X-bit labs

AMD Officially Confirms Duron’s Return.

Category: CPU

by Anton Shilov

[ 08/20/2003 | 11:21 AM ]

Officials from AMD today confirmed the launch of the new breed of AMD Duron processors based on the core correctly written as Applebred also known as Duron Model 8 (see the initial news-story). The new processors are mostly aimed to take care of some emerging markets like China, Latin America and Eastern Europe that still have demand for Duron and where Duron chips have been facing great success.

The AMD Duron “Applebred” Model 8 CPUs will have 128KB of L1 and only 64KB of L2 cache, like their predecessors. A difference between the good-old Duron processors based on Spitfire or Morgan cores is the frequency of the chips’ EV-6 FSB – this time it will function at 266MHz, not 200MHz as earlier models. Obviously, the new Duron processors will inherit SSE technology and Bus Disconnect capability from Barton core, as well as advanced dynamic branch prediction and thermal diode from AMD Athlon XP processors. The chips in OPGA packages will have 1.50V Vcore and up to 57.0W maximum thermal power, according to an AMD document.

New Duron’s less than $50 pricing suggests that the microprocessors are tailored for extremely price-conscious markets where the cost is tangibly more important than performance. Given that such markets also do not use the latest and demanding hardware, performance offered by AMD Duron processors with up to 1.80GHz core-clock should be enough for most end-users. AMD is also going to provide the Duron processors to the US, Europe and Japan customers, if there is demand. In fact, the new Duron processors may even run faster than lower-end AMD Athlon XP chips in some applications due to higher core-clock.

AMD began shipping the new Duron processors at 1.40 and 1.60 on the August 15 of this year. OPNs for the new Duron CPUs are DHD1400DLV1C and DHD1600DLV1C for 1.40 and 1.60 chips respectively. You may expect faster AMD Duron processors later this year as well.