K6 did nonetheless have the advantage of being cheaper, and fitting in the Socket 7 used by Intel's desktop offerings. The K6 added MMX support.

Little Foot: AKA Model 7. Little Foot brought the K6 to Super Socket 7, allowing increased Front Side Bus speeds (and AGP). It was also a die shrink of Model 6.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Little Foot K6 7 1 0 KB 66 MHz 250 nm 266 MHz
AMD Little Foot K6 Super 7 1 0 KB 100 MHz 250 nm 300 MHz

Model 6: Little changed from the NexGen design, Model 6 saved AMD.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Model 6 K6 7 1 0 KB 66 MHz 350 nm 233 MHz

K5

The K5 was AMD's attempt to compete with Intel's Pentium. And it was a dismal failure. Launched over a year late, it sold poorly. In addition to its other woes, it is noted to have produced quite a bit of heat for its time. K5 was an ambitious design, and like the Pentium Pro it contained a RISC core that translated x86 instructions into its internal "micro-ops" before execution. Confusingly, the K5 was refered to as the 5k86 until the release of the core codenamed 5k86... at which time it was refered to as the K5. The K5 was given P-ratings.

5k86: AKA Model 1. It should be noted that the PR200 is quite rare (and never entered regular distribution), and the fastest generally-available chip was the 116 MHz PR133.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD 5k86 K5 5 1 0 KB 60 MHz 350 nm 90 MHz
AMD 5k86 K5 5 1 0 KB 66 MHz 350 nm 100 MHz
AMD 5k86 K5 7 1 0 KB 66 MHz 350 nm 133 MHz (PR200)

SSA5: AKA Model 0. Ambitious but weak, poor floating-point performance and other faults would doom this poor core.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD SSA5 K5 5 1 0 KB 50 MHz 500 nm 75 MHz
AMD SSA5 K5 5 1 0 KB 60 MHz 350 nm 90 MHz
AMD SSA5 K5 5 1 0 KB 66 MHz 350 nm 100 MHz

Am5x86

A stopgap measure, AMD produced the Am5x86 while it awaited completion of the K5.

Am5x86: A very popular and very broadly compatible upgrade path for 486 owners. While unable to compete with the Pentium at a matching clock speed, the advantages over the 486 were substantial. Only one speed was manufactured in quantity, although a 150 MHz version reportedly exists.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Am5x86 Am5x86 3 1 0 KB 33 MHz 350 nm 133 MHz

High End

Phenom Black Edition

As per usual, these chips are just the same as regular Phenoms, but with unlocked multipliers. And as per usual, they are sold at higher speeds before their "mainstream" counterparts. The major break from tradition is that they are sold at a much more modest upcharge; where a new Athlon 64 FX or Pentium 4 Extreme Edition could have cost $1,000 in its day, these have typically been at a more achievable $250 or so.

Agena: Just like the Phenom X4 Agena, but with the multiplier unlocked.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Agena Phenom Black Edition AM2+ 4 512 KB HTT 65 nm 2.6 GHz (9950 BE)

Athlon 64 FX

Targeted at the enthusiast market, the Athlon 64 FX series is meant to represent the absolute best of AMD's desktop line- the state of the art. This sometimes means new technologies reach the FX series first, while in other cases it means simple amenities like unlocked multipliers and tighter testing tolerances. Initially offered only on the costly Socket 940 platform, the FX series eventually found its way to the more mainstream Socket 939.

Windsor: Based on the Athlon 64 X2 core of the same name, but with the guarantee of 1 MB of L2 per core and unlocked multipliers. The Socket F parts are for use in QuadFX configurations.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Windsor Athlon 64 FX F 2 1 MB HTT 90 nm 3.0 GHz (FX-74)
AMD Windsor Athlon 64 FX AM2 2 1 MB HTT 90 nm 2.8 GHz (FX-62)

Toledo: Adapted from the Athlon 64 X2 series chip, these FX chips are essentially identical other than having unlocked multipliers, which make them friendlier to overclockers.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Toledo Athlon 64 FX 939 2 1 MB HTT 90 nm 2.6 GHz (FX-60)

San Diego: This was the first appearance of San Diego, before it made its way to the Athlon 64 line. The only demonstrable difference was that the Athlon 64 FX version had an unlocked multiplier.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD San Diego Athlon 64 FX 939 1 1 MB HTT 90 nm 2.8 GHz (FX-57)

Sledgehammer: The bastard child of Opteron, the Athlon 64 FX Sledgehammer is little different from contemporary Opteron Sledgehammers.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Sledgehammer Athlon 64 FX 940 1 1 MB HTT 130 nm 2.4 GHz (FX-53)
AMD Sledgehammer Athlon 64 FX 939 1 1 MB HTT 130 nm 2.6 GHz (FX-55)

Value

Sempron

Continuing in the spirit of the Duron series, the Sempron chips are intended to appeal to value-conscious buyers. Semprons first appeared on Socket A, and have since migrated as needed.

Sparta: A lot like the Athlon 64 X2 Brisbane, but with just one core.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Sparta Sempron AM2 1 512 KB HTT 65 nm 2.2 GHz (LE-1250)
AMD Sparta Sempron AM2 1 256 KB HTT 65 nm 2.0 GHz (LE-1150)

Manila: Making the jump to Socket AM2, adds support for DDR2 memory.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Manila Sempron AM2 1 128 KB HTT 90 nm 2.0 GHz (3500+)
AMD Manila Sempron AM2 1 256 KB HTT 90 nm 2.0 GHz (3600+)

Palermo: The replacement for the Paris core. They are basically retooled Winchester (later Venice) chips. They are on a smaller process than Paris. Beginning at the E3 stepping, they support SSE3. Beginning at the E6 stepping, they support the full AMD64 extensions; some refer to these as the "Sempron 64" series. All support the NX bit. The Socket 939 chips support an increased 1000 MHz HyperTransport speed.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Palermo Sempron 754 1 128 KB HTT 90 nm 2.0 GHz (3300+)
AMD Palermo Sempron 754 1 256 KB HTT 90 nm 2.0 GHz (3400+)
AMD Palermo Sempron 939 1 128 KB HTT 90 nm 2.0 GHz (3400+)
AMD Palermo Sempron 939 1 256 KB HTT 90 nm 1.8 GHz (3200+)

Paris: Modified Athlon 64 Newcastle with some cache disabled and HTT speed limited to 800 MHz. Initially, many Athlon XP-based Semprons were refered to as being Paris core, though this was incorrect.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Paris Sempron 754 1 128 KB HTT 130 nm 1.8 GHz (3000+)
AMD Paris Sempron 754 1 256 KB HTT 130 nm 1.8 GHz (3100+)

Barton: Essentially a remarked Athlon XP Barton.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Barton Sempron A 1 512 KB 166 MHz x2 130 nm 2.0 GHz (3000+)

Thoroughbred B: Essentially a remarked Athlon XP Thoroughbred B. AMD stopped marketing all Athlon XPs at the launch of the Athlon 64, presumably to avoid confusing customers, and instead turned them into Semprons.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Thoroughbred B Sempron A 1 256 KB 166 MHz x2 130 nm 2.0 GHz (2800+)

Duron

AMD's first "value" line, analogous to Intel's Celeron, the Duron was a cheap but surprisingly hardy chip.

Applebred: The last gasp of Duron, with a bump to the Front Side Bus. Despite modest performance (and modest clock speeds), able to best the entire range of regular Celerons. The Applebred was a down-tuned Athlon XP Thoroughbred (A or B) with reduced cache. In some cases this cache was defective; in others, it could actually be re-enabled.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Applebred Duron A 1 64 KB 133 MHz x2 130 nm 1.8 GHz

Morgan: A weakened Athlon XP Palomino.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Morgan Duron A 1 64 KB 100 MHz x2 180 nm 1.3 GHz

Spitfire: A down-tuned Athlon Thunderbird, Spitfire had very little L2 cache and a reduced Front Side Bus.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Spitfire Duron A 1 64 KB 100 MHz x2 180 nm 950 MHz

Laptop

Mainstream

Turion X2 Ultra

A new version of Turion introduced with AMD's Puma platform, the Turion X2 Ultra is meant to offer both better performance and lower power usage.

Griffin: A smaller process and more L2 cache are the most obvious changes from older products, but Griffin has more subtle differences as well. It moves from a single power plane for the entire chip to 3 (one for each of the two cores, and one for the integrated memory controller and everything else), allowing the chip to vary the voltage supplied to its different components. This means, most critically, that cores that are not very busy can be fed a lower voltage and thus consume less power. Griffin also moves to HyperTransport 3.0, which providesd more bandwidth but also the ability to change the link's "width" (from 16 lanes to 8) to save power. It is not yet clear if all versions will have 1 MB of L2 cache per core, or if some might have half that.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Griffin Turion X2 Ultra S1 2 1 MB HTT 45 nm 2.4 GHz (ZM-86)

Turion 64 X2

A dual-core implementation of the Turion on a new socket. The new socket brings support for DDR2 as well. AMD has indicated the Turion 64 X2 will fully replace the regular Turion 64 in a short time frame.

Taylor: Adds support for DDR2 memory. Dual core.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Taylor Turion 64 X2 S1 2 256 KB HTT 90 nm 1.6 GHz (TL-50)
AMD Taylor Turion 64 X2 S1 2 512 KB HTT 90 nm 2.0 GHz (TL-60)

Turion 64

Strictly speaking, Turion is a "platform" or "package" of the same breed as Intel's Centrino brand. However, the requirements are so loose that essentially any laptop with the right processor meets them- and so in practice, the name Turion 64 is applied to the chips themselves.

Lancaster: At long last, a truly mobile chip from AMD. Based on the Winchester/Venice/San Diego cores, Lancaster produces dramatically less heat than its predecessors.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Lancaster Turion 64 754 1 512 KB HTT 90 nm 2.4 GHz (ML-42)
AMD Lancaster Turion 64 754 1 1 MB HTT 90 nm 2.4 GHz (ML-44)

Athlon 64 Mobile

These mobile variants on the Athlon 64 line initially targeted only the desktop replacement market (due to the high power consumption of the Clawhammer core), but with the introduction of Lancaster began to expand their appeal. 1600 MT/s HyperTransport.

Newark: The "desktop replacement" chip based on the Athlon 64 Winchester/Venice/San Diego.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Newark Athlon 64 Mobile 754 1 1 MB HTT 90 nm 2.6 GHz (4000+)

Oakville: The "portability" chip based on the Athlon 64 Winchester/Venice/San Diego.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Oakville Athlon 64 Mobile 754 1 512 KB HTT 90 nm 2.0 GHz (3000+)

Odessa: Available as the 1.6 GHz 2800+ "desktop replacement" and several lower-power, lower-voltage versions. Based on the Athlon 64 Newcastle.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Odessa Athlon 64 Mobile 754 1 512 KB HTT 130 nm 2.0 GHz (3000+)

Clawhammer: the vaguely mobile variant of the Athlon 64 processor, officially launched alongside the desktop unit. Intended as a Desktop Replacement, rather than a truly mobile unit.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Clawhammer Athlon 64 Mobile 754 1 1 MB HTT 130 nm 2.4 GHz (3700+)

Athlon XP-M

The Athlon XP-M is not fundamentally different from the regular Athlon XP. XP-Ms are culled from the best of the best XPs, chosen largely for their ability to operate correctly with reduced voltage. They also have unlocked multipliers.

Barton: Based on the Athlon XP of the same name.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Barton Athlon XP-M A 1 512 KB 133 MHz x2 130 nm 2.2 GHz (3000+)

Thoroughbred B: Based on the Athlon XP of the same name.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Thoroughbred B Athlon XP-M A 1 256 KB 133 MHz x2 130 nm 2.13 GHz (2600+)

Mobile Athlon XP

The first adaptation of the Athlon XP to the mobile market, the Mobile Athlon XP offered the promise of increased Front Side Bus speeds over the Athlon 4 Mobile.

Thoroughbred A: Based on the Athlon XP of the same name.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Thoroughbred A Mobile Athlon XP A 1 256 KB 100 MHz x2 130 nm 1.6 GHz (1900+)
AMD Thoroughbred A Mobile Athlon XP A 1 256 KB 133 MHz x2 130 nm 1.6 GHz (1900+)

Athlon 4 Mobile

A regular Athlon adapted for mobile use by way of reduced operating voltage and improved power management.

Corvette: Based on the Athlon Thunderbird.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Corvette Athlon 4 Mobile A 1 256 KB 100 MHz x2 180 nm 1.4 GHz (1600+)

K6-III+

Mobile variant of the K6-III. Extended 3DNow! and PowerNow!

Sharptooth: Based on the K6-III of the same name. Note that it is on a smaller process than the desktop chip.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Sharptooth K6-III+ Super 7 1 256 KB 100 MHz 180 nm 500 MHz

K6-III-P

Early mobile variant of the K6-III.

Sharptooth: Based on the K6-III of the same name.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Sharptooth K6-III-P Super 7 1 256 KB 100 MHz 250 nm 450 MHz

K6-2-P

Mobile variant of the K6-2. Reduced operating voltage.

Chomper: Based on the K6-2 of the same name.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Chomper K6-2-P 7 1 0 KB 66 MHz 250 nm 333 MHz
AMD Chomper K6-2-P Super 7 1 0 KB 66 MHz 250 nm 433 MHz
AMD Chomper K6-2-P Super 7 1 0 KB 95 MHz 250 nm 475 MHz
AMD Chomper K6-2-P Super 7 1 0 KB 100 MHz 250 nm 450 MHz

Value

Mobile Sempron

Cut-down Mobile Athlon 64s, the Mobile Sempron series is aimed for the smaller budget. With reduced L2 cache, they underperform their bigger brothers. HyperTransport speed of 1600 MT/s.

Sonora: Low power version of Georgetown targeted at thin and light notebooks.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Sonora Mobile Sempron 754 1 128 KB HTT 90 nm 2.0 GHz (3300+)
AMD Sonora Mobile Sempron 754 1 256 KB HTT 90 nm 1.8 GHz (3100+)

Georgetown: Based on the Athlon 64 Winchester/Venice. Targeted at desktop replacements.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Georgetown Mobile Sempron 754 1 128 KB HTT 90 nm 2.0 GHz (3300+)
AMD Georgetown Mobile Sempron 754 1 256 KB HTT 90 nm 2.0 GHz (3400+)

Dublin: Available in desktop replacement and low power versions. It should be noted that for a time, these chips were sold under the Athlon XP-M branding.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Dublin Mobile Sempron 754 1 128 KB HTT 130 nm 1.8 GHz (3000+)
AMD Dublin Mobile Sempron 754 1 256 KB HTT 130 nm 1.6 GHz (2800+)

Duron Mobile

The "budget" line that sold alongside Athlons and Athlon XPs.

Morgan: A retooled Duron Morgan.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Sharptooth Mobile Duron A 1 64 KB 100 MHz x2 180 nm 1.3 GHz

Spitfire: A retooled Duron Spitfire.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Spitfire Mobile Duron A 1 64 KB 100 MHz x2 180 nm 700 MHz

K6-2+

More closely related to the K6-III, the K6-2+ was essentially brought to market as a down-scaled K6-III+. Adds PowerNow!

Chomper: As the K6-III+ Sharptooth, but with reduced cache and in some cases a lower Front Side Bus.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Chomper K6-2+ Super 7 1 128 KB 95 MHz 180 nm 475 MHz
AMD Chomper K6-2+ Super 7 1 128 KB 97 MHz 180 nm 533 MHz
AMD Chomper K6-2+ Super 7 1 128 KB 100 MHz 180 nm 550 MHz

Server

Opteron

The Opteron line was AMD's bid to take over a substantial portion of the server market. It enjoyed much greater success than the Athlon MP line before it, in part due to its excellent thermal characteristics. After appearing on the more consumer-oriented Socket 939, Opterons enjoyed a period of considerable popularity among overclockers. The more rigorous testing (and for a time surprisingly low prices) of these processors as compared to Athlon 64 and X2 alternatives proved to be very appealing.

Barcelona: The first K10 product to market, Barcelona finally retired the K8 series of Opterons. Dual- and quad-processor-capable versions were available at launch, with single-processor parts to follow. The launch was unfortunately marred by a TLB erratum that caused AMD to scramble to do damage control.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Barcelona Opteron F 4 512 KB HTT 65 nm 2.0 GHz (2350/8350)

Santa Rosa: Ushering in the era of "Revision F" Opterons, Santa Rosa makes the jump to Socket F. The switch came shortly after desktop chips moved to Socket AM2. Santa Rosa is available with support for 2 or 8 chips in a system (or less, of course). Santa Rosa Opterons are members of the Opteron 22xx (up to 2 processors per system) or 82xx (up to 8 processors per system) family.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Santa Rosa Opteron F 2 1 MB HTT 90 nm 2.8 GHz (2220/8220)

Santa Ana: Almost exactly the same as Santa Rosa, but on a different socket and with a different memory controller. Santa Ana is made for Socket AM2, and consequently has a DDR2 memory controller. It also consequently supports single-processor use only. Santa Ana Opterons are members of the Opteron 12xx family.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Santa Ana Opteron AM2 2 1 MB HTT 90 nm 2.6 GHz (1218)

Egypt: Denmark with support for 8-socket systems. Egypt processors are members of the Opteron 8xx family, meaning they are suitable for use in quad-socket systems.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Egypt Opteron 940 2 1 MB HTT 90 nm 2.6 GHz (885)

Italy: Denmark with support for 2-socket systems. Italy processors are members of the Opteron 2xx family, meaning they are suitable for use in dual-socket systems.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Italy Opteron 940 2 1 MB HTT 90 nm 2.4 GHz (280)

Denmark: The first dual-core Opteron. Denmark is made up of two Troy cores in much the same way an Athlon 64 Manchester is made up of two Venice cores. Denmark is a member of the 1xx family, and is suitable for single-socket configurations

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Denmark Opteron 940 2 1 MB HTT 90 nm 2.6 GHz (185)
AMD Denmark Opteron 939 2 1 MB HTT 90 nm 2.2 GHz (175)

Athens: Venus with support for 8-socket systems. Athens processors are members of the Opteron 8xx family, meaning they are suitable for use in quad-socket systems.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Athens Opteron 940 1 1 MB HTT 90 nm 2.8 GHz (854)
AMD Athens Opteron 939 1 1 MB HTT 90 nm 2.8 GHz (854)

Troy: Venus with support for 2-socket systems. Troy processors are members of the Opteron 2xx family, meaning they are suitable for use in dual-socket systems.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Troy Opteron 940 1 1 MB HTT 90 nm 2.8 GHz (254)
AMD Troy Opteron 939 1 1 MB HTT 90 nm 2.8 GHz (254)

Venus: 90 nm manufacturing hits the Opteron. Like the Sempron Paris, a curiosity. Available on Socket 940 like other Opterons, but also on Socket 939. Part of the 1xx family, suited for single-socket use. Much like Sledgehammer Opterons, but manufactured on the newer 90 nm process.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Venus Opteron 940 1 1 MB HTT 90 nm 2.2 GHz (148HE)
AMD Venus Opteron 939 1 1 MB HTT 90 nm 2.8 GHz (154)

Sledgehammer: the first of AMD's 64-bit "Hammer" processors to hit the market. Unlike later cores, this generation of Opterons did not have different core names for versions supporting different numbers of sockets.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Sledgehammer Opteron 940 1 1 MB HTT 130 nm 2.4 GHz (x50)

Athlon MP

The MP series are virtually identical to their XP brothers, with the key difference that they could be run in multi-processor configurations. Setting the tone for the Opteron, the MP series sometimes received new technologies before they filtered down to the XP line. The Palomino core first launched under MP branding.

Barton: As the Athlon XP of the same name, but with multiprocessor support.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Barton Athlon MP A 1 512 KB 133 MHz x2 130 nm 2.13 GHz (2800+)

Thoroughbred B: As the Athlon XP of the same name, but with multiprocessor support.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Thoroughbred B Athlon MP A 1 256 KB 133 MHz x2 130 nm 2.13 GHz (2600+)
AMD Thoroughbred B Athlon MP A 1 512 KB 133 MHz x2 130 nm 2.13 GHz (2800+)

Thoroughbred A: As the Athlon XP of the same name, but with multiprocessor support.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Thoroughbred A Athlon MP A 1 256 KB 133 MHz x2 130 nm 1.8 GHz (2200+)

Palomino: As the Athlon XP of the same name, but with multiprocessor support. The Palomino core actually appeared first as an Athlon MP. Some had P-ratings and some did not (earlier ones did not); that is why this table has an extra row. Sometimes refered to as the Athlon MP Mustang.

Manufacturer Core Series Socket Cores L2 Cache/Core FSB Process Size Top Speed
AMD Palomino Athlon MP A 1 256 KB 133 MHz x2 180 nm 1.2 GHz
AMD Palomino Athlon MP A 1 256 KB 133 MHz x2 180 nm 1.73 GHz (2100+)