AMD adds second core to powerful gaming processor
Advanced Micro Devices will release a dual-core version of its most powerful and expensive PC processor for high-end gamers after using a single-core design in that segment for several months.
Last April, when AMD first introduced dual-core versions of its Athlon 64 processors, known as the X2 line, it stuck with single-core designs for its top-of-the-line FX brand. But with gaming companies starting to tweak their games to take advantage of dual-core technology, the time has come to release the dual-core FX-60, said Mike Field, product manager for Athlon 64 FX processors.
Chip companies are moving to dual-core designs in part to alleviate the heat problems caused by running single-core chips at ever faster frequencies to improve performance. The combination of two slightly slower processor cores can get more work done overall than one fast core, but single-threaded applications such as most games are unable to take advantage of both cores. If no changes other than clock speed are made to the chip, single-threaded applications will perform worse on slower dual-core chips compared to faster single-core processors.
AMD avoided introducing dual-core chips into its high-end gaming segment for just that reason when it unveiled the first dual-core desktop chips last year, Field said. But game developers are starting to release patches that help their games take advantage of dual-core chips, he said, noting the recent release of a patch for Raven Software's Quake 4.
