Advanced Micro Devices will start using a new marking scheme for its future microprocessors after years of using model numbering scheme designed to mimic high clock-speeds of microprocessors by Intel Corp. The question is whether the new way of marking chips will actually help end-users to better understand what kind of microprocessor they are getting.

AMD’s new processor naming scheme will consist of two letters and four numbers, which will describe product classification, power consumption and relative performance within the lineup, reports a news-story by DigiTimes web-site. A similar naming scheme is presently used also by Intel Corp. for its central processing units. 

• The first letter represents market positioning of the product. E.g., G represents premium product, B represents intermediate/mainstream product and L represents value product.
• The second letter reflects thermal design power of the chip. For example, P represents over 65W, S around 65W and E less than 65W.
• The first digit of the four-digit number indicates the product family: 1000 represents single-core AMD Athlon or AMD Sempron, 2000 represents dual-core AMD Athlon, 6000 represents dual-core AMD Phenom, 7000 represents quad-core AMD Phenom processors.
• The second digit indicates relative clock-speed within the product family.
• The two remaining digits will be used for the future upgrade functions, said Leslie Sobon, director of product and brand management in AMD.

For example, AMD Athlon X2 BE-2350 processor is a mainstream-class dual-core microprocessor with less than 65W power consumption (45W).

Even though the new naming scheme is aimed to make it easier for consumers to distinguish various chips from AMD between each other, it is highly disputable whether typical end-users will remember that 6000-series chips contain two processing engines, 7000-series of chips feature quad-core technology, whereas 2000-series of products again have two cores. Moreover, the difference between 2000-series and 6000-series of products may not be clear or representative, which will make it impossible to see the difference in performance, for example, of AMD Turion 64 X2 and AMD Athlon X2 BE-2000-series.