Advanced Micro Devices today announced the latest addition to its dual-core line, the Athlon 64 X2, which it hopes will do for the company in digital media what its single core processors have done for it in the gaming market.

Specifically, X2 aims to use its dual core to allow faster multitasking in the highly demanding digital media market. According to internal company testing, digital media applications can see an average of a 34 percent increase compared to similar single-core AMD Athlon 64 processors, while overall productivity benchmark results can see a 22 percent average increase using X2.

"Consumers are going to really be able to ease the pain that they have had when they are trying to do digital media and other things or very processor intensive activities, like burning a DVD," said Teresa deOnis, brand manager, AMD desktops, noting that most other applications cannot be in use when burning a DVD. "With X2 you can continue to do other applications on it because one core is taking care of that and you can use the other for core other things."

The move to target digital media applications was a smart step for Sunnyvale, Calif.-based AMD, says Nathan Brookwood, principal analyst at Insight64.

"When you look at the various segments that can use additional performance, or that need additional performance, digital media is one that jumps off the page," Brookwood said. "If you are going to be using these processors in traditional productivity type applications, Internet access, and so forth, you are not going to see much or an advantage with the new faster processors because the old ones were fast enough. Gaming, digital media, various technical applications – that's where these things get to show there stuff."

Brookwood continued to note that AMD already has a strong presence in the gaming market. The company, however, has not released its dual-core processor for the market yet, despite a dual-core release for the gaming market from Intel. AMD's claim is that because today's games are single-threaded, the amount of additional performance gained from a dual-core is not cost effective to gamers. AMD has instead pledged to continue to scale its single-core AMD Athlon 64 FX processor.

"We have really developed a great rapport with gamers and we want to do the same with digital media with the X2," said deOnis. "That's what we are embarking on with this processor -- to really go after those people who are as enthusiastic about digital media as gamers are about gaming. And there's a lot of overlap between these two markets; they have very similar characteristics and a lot of gamers are starting to get into digital media."

Who you won't see AMD going after with its X2 are Mac users, a heavily populated segment of the digital media world.

"We are not, by any means, thinking we can convince users to switch to PCs. I know a lot of Mac users and you could move heaven and earth and they wouldn't budge," laughed deOnis.

The chip made its debut today with support from OEMs including Acer, Alienware, HP and Lenovo, as well as more than 40 system-builder partners. X2 dual-core processors 4800+, 4600+, 4400+ and 4200+ are priced based on performance at $1,001, $803, $581 and $537, respectively, in 1,000-unit quantities.

By: DocMemory
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