AMD and AM2 - Everything you need to know about AM2

PC Authority has posted a new feature on the new AM2 cpu's from AMD.

AMD has launched a significant new platform called AM2. While it's clear that it won't have the performance impact Intel's Core Duo did four month's ago, this will still undoubtedly shake up the industry.

On a basic level, AMD's desktop processors move from 939 pin to 940 -- but not quite in the same configuration as existing Socket 940 Opteron systems. AMD's Virtualisation technology (known as Pacifica) is now supported and, most importantly, DDR2 memory will now be supported. The fabrication process remains at 90nm.

Performance of Intel systems didn't accelerate particularly when it moved to DDR2 as the higher clock speed was countered by the higher latencies. However, it is interesting to see how AMD's architecture copes. We got our hands on a 5000+ and tested with MSI's K9N SLI Platinum motherboard and our standard test bed components generated a score of 1.28 - about the same speed as an FX-60. Previously, a socket 939 4800+ was three percent slower with 1.25.

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