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Introduction

So, here it is. The Palomino...Athlon 4...Athlon XP, whatever you want to call it, has been the processor that many have been waiting for since the release of the Athlon MP over three months ago. With its introduction comes a revised core, thermal diode, new packaging material, and most importantly, a new marketing strategy. Though the new CPU is not much more than an Athlon MP in disguise, its launch is being heavily marketed by AMD, as it needs to be. The name itself should help its own sales with the release of Microsoft's Windows XP. While the "XP" in Athlon XP actually stands for Extra Performance, you can be assured that the name relation to Microsoft's new OS was not purely coincidental. In addition, AMD has moved to a new naming system which uses model numbers instead of MHz ratings to indicate the CPU's performance. Intel has been raping the MHz rating system since the introduction of the Pentium IV. Even though an Athlon 1.4GHz performs about the same as a P4 2GHz, the higher clocked chip seems to "sound" better to a novice user. When Joe "I don't know anything about computers" Shmoe walks into his neighborhood computer store shopping for a new computer, he is looking at different brands with different specs. In comparing units, he looks at the little flyer attached to the computer and the first thing he sees in bold print at the top is the processor speed. He may not even distinguish between AMD and Intel. It is up to the salesperson to explain performance. This does not always happen and the information given is not always correct. It is AMD's hope to even the playing field by moving to their model number system. An Athlon XP 1800+ just "sounds" better than an Athlon 1533 MHz....to the majority anyway. AMD has dubbed this move the "True Performance Initiative". The following picture is an ad taken from the Alienware website. There is no mention of the true operating frequency. However, the bold Athlon XP line was a link which opened a window showing the processor specs including the 1.53GHz clock.

The chart below shows the frequency at which each AXP model runs. I am not entirely certain how AMD comes up with the ratings. They use extensive benchmark programs in deducting the model number. Many sites are reporting that it is a comparison to an equally clocked P4 Chip, while some say it is a comparison to the Athlon Thunderbird. I believe it is a combination of both. As it sits right now, every 70MHz ups the model number 100. This would put the 1900+ at 1.6GHz.

Athlon XP Model	Clock Speed
1800+	1.53 GHz
1700+	1.47GHz
1600+	1.40 GHz
1500+	1.33 GHz

Although the AXP modeling number system has taken a lot of heat in the past few weeks, it seems to be here to stay. When it comes down to it, what does it really change? To people that build there own systems, like most of you, it changes nothing. Oh wait, our BIOS's will display the model number instead of the operating frequency. Does it make the chip faster or slower? No. Are we still going to know the operating frequency? Yes. Will it sell more AMD processors? Quite possibly.

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