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AMD-K5™ Processor Overview

Processor Overview

Delivering Freedom Of Choice
In today's global personal computer market, the PC industry needs choices and options. Everyone in the industry needs processor alternatives to respond to business opportunities and gain advantage in emerging markets.

Choices, Choices
The broader the range of microprocessor alternatives, the more options PC manufacturers and resellers have in choosing what's best for their system design needs­and for their customers' needs. But with this freedom of choice comes the challenge of making the right decision. In choosing a processor solution, PC manufacturers and resellers must consider an array of factors:

  • What's the processor's delivered performance?
  • Is the solution Microsoft® Windows®-compatible?
  • Is it a pin-compatible Pentium alternative?
  • How cost-competitive is the product offering?
  • Does the processor supplier have the process technology and manufacturing capacity to deliver?
  • Is the supplier a long-term player with strong industry partnerships?
  • Does the supplier have a technology roadmap to higher performance options?

At AMD, we understand the needs of the global PC industry. We know how critical it is for PC manufacturers and resellers to choose the right processor for their system designs. That's why we developed a processor solution that will make the choice easier: the AMD-K5™ processor.

The Best Choice in the Fifth-Generation World
By driving the state of the art in processor architecture and manufacturing technology, AMD has delivered a Windows-compatible alternative to the Pentium. The AMD-K5 processor series features an independently developed architecture that delivers the fifth-generation performance PC users need to run the latest Microsoft Windows 95-compatible software applications.

The AMD-K5 processor gives PC manufacturers and resellers the freedom to choose a viable Pentium alternative that enables them to market PC products based on the strength of their own brand name and value. The AMD-K5 processor also marks the beginning of a processor road map with a broad range of high-performance options from AMD.

Power of choice is of tremendous value to the PC consumer, and AMD's new AMD-K5 processor offers a broad range of performance options

The AMD-K5 Processor
An Independent Architecture That's Compatible by Design This processor's fifth-generation performance stems from AMD's independently conceived AMD-K5 superscalar core architecture, which combines highly efficient reduced instruction set computing (RISC) throughput with complete x86 instruction-set compatibility.

The result is a superscalar processor solution capable of issuing four instructions per clock cycle­ twice as many as the Pentium. That's more than enough power to run today's complex 32-bit operating systems and applications, as well as the huge installed base of 16-bit software.

A Pin-Compatible Pentium Alternative
AMD designed the AMD-K5 processor to be pin compatible with the Pentium. And that's good news for PC manufacturers and resellers who want to leverage their existing PC designs and infrastructure while relying on an alternative source of processors. The bottom line: Pentium hardware/socket compatibility means no system redesign, lower design costs, and fast time to market.

Fully Compatible with the Windows® Standard
From engineering concept to final silicon, we designed the AMD-K5 processor for complete compatibility with the Windows standard. Tested and certified by independent compatibility and testing laboratories and licensed by Microsoft Windows Hardware Quality labs to carry the Windows logo, the AMD-K5 processor ensures compatibility with not only Windows OS but also Novell® NetWare®, OS/2 Warp, and more than 60,000 other software packages.

Superior Fifth-Generation Performance
Because performance is everything in today's PC market, the AMD-K5 processor series is designed to deliver better performance, clock-for-clock, than a Pentium. This superior processing power is proven by a performance rating system called the "P-Rating." It measures what matters most to PC manufacturers, resellers and end users­delivered performance.

The Choice is Clearly AMD
A Partner You Can Depend On
AMD has the staying power, customer relationships, and broad industry support to meet your processor needs, now and in the future. Focusing on personal computing and communications, AMD has provided semiconductor solutions for more than 25 years.

AMD's involvement in PCs spans the entire history of the industry. We've shipped more than 85 million x86 processors since 1982, including 40 million Windows-compatible processors in the past four years. With the introduction of our AMD-K5 processor series, we're continuing to deliver a full range of price/performance alternatives to customers around the world.

Strong Market Presence
AMD is the world's second-largest supplier of Windows-compatible processors. Our market strength is reinforced by a long-standing relationship with Microsoft and partnerships with leading PC manufacturers including Acer, Compaq, Digital, Hewlett-Packard, and IBM.

Capacity You Can Rely On
AMD has the sub-half-micron process technology and manufacturing capacity to produce the AMD-K5 processor in the volume needed by PC manufacturers worldwide. With our extensive manufacturing capacity, we can deliver more than five million AMD-K5 processors within the first year of production.

Run With AMD
For proven compatibility, reliability, and superior value, run with the preferred Pentium alternative: the AMD-K5 processor.




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