AMD & Windows 7

Windows® 7 will be available October 22nd and Microsoft engineers are still hard at work putting the finishing touches on Windows® 7 to make sure it will be the best Windows OS with AMD platforms yet. Here are some of the features we are excited about.

• DirectX® 11. At Computex in Taipei, Taiwan, AMD Demonstrated World’s First Microsoft DirectX® 11 Graphics Processor. Highlights include:
  
• Compute Shader 5.0
• Enables developers to use the general purpose computing abilities of a DirectX 11 GPU
• Tessellation:
• Enables the creation of highly realistic and high performance 3D models
• Multi-threading
• Enables improved performance in CPU bound situations
• Windows XP Mode. Any currently-shipping AMD Athlon™, AMD Phenom™, AMD Phenom II™, AMD Turion™ or AMD Opteron™ processor will include the AMD-V™ feature necessary to benefit from Windows® XP Mode in Windows® 7
• Drag-and-drop Transcode. AMD will be fully supporting the Drag and Drop transcoding application using ATI Stream technology when Windows 7 releases
• Multi-core performance. Windows 7 was made for multi-core CPUs like our AMD Phenom II Quad-Core processors for desktop and our AMD Turion Ultra Dual-Core processors for notebooks

ATI Video Converter

• ATI Catalyst™ 9.7 introduces support for the ATI video converter under Windows 7 32-bit and Windows 7 64-bit
• Using ATI Stream technology, owners of ATI Radeon™ HD 4800 Series and ATI Radeon™ HD 4600 Series of graphics cards can take advantage of this video conversion tool (found in ATI Catalyst™ Control Center Basic View) to achieve substantial performance improvements when transcoding video files

ATI Catalyst Software Suite

ATI Catalyst™ Software Suite
We are pleased to announce that our ATI Radeon™ Windows 7 driver has received Windows Hardware Quality Lab (WHQL) certification on the first day of the certifying program.

• WHQL certification sets a high bar for quality and reliability, and is considered essential by many home and business users.
• WHQL certification demonstrates our ability to deliver the stability, incredible 3D game performance and smooth multimedia playback needed in order to help bring the new features of Windows 7 to life.
• As a testament to our ongoing commitment to reliability and stability, we are the only graphics hardware company in the world delivering monthly WHQL-certified graphics driver updates.
• ATI Catalyst™ 9.7 delivers a superior Windows 7 experience:
• Great gaming performance - superior performance compared to Windows Vista for single GPU, and multi-GPU configurations
• Leadership in Innovation - support for all the Windows 7 WDDM 1.1 features and ATI Catalyst™ features on the ATI Radeon® HD 4000, HD 3000 and HD 2000 Series of GPUs
• AMD's alpha DirectX ® 11 driver has been sampled to key game developers
• AMD's first official DirectX® 11 ATI Catalyst™ driver will be made available when Windows 7 launches.

AMD Turion™ X2 Ultra Dual-Core Mobile Processors and AMD Turion™ X2 Dual-Core Mobile Processors

Mobile Processors for Mainstream Notebook PCs

Do everything you want to do, for longer. Notebooks PCs based on AMD Turion™ X2 Ultra Dual-Core Mobile Processors and AMD Turion™ X2 Dual-Core Mobile Processors can deliver the performance to explore new worlds, extend your entertainment experience and let you do more, faster.

AMD Athlon™ X2 Dual-Core Processors

Do more in less time with true multi-tasking

Increase your performance by up to 80% with the AMD Athlon™ X2 dual-core processor. Work or play with multiple programs without any stalling or waiting. Dual-core technology is like having two processors, and two working together is better and faster than one working alone.

AMD Dual-Core Processors: Twice the Processing Power of Single-Core Chip

AMD Dual-Core Processors: Twice the processing power of single-core chip

Dual-core processors contain two processing cores, residing on one chip, that perform calculations on two streams of data to increase efficiency and speed while running multiple programs and the new generation of multi-threaded software. For end-users this means a significant increase in response and performance when running multiple applications simultaneously.

For Business

Dual-Core AMD Opteron™ processors

Second-Generation AMD Opteron™ processors with DDR2 memory extend the industry-leading performance trajectory established by first-generation AMD Opteron processors while offering a seamless upgrade path to quad-core performance and leading-edge solutions to help run your business applications.

AMD Turion™ X2 Ultra and AMD Turion™ X2 Dual-Core Mobile Processors

Notebook PCs based on AMD Business Class technology are designed with business in mind. They enable enhanced productivity with the essential security and manageability features businesses demand, and the exceptional visual performance and long battery life required for today's mobile workforce, for the best value on the market.

AMD Athlon™ X2 Dual-Core Processors

Productivity in today's workplace requires smooth, efficient and seamless multi-tasking. AMD Athlon™X2 dual-core processors deliver true multi-tasking capability which can be used to allow users to switch from one program to another without always pausing for the computer to catch up and reducing annoying processing pauses.

For Home

AMD Turion™ X2 Ultra and AMD Turion™ X2 Dual-Core Mobile Processors

AMD Turion™ X2 Ultra and AMD Turion™ X2 Dual-Core Mobile Processors offer superior technologies for improved graphics performance, fast wireless, and long battery life. When paired with ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD Premium Graphics, you get the ultimate in mobile performance for advanced 3D gaming and HD entertainment*.

AMD Athlon™ X2 Dual-Core Processors

Usher in the next generation of digital media software for amazing high-definition video and photo editing, content creation, and audio mixing. With an AMD Athlon™ X2 dual-core processor, your PC can perform up to 80% faster than a single-core AMD Athlon™ processor on the latest power-hungry digital media software applications.

Multi-Core Processing with AMD

Performance geared for the needs of next-generation applications

As the latest software applications offer new features and cutting-edge capabilities, processor designers need to stay ahead of those demands. But these days, increasing processor performance isn't enough. Computers need to run faster, cooler, take up less space, and use less energy.

The Multi-Core Solution

Multi-core processing helps address these challenges. With the power of two or more processors on a single chip, AMD's true multi-core processors deliver industry-leading performance and unique features that help systems run cooler and more efficient.

Next-Generation Software and True Multi-tasking

The evolution of AMD's multi-core design has allowed for increased performance and higher productivity to meet the needs of next-generation applications. AMD multi-core processors also offer true multi-tasking capabilities. Users can simultaneously run multiple complex applications and successfully complete more tasks in a shorter amount of time.

And, because they put more processing power into a smaller package, AMD multi-core processors help enable smaller form factors-including:

• Thin-and-light notebook PCs that run cooler and quieter
• Space-saving, high-performance desktop PCs
• Server infrastructures with a smaller footprint, reduced cooling needs, and energy efficiency that can improve total cost of ownership (TCO).

AMD64 Solutions

The AMD64 platform is leading the industry to pervasive 64-bit computing.

The AMD Opteron™ processor, the AMD Athlon™ processor family, and AMD Turion™ 64 mobile technology comprise the AMD64 family.

• AMD Opteron processor - servers and workstations
• AMD Athlon processor family - desktops and notebooks
• AMD Turion 64 mobile technology - notebooks

AMD64 is designed to enable simultaneous 32- and 64-bit computing with no degradation in performance. With Direct Connect Architecture, AMD64 processors address and help eliminate the real challenges and bottlenecks of system architectures because everything is directly connected to the central processing unit.

Explore AMD's 64-bit leadership.

Technology Evolution

1969-1978: Before the Microchip
AMD was built as a company that developed its own proprietary solutions and designs, but also licensed and built chips based on the technology of other companies.

1978-1990: A 16-bit Party with an 8-bit Detour
AMD was licensed to produce hardware built to the x86 specification, including rights to produce 286 and 286-derived hardware.

1991-1996: The 32-bit Era
The launch of Windows® 3.0 in 1990 began a new era in desktop computing. Windows 3.0 and 3.11 shone on a 386, and AMD's Am386DX was a huge success. The Am486DX, the Am486®, and the K5 microprocessor designs followed in the next few years. In 1996, AMD acquired NexGen and its CPU designs, including the Nexgen NX686 CPU for Socket 7.

1997-1999: The K6 Family
Released in 1997, the AMD-K6 processor provided competitive performance in business and desktop applications without choking on floating-point math-a critical component of gaming and some multimedia tasks. Next came the AMD-K6®-2 processor, which added support for SIMD (Single Instruction Multiple Data) instructions and moved on to an advanced form of the original Socket 7, now called Super Socket 7. This new form factor added support for a 100 MHz FSB, and kept the aging platform standard competitive with other designs. The AMD-K6-2 400 reused an obsolete multiplier setting, allowing it to run at 400 MHz even on older motherboards. And finally, the AMD-K6-3 added a 256 kB on-die L2-cache to the K6-2 core, resulting in a significant performance increase.

1999-2003: The AMD Athlon™ Processor Cometh
The AMD-K7 processor (later known as the AMD Athlon™ processor) was different from anything AMD had ever built. In place of the AMD-K6's single non-pipelined FPU unit, AMD built a multiple-pipelined FPU capable of executing multiple floating-point instructions in parallel. AMD was first-to-market with a 1 GHz CPU, and the first desktop manufacturer to ship desktop CPUs in volume at that speed. Later generations introduced on-die L2 cache at full processor clock. SSE instructions were brought on board with the AMD Athlon XP processor, and AMD became the first mainstream CPU manufacturer to support DDR memory in the fall of 2000. 2001 brought the introduction of the 760MP/760MPX chipsets, and AMD again offered a highly competitive, attractively priced multiprocessor server solution in the form of the AMD Athlon MP processor.

2003-present: The AMD64 Era
AMD64 is the name given to AMD's 64-bit extension of the x86 architecture. The value of a processor with a wider data path (8, 16, 32, 64 bits) is that it increases the amount of data that can be handled and processed inside the CPU during a single cycle. AMD's current eighth generation technology is more than just a 64-bit extension, however. When compared to either seventh generation AMD Athlon™ XP or other competitive solutions, the AMD Athlon 64 and AMD Opteron™ processors offer strong performance, thanks to the addition of SSE2 support and an onboard integrated memory controller. The AMD Athlon 64 processor also uses HyperTransport™ Technology, a point-to-point bus architecture AMD developed and licenses through the HyperTransport™ Technology Consortium.

Why We Need 64-bit CPUs
The release of Windows® XP Professional x64 Edition will jump-start 64-bit adoption. But the full potential of a 64-bit system may not be recognized for a few years. When the industry shifted from 16 to 32 bits, it took nearly a decade. Only now are we beginning to see software that takes advantage of 64-bit computing. In the not-too-distant future, 64-bit CPUs will be ubiquitous enough that a game developer, application author, or OS manufacturer will design a product that doesn't just use a 64-bit system for enhancements, but utilizes its capabilities as a fundamental part of the end product. The AMD64 technology does that.

ATI Eyefinity

Think of it as surround-sight

Expand your view of gaming, productivity, and entertainment and discover a new realm of panoramic computing with ATI Eyefinity advanced multiple-display technology.^{1, 2} With the introduction of new GPUs from AMD which are compliant with next-generation DirectX® 11, ATI Eyefinity technology with DisplayPort connectivity, enables a single GPU to support up to six independent display outputs simultaneously. Boost everyday productivity, and ease multitasking with a vastly expanded visual workspace. Intensify gaming with ultra-immersive playing environments, and expand your entertainment landscape with a breathtaking field-of-view. Offering easy configuration and flexible upgradability, the innovative graphics capabilities of ATI Eyefinity multiple-display technology helps dissolve visual limitations and adds a new "surround-sight" sensation to your PC experience.

Operate up to six high-resolution displays simultaneously and independently, flexibly configured in various combinations of landscape and portrait orientations. Group multiple monitors into a large integrated display surface, enabling windowed and full-screen 3D applications, images, and video to span across multiple displays as one desktop workspace. ATI Eyefinity advanced multiple-display technology supports Duplicated Mode operation (PC desktop cloned on multiple displays) and Extended Mode (PC desktop extended across multiple displays), and offers comprehensive operating system support that includes Windows® 7, Windows Vista®, and Linux⁴.

Gaming

Immerse yourself in game play:

• Get a commanding view of the action, and enjoy more control in real-time strategy games.
• Detect enemies sooner, react faster, and survive longer in first-person-shooter games.
• See enemy aircraft with peripheral vision, and fly with greater spatial awareness in flight combat simulators.
• Eliminate blind spots and feel a heightened sense of speed in racing games.

Productivity

Helps you get more done:

• Optimize productivity by increasing PC desktop workspace with multiple high-resolution monitors.
• Manage multitasking more efficiently, and view more data, applications, and images at once.
• Avoid time-wasting application-switching, window-sorting, mouse-clicking, and scrolling.
• Improve accuracy, speed workflow, reduce eyestrain, and increase work satisfaction.

Entertainment

Maximize your leisure time:

• Group multiple monitors into a large integrated display surface for the ultimate wide-screen home theater display.
• View TV sports, movies, or video entertainment on one monitor while viewing online stats, Internet pages, or games on other displays.³
• Flexibly configure monitors in various combinations of landscape and portrait orientations for specialized video and audio editing applications.

Using ATI Eyefinity

ATI Eyefinity is defined as two or more display outputs operating simultaneously and independently from each other. Support is available for Duplicated (Clone) and Extended multiple monitor modes, with new support for the capability to group displays into a massive single large surface spanning across multiple displays for use with your desktop workspace, video playback, with support for both windowed and full screen 3D applications.

Below are some of key usage scenarios:

3x1 Portrait Display Group		3x1 Landscape Display Group
3x1 Display Group Plus 1 Extended		3x2 Landscape Display Group
3x1 Display Group Plus 3 Extended		4x2 Display Group Plus 2 Extended

history of AMD

AMD has a proud history of bringing innovations to the marketplace that benefit end-users and customers alike. From the Direct Connect architecture to focused design optimizations for energy efficiency, AMD technology ignites the next generation of desktops, notebooks, servers and game consoles.

AMD Phenom II X2 550 Dual Core Processor

AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition Dual Core Processor deliver more sophisticated solutions with the AMD Phenom II 500 Series processor. Built from the ground up for performance,