This article has a total of 12,511 words, and it is recommended to read for 10 minutes. A hardcore A fan's 10,000 words memoir, indicating that keyboard warriors who don't have time to finish reading can jump to the comment section to tear B!
[PConline chat] The AMD Ryzen processor that docked in China is given the localized name " Ryzen ", which made many loyal AMD fans cheer! It is true that since AMD launched the FX series processor in 2011, the "dragon" named processor with strong Chinese characteristics has disappeared in the high-end market. It just so happened that these few years have been the failure of AMD's high-end market. It seems that AMD also has the foresight that its FX modular architecture is destined to be unable to beat its opponents, and let the word "dragon" stop and avoid messing up its signature.
With the melody of Ryzen's docking, today the editor brings you the appetizer of Ryzen's gluttony and reviews the product series with the word "dragon" in AMD CPU history.
Original link: http://diy.pconline.com.cn/890/8902933.html
![This article has a total of 12,511 words, and it is recommended to read for 10 minutes. A hardcore A fan's 10,000 words memoir, indicating that keyboard warriors who don't have time to finish reading can jump to the comment section to tear B directly! [PConline Chat] The AMD Ryze - DayDayNews](https://cdn-dd.lujuba.top/img/loading.gif)
Creation of the world: Athlon
Active time: June 23, 1999 to June 2001
Dial time back to the end of the last century. AMD K6-2 made a comeback in the competition with the then Intel Pentium II. With AMD 3DNow! and superscalar MMX technology, it also supports a 100MHz system bus, allowing the whole world to understand AMD's strength.
The first generation of Athlon: codenamed K7
AMD Athlon
By 1999, it came to the period of competition with Pentium. AMD's seventh-generation architecture x86 processor is officially launched, and it is once again challenging Intel. When K7 was released, AMD was no longer satisfied with a simple code name as a model, so naturally he had to think of a high-end name belt as an endorsement. Taken from the "Decathlon" of track and field. The first Athlon processor debuted on June 23, 1999.
gave AMD the name, which opened the indissoluble bond between AMD and Dragon
At that time, AMD saw that the Pentium processor was named after Pentium in China and the Pentium TV advertising effect at that time, and naturally AMD also wanted to think about a localized good name for the Chinese market. According to the pronunciation of Athlon, the homonym of the name "Shilong". Since then, a name that affects all DIY players has been released.
I believe more than 95% of DIY players have never played this kind of CPU, right?
The first generation Athlon processor did not have a suffix, but directly had a frequency to represent the model, which was consistent with the Pentium III at that time. The first batch of processors have a frequency of between 500 and 700MHz, a process of 250nm, and its slot is Slot-A. This unique socket is a memory of old DIY players. Have you seen the CPU plugged into the motherboard like a graphics card?
is similar to Pentium II's Slot 1, but the two slots are not compatible (reversed by 180 degrees).
AMD's 1GHz milestone advertising
On November 29, 1999, AMD launched the 180nm process Athlon processor code-named K75. Although the architecture has not changed, the advanced process reduces the difficulty of frequency extraction, with the frequency between 550MHz and 1000MHz. On March 6, 2000, a day of CPU history, AMD launched the 1GHz processor version before Intel, Athlon 1000, which made the strongest Intel, which claimed to be the strongest, have no face. So this incident became the fuse for Intel to pursue high frequency (NetBrust architecture) at all costs.
CPU worth remembering: Athlon 1000, not only because of its first place, but also because it represents the unique design of the year
At the same time, the Athlon processor also set a record, that is, the capacity of the first-level cache broke the record at that time - a separate 128KB 2-channel associated cache, and a 512KB half-speed L2 cache, plus the frequency at that time suppressed Intel, not to mention AMD's always cost-effective tradition. So the first generation of Athlon is a glorious.
Second-generation Athlon: codenamed Thunderbird
On June 5, 2000, AMD took advantage of the victory and released the Athlon processor with the core "Thunderbird", which is commonly known as "Thunderbird" because of its core English meaning. The Athlon processors of this series are manufactured in a 0.18 micron process and are the first to use advanced copper interconnection processes, but use relatively backward ceramic packaging.
Thunderbird Athlon return pin design
This series has two types of external frequency models, 100 MHz and 133 MHz, with frequencies ranging from 650 MHz to 1400 MHz, with a full-speed L2 cache of 256 KB, using Socket A interface, which is consistent with Intel, abandoning the huge slot and returning pins.
The naming of this generation of Thunderbirds is still the same as the previous generation, namely Athlon+frequency number. Since the overlap between the frequency and K7 are added with different external frequencies, the models after 1000MHz are also added with the suffix of B or C to distinguish them.
In the past, everyone used WCPUID, a software that no longer exists to view CPU information
The performance of the second-generation Athlon is still on par with the Pentium III of the copper mine architecture at that time. However, Intel was not a fuel-efficient lamp at that time. Later, it launched the Pentium III of the Tulatin architecture and the epoch-making Pentium 4 at the end of 2000 to fight against the slightly behind Athlon. However, in order to support Pentium 4 to rise to power, the desktop Latin Pentium III died at that time, which is a pity. This also gives AMD a respite to develop the next-generation architecture.
reached the peak: Athlon XP
Active time: October 9, 2001 to December 2004
Athlon XP
Athlon XP, which is the Chinese name of Athlon XP. It was improved by AMD based on the Thunderbird core Athlon. It has released three generations of Athlon XPs, Palomino, Thoroughbred, and Barton, as well as Barton simplified version of Thton. It also uses the Socket A interface, but uses a more advanced OPGA package instead. And after the K5 era, AMD reused PR values to nominal processor performance. At the same time, there was also a product line of Athlon MP, which was only used in the non-DIY hardware field, so we won't introduce it much.
First generation Athlon XP: codenamed Palomino
Palomino Athlon XP, the square DIE is the feature of this generation
Understanding of frequency and performance, AMD and Intel began to part ways. As mentioned earlier, Willamette's Pentium 4 has begun the road to frequency domination, while AMD's still undergoes minor revisions and launches Palomino's Athlon XP. The name of XP has become a hot topic of Windows XP at that time.
Athlon XP 1700+, the protagonist of the mainstream CPU market from 2001 to the first half of 2002. The
Palomino Athlon XP is manufactured using a 0.18 micron process, uses 133 MHz external frequency, with a full-speed L2 cache of 256 KB, and still uses a Socket A slot. The PR value of this series is between 1500+ and 2100+, and the actual frequency is 1333 to 1733MHz respectively.
According to foreign media reviews that year, Palomino Athlon XP easily eliminated the high-frequency P4 processor
's design of integrated superscalar floating-point computing unit and is compatible with the SSE instruction set, which shocked the industry at that time. Because people first saw that Intel's mainstay P4 processor was beaten so embarrassed, even though Intel later launched the Northwood P4 with a 130nm process, dragged down by the super long and inefficient pipeline, the 2.0GHz, the highest frequency of the first launch was beaten by the Athlon XP 1900+, except for business applications, all of them were technically knocked down by Athlon XP.
Palomino Athlon XP's heating capacity makes everyone realize the importance of third-party heat dissipation for the first time
To be fair, Palomino Athlon XP is the first CPU that impressed me the most in my history of playing DIY. To put it bluntly, I still remember the performance suppression of AMD's Intel CPU family by reading an issue of a magazine in 2002. Since the Palomino Athlon XP generation, AMD CPUs have been labeled as conscientious in gaming performance. However, due to the increasing frequency increase of the 180nm process at that time, the only drawback of the Palomino Athlon XP was the terrible heat generation.
Palomino Athlon XP begins to crack the frequency doubling method.
By the way, the method of unlocking frequency doubling from Pencil Dafa Black Technology, which started with Athlon, was finally blocked by AMD in the Palomino Athlon XP generation. Although there were constant news that Palomino and later Athlon XP could successfully unlock the frequency doubled, the success rate was not high and there was a risk of burning hardware. So, Athlon XP's overclocking gradually moved closer to the ultra-external frequency.However, even this still remains unabashed with its overclocking charm, with Athlon XP 1700+ overclocking to 2700+ abounding. Not only AMD, Intel also has a CPU with an overclocking amplitude of 1GHz for the first time in history. That period was a prosperous era of overclocking.
Second-generation Athlon XP: Codename Throughbred
Palomino Athlon XP is like a wild horse that has broken away from its reins, with a hot temper. In order to calm down, the 130nm process becomes increasingly important. At the same time, with the blessing of 130nm, Northwood P4 has a tight frequency spray with its super-long pipeline characteristics. The P4, which "will make up for its shortcomings" quickly regained its performance leadership.
Thanks to the 130nm process, the core area of Throughbred XP is reduced
In June 2002, AMD finally launched the Athlon XP with the Throughbred core, which uses a 130nm process to reduce power consumption. However, the internal circuit has not been greatly improved, and it is still a full-speed L2 cache of 256 KB, which has no performance improvement compared to the Palomino Athlon XP.
Thoroughbred Athlon XP 1700+
However, the 130-nanometer process encountered difficulties in the early stage, so the large-scale distribution time of the high-frequency Thoroughbred Athlon XP was delayed again and again. It was not until November 2002 that the low-frequency Athlon XP 1700+ and 1800+ were launched in large quantities.
At that time, the 133MHz external frequency, the Thoroughbred Athlon XP has excellent overclocking capabilities, and the true strength of XP is B0 step-by-step version. The B0 version has two external frequency models, 133 MHz and 166 MHz, with PR values between 1700+ and 2800+, among which the B0 version 1700+ and 1800+ only have 133 MHz external frequency. It is precisely because of the lower external frequency and the 130nm process that brings lower heat generation and power consumption that these two CPUs are quite super. The lag brought by the unchanging architecture of
166MHz Thoroughbred Athlon XP 2500+
AMD has gradually caught up with the performance of the frequency-moving Pentium 4 gradually catching up and surpassing
. Since the architecture has not changed at all, the new generation of Thoroughbred Athlon XP, which only relies on frequency improvement, is indeed a bit overwhelming compared with the 3.06GHz P4 hyperthreaded processor at that time. However, with AMD's traditional price-breaking strategy, the low-end Thoroughbred Athlon XP entered a price below 500 yuan, and once almost completely suppressed the severely shrinking Ceyron processor in the retail market.
The third generation of Athlon XP: Barton
"General Barton" is here! Where is the applause from old DIY players?
"Paton" Athron XP
The third generation Athron XP is also the last generation Athron XP and the last glory of Athron XP. Due to the delay of Throughbred Athlon XP, AMD is more cautious in the research and development of the new core and is launching when 130nm is more mature and has higher production capacity.
Barton's core area is larger because it has twice the built-in L2 cache
On February 10, 2013, Barton was born. It is still made using 0.13 micron process, with a full-speed L2 cache of 512 KB, and has two external frequency models, 166 MHz and 200 MHz. The PR value is between 2500+ and 3200+.
Barton was the phenomenon-level overclocking artifact at that time. The media at that time were also rushing to report
, among which, Barton 2500+, became a phenomenon-level overclocking artifact. It uses 166MHz external frequency, without changing the heat dissipation conditions, just click it gently, 166MHz is stable overclocked to 200MHz external frequency, and transforms into Barton 3200+! At mid-range price, easy overclocking performance, challenge the top P4 products. For a moment, the computer city was filled with Barton's echoes. Before Athlon 64 appeared, Patton was the last madness of Athlon XP. Although
doubled the second level cache, Patton still lost to the ultra-high frequency Pentium 4 at that time, leaving only the cost-effective selling point
. In comparison, because Barton 2500+ is too classic and superb, Patton's high-end CPU product line sales were seriously affected. But, as a DIY player, Who Cares?
Thorton architecture XP
In addition, in order to update the low-end product line, AMD launched the Thorton architecture XP, which was simplified on the basis of Barton. It is also made of 0.13 micron process and has 133 MHz external frequency, but only comes with 256 KB full-speed L2 cache, and is available in three models: 2000+, 2200+, and 2400+.
cost-effectiveness and overclocking have two major features, which lay the tone for AMD's subsequent CPU development
In general, Athlon XP is the beginning of AMD's corporate image as a conscientious one. The cost-effectiveness and overclocking made the DIY players at that time enjoy a lot. At the same time, the research and development direction for user practical applications has also laid the foundation for the glory of the next generation of processors.
Across the world: AMD 64
Active time: September 23, 2003 to May 2008
AMD Registration x86-64 Technology
After the baptism of the AMD XP era, AMD knew that simple performance competition could not destroy the foundation of Intel's huge channels and market, and it must drive the trend of the entire market with the bottom-to-earth change. Taking advantage of the 64-bit addressing operation that was first revealed at that time, unlike the instructions of Intel's arrogant IA-64, AMD chose the extremely compatible x86-64 instruction, which has attracted much attention since its inception.
Athlon 64
Finally arrived at the author’s 15th birthday, which is September 23, 2003. The K8 architecture was born and turned into Athlon 64, which is Athlon 64. x86-64 technology leads its opponent for the first time in AMD's history of technological competition for more than 30 years, breaking the image of AMD as a technology follower and imitator in the past, and proves its strength with a 64-bit processor. A comprehensive counterattack battle started. The proud Intel, facing the fact that compatibility is everything, once again walked behind AMD, and used x86-64 instructions in the subsequent P4 processor.
After many years of separation, AMD finally had the flagship product line Athlon 64 FX series
The first generation Athlon 64 is divided into two versions: Athlon 64 and Athlon 64 FX. One of the innovations is the integrated memory controller inside the CPU, which directly reads and writes data in memory, thereby minimizing memory delay. The interfaces are Socket 754 and Socket 940 respectively. The biggest difference is that the former only supports single-channel memory, while the latter supports dual-channel, which is aimed at the mainstream and high-end fever markets respectively. At the same time, the AMD consumer CPU is the first time that the AMD consumer CPU uses a cooling cover design and supports Cool'n'Quiet technology, which greatly reduces the heat generation compared to the AMD XP.
Due to product positioning, compatibility performance and overclocking potential, the 2013 Athlon 64 was very popular in the DIY field. Only top CPUs like Athlon 64 FX can help everyone enjoy their appetite by running scores among the media and the rich.
The second generation Athlon 64 is unified to Socket 939 slot
As people's understanding of 64-bit computing deepens, consumers urgently need the popularization of 64-bit processors. At the same time, AMD also needs to adjust its market strategy to cope with the performance improvement of P4C with 200MHz external frequency. In 2004, a new market strategy was adopted for the Athlon 64 series, launching Socket 939 unified 940 and 754 interfaces, supporting dual-channel memory, and at the same time reducing the price, launching more models to improve the product market. It just so happened that Intel's Prescott P4 went astray at that time and became synonymous with high heat and low energy. AMD, which still follows the PR route, has won a lot of popularity in the market with its 64-bit effect and super cost-effectiveness.
Venice era Athlon 64 led the national overclocking era
By 2005, the CPU market process developed to 90nm. This time, AMD finally seized the opportunity to support replacement and gave birth to the most classic series in the Athlon 64 era: Venice ( Venice ). The Athlon 64 with less than 2GHz can match the 3GHz P4, which shows the advantages of its architecture. Among them, the overclocking king represented by Athlon 64 3000+ has advanced processes, mature architecture, excellent power consumption management and high cost performance, which has set off another overclocking craze and has become the mark of that DIY era.
Athlon 64 FX 60
On high-end processors, Athlon 64 FX has undergone evolutions such as FX-53, FX-55, FX-57, FX-60 (dual core), surpassing Intel P4EE in gaming performance and daily applications. The latter can only maintain its advantages in some applications of media processing and 3D rendering. Therefore, AMD has been firmly on the performance throne for more than two years, but its price has also continued to hit a new high, up to $999. The Amd back then was like Intel now. After gaining technological leadership, the price also rose. After all, capitalists are the ones.
Two Cities Mark: Athlon 64 X2
Active time: May 2005 to June 2008
AMD triggered a discussion on real and fake dual cores at that time
With Intel on May 26, 2005, AMD released the first dual-core CPU on the desktop, Pentium D. The CPU world has ushered in the era of nuclear warfare, and the theory of frequency first declared bankruptcy. A week later, on May 31, 2005, AMD took out its own dual-core Athlon 64 X2 and provoked the famous "true and fake dual-core" remarks at the time, claiming that Intel's so-called Pentium D is just a glue dual-core, and that the real dual-core that integrates two physical cores on a silicon chip is the real dual-core.
Manchester Athlon 64 X2
Athlon 64 X2 with the Manchester code as the mainstream and the Toledo code as the high-end market. The gap between them is reflected in the different L2 cache capacity, with the PR value range from 3800+ to 4800+. We know that Intel no longer launched 4GHz processors at that time, so the PR value at this time was just a code name to distinguish the performance. Meanwhile, the first batch of Athlon 64 X2 is also the last performance of the Socket 939 slot.
Athlon 64 X2 4400+
Due to the low core power consumption compared to the Pentium D processor, and the outstanding performance, the processor does not need to pass the North Bridge like its opponents to read the memory, which became the most performing x86 processor architecture at that time.
Windsor Athlon 64 X2
Socket AM2
On May 23, 2006, with the launch of a new generation of Athlon 64 X2 code-named Windsor, AMD has brought us a new socket, namely Socket AM2. It contains 940 pins and supports dual-channel DDR2 SDRAM, but the pins are arranged differently from the Socket 940. The PR value of Windsor's Athlon 64 X2 ranges from 3600+ to 6400+ of black box version (freely adjustable frequency multiplication). The span is so large that it is very rare.
Athlon 64 X2 3600+
The performance after overclocking was greatly improved
Windsor's Athlon 64 X2 brought good products in the mainstream market, such as the Athlon 64 X2 3600+ was very popular in the mainstream market at that time. It has good cost performance and good overclocking capabilities. Overclocking from 2.0GHz to 2.6GHz is not a problem with the performance of the later X2 5000+.
Brisbane Athlon 64 X2
In mid-2006, everyone knew that Intel's Core 2 processor officially announced the beginning of the revival of the empire, and also brought about 65nm process. At that time, AMD also had a premonition of the increase in difficulty, and at the same time, AMD was unable to get a clone to take ATI. One is rising and the other is falling, and people are beginning to worry about whether AMD can be eaten. Fortunately, at the end of 2006, the 65nm Brisbane Athlon 64 X2 was officially launched.
The first AMD black box processor
Under the strong invasion of Core 2, the Athlon 64 X2 has the help of the 65nm process to bring higher frequency, lower power consumption and better overclocking, but it still has no power to deal with the opponent. So AMD launched the tried-and-true cost-effective strategy and the strategy of mainstreaming black box at that time. Another overclocking artifact that will always exist in CPU history, the Athlon 64 X2 5000+ black box version was born at this period.
The overclocking capability of the black box processor 5000+ at that time did not disappoint everyone.
can freely adjust the frequency doubled, and the 65nm process brings lower heat. The Athlon 64 X2 5000+ can easily adjust the frequency to 3000MHz, reaching the level of X2 6000+. This free lunch and the sense of accomplishment of doing it themselves naturally caused an overclocking storm. The officially recognized frequency double adjustment, on the one hand, seeks benefits for DIY players, and on the other hand, seriously affects the sales of high-end products, but it is also a helpless move by AMD in the face of competitive pressure.
Bolt from the blue: Evergreen
Active time: November 19, 2007 to February 2009
Since the launch of Core 2 Duo, Intel's strategy of strengthening performance and launching multi-core competition has suppressed AMD's momentum in the high-end market. AMD urgently needs products with new architectures to fight back, and AMD fans who have cultivated over the years are also looking forward to AMD's response. After all, the glory of the past is too profound. AMD also decided to put forward the K10 architecture to fight Intel's Core 2.
is not good at starting
Phenom
Phenom
On November 19, 2007, AMD released two Phenom quad-core processors, replacing the classic Athlon name, in order to build it into a classic in the four-core era. The official Chinese name of the Phenom processor in mainland China is "Yilong".
The first models of Phenom 9500
that PConline first tested were Phenom 9500 and 9600 respectively. Compared with the previous generation Athlon 64 X2 processor, in addition to the difference in the number of cores, another biggest difference is that the Phenom processor also integrates at least 2MB of L3 cache. The first generation of Phenom still uses an AM2 slot, and later transitioned to AM2+ of HyperTransport 3, and the two are compatible. At the beginning of the era of
's four-core, AMD once again launched a dispute over the true and false quad cores. AMD claims that the Phenom 9000 series is a real quad-core processor, which means that it contains four processing cores on the same chip. Intel's quad-core processor Core 2 Quad uses multi-chip modules (MCM) to place the chips of two dual-core processors on the same base, and then connect the two chips to each other in Bus.
TLB architecture
Just when AMD was ambitious, a bug gave AMD a bolt from the blue. In the Phenom B2 stepping core, an error about TLB caused all processors of the Phenom B2 stepping core to report errors and crashes. As soon as the news came out, the market was in an uproar! After all, the system crash caused by the CPU itself is really a long time to live, and it cannot be completely cured except for the method of replacing the CPU!
B2 All those who step forward encounter TLB BUG
error. The consequence of the market disappears. Since then, AMD has been dragged down by this bug and has been busy fixing the bug. Not only can the higher clock frequency Phenom 9700 and 9900 cannot be launched, but even if it is fixed, it will cause serious side effects of memory delay. Although in 2008, AMD released the B3 Stepper Core to correct the TLB error. However, the wave has not subsided and the frequency increase of B3 stepping still cannot satisfy the market, and there is a new problem of buffer failure in cache. This made Phenom's debut a failure, which can be said that Phenom's architecture was a major mistake in AMD's development history.
As shown in the performance scale chart, the performance of the first generation of Evergreen cannot beat Intel, and it cannot perform due to its own problems. Not only that, because the process is behind competitors, it consumes higher power and lower performance. Only the B3 version can barely compete with the rival Intel Core 2 processor 65nm version. At this time, the balance of performance competition once again tends toward Intel.
uses retreat to advance
blocked a core Everlong X3
failed to take advantage of AMD in the high-end market. In addition, the development of the 45nm process was lagging behind, so it once again used a cost-effective strategy. Seeing that Intel has only two-core and four-core processor sales, AMD saw Tian Ji’s methodology for horse racing. On March 27, 2008, AMD officially released the industry's first three-core processor "Phenom X3 8000" series, the four-core "Phenom X49x50" series of the new B3 Stepping, and an energy-saving 9100e with a power consumption of only 65W.
Ever Dragon The black box version of X3
AMD also restores the model naming method of labeling four cores with X4 and three cores with X3. The words X4 and X3 are also added to LOGO, which makes it more convenient for users to distinguish product types.
uses overclocking performance and cost-effectiveness of three or two to regain the confidence of DIY players (picture from foreign media)
uses Tian Ji’s horse racing strategy to seize the mid-range market share and use 32 primary school mathematics to carry out publicity offensives. In fact, with its excellent cost-effectiveness, the Phenom X3 did have a good and popular effect at that time. Taking advantage of this momentum, AMD will once again launch the black box version, and the Phenom X3 8750 Black Edition black box version is launched in time. The benefits of not locking doubled allow players at that time to taste the dessert.
Retreat in the rapids: Yi Long II
Active time: January 2009 to April 2012
Rationally speaking, AMD's strategy of Tian Ji's horse racing is just a short-term stopping the bleeding, and the recovery of the high-end market is the most important thing.The first thing to solve is the problem of 45nm lagging behind Intel, and then the problem of Phenom's pushback and reshaping its top image.
Phenom II X4
Eun II X4
At the beginning of 2009, AMD finally gave the answer. AMD announced the birth of Phenom II X4 processor with a 45nm process at the CES exhibition on January 8, 2009.
Phenom II X4 965 CPU
Phenom II X4 processors still use AM2+ sockets. The first batch of clocks were 2.8Ghz (X4 920) and 3.0Ghz (X4 940), and the 45nm process solved the problem of unsatisfactory heat generation and power consumption control of Phenom and obtained a better energy consumption ratio. In terms of specification improvements, Phenom II is based on the improved Stars core architecture, IPC (number of instructions per clock frequency cycle) is also optimized, with a built-in DDR2 memory controller, the third-level cache has been increased from 2MB to 6MB, and the Cool "n'" Quiet technology has been improved to 3.0.
is a real pile of materials, and strives to re-enhance high-end competitiveness
Compared with the previous generation, Phenom II X4 940 is completely far away from Phenom X4 9950. Whether it is application software testing or game performance testing, Phenom II's comprehensive performance is 20-30%. However, the Phenom II X4 is positioned in the 1,000 yuan to 2,000 yuan market, so it still cannot compete with Intel's high-end ones. So, AMD once again used the black box magic and later launched the black box version to attract fans. Among them, the overclocking performance of AMD Phenom II X4 955 was not bad at that time, and it was achieved with extreme overclocking of 7GHz.
The most classic CPU in the era of Phenoms: X4 955
Phenoms II X4 955 Another classic thing is its tenacious vitality. AMD's support for this product continued until April 2012, making the channel full of supply of Phenoms II X4 955. During this period, Intel released generations of Core and AMD's strongest CPUs, and also ranged from quad-core Phenoms to six-core Phenoms to eight-core FX. Phenoms II X4 955 has been reduced several times and finally came to the 500-yuan market. Compared with the quad-core FX and quad-core Athon at the same price at the time, it was almost suppressive in performance, which is comparable to i3.
Phenom II X3
Three cores still appear in Phenom II
AMD continued to use the strategy of 3 greater than 2 in the Phenom II era. In February 2009, AMD released a new generation of Phenom II X3 710/720 triple-core CPU for mainstream markets. The CPU uses an improved Stars core and advanced 45nm manufacturing process to provide excellent performance. Shortly after the release of the Phenom II X3, there was a rumor online that the Phenom II X3 could turn on the fourth core of the block. This rumor was later confirmed, which quickly increased the attention of the CPU and caused a rush to buy.
black box version X3 720
open core + open cache+ overclocking. Phenom II X3 720 not only brings free lunch, but also gives away additional dessert
Phenom II X3 720, opening up the trend of opening core. It can be changed to quad-core and overclocked. For users, it is really a pie that falls from the sky! Naturally, this CPU has become a classic product of the year. However, its supply of goods has been unstable for a long time, and later it was directly replaced by the Athlon II. It can only be said to be a relatively small generation. However, with high playability, the Phenom II X3 720 brings a truly DIY clean stream. It is a fact that the overall backwardness of
Phenom II X6
K10 is already a fact, and the development of the next-generation architecture is lagging behind because AMD is still digesting the acquisition of ATI at the time. To solve the performance competition problem, AMD can only adopt a simple and effective method, that is, the number of heap cores.
Phenom II X6 is the peak of K10, but the fact is that the architecture has lagged behind Intel
in 2010 for 5 years. Under the expectations of everyone, AMD finally released its first six-core CPU, the Phenom II X6 1000T series.
Phenom II X6 supports many new features
native six-core design, with a production process of 45nm SOI. The CPU microarchitecture is the same as the Phenom II series as the improved Stars architecture (K10.5), adopts an AM3 slot, and supports DDR3 memory. In addition to having six cores, the most important improvement of the Phenom II X6 is the introduction of an acceleration technology, Turbo Core, which automatically adjusts the CPU frequency to accommodate environments where multi-threaded optimization is insufficient. Other specifications are consistent with the Phenom II series.
AMD Phenom II X6 1090Th
At that time, Phenom II X6 easily defeated the traditional 4-core and 4-thread CPU in many software optimized for multi-core and multi-thread CPUs. However, facing 4 cores and 8 threads, the Phenom II X6 is still inferior. Still only test the cost-effectiveness to win the market. AMD Phenom II X6 1090T black box version is still AMD's conscience and helpless move to retain A fans and overclocking players.
black box version of Phenom II X6 still brings good overclocking performance (picture from foreign media)
At that time, AMD had already deeply felt the backwardness of the K10 architecture. Whether it is AMD itself or loyal players, they are looking forward to AMD's overall change. In 2011, the new FX CPU emerged, which did not save the dire AMD CPU market, and also announced the temporary end of the "X Dragon" era.
retreated to the second line: Athlon X2
Active time: 2007 to 2009
abandoned the 64-label X2
Time back to 2007, when 64-bit processors were already quite popular in the CPU market. AMD felt that it was too much to promote the 64 number as a model, so in the Brisbane 45W BE power-saving version of the dual-core processor launched in June 2007, the new product was renamed "Athlon X2", removed the word "64", and used a new model, which is a BE-2350 and BE-2400 low-power CPU, as well as the 4 series and 5 series low-power CPU launched in 2008. The highlight is the power consumption, which is only 45 W of TDP. They all worked in the mainstream market at that time.
Phenom's simplified version of Athlon X2 6000 series and 7000 series. The black box products are the most worth buying
Phenom era, AMD still has not forgotten the Athlon series. The original Phenom core blocked two Dies into a dual-core product, named Athlon X2 6000 series and 7000 series. At the same time, three black box products, 6500, 7750 and 7850, were launched. The Athlon X2 competed for the market below 1,000 yuan, but its popularity was snatched by the low-end series of Core 2 Duo and the Pentium series at that time, and the attention was not high.
Athlon X2 5000, inheriting the will of 64 X2 5000+, and giving conscience pills to DIY players
to the 45nm Phenom II era, AMD continues to launch the Athlon X2 series, Athlon X2 5000 and 5500 (note that it should be distinguished from Athlon 64 X2 5000+). These two CPUs became the core-opening artifacts at that time. With just a simple setting, they transformed into four-core Phenom FX-5000 and 5200! Compared to overclocking, the core opening is more significant for improving performance. Together with the Phenom X3 at that time, it set off a nuclear-opening frenzy and regained many mainstream markets from Intel.
Low-end glory: Athlon II
Active time:
After the launch of Phenom II from 2009 to 2012, Athlon has nominally equivalent to the mainstream product positioning. In order to synchronize with the second-generation Phenom, the Athlon X2 was renamed again and changed to Athlon II, which was released in the fall of 2009.
Athlon II X2, X3, X4 is the entry-level low-end CPU market for AMD
K10 era. The Athlon II
Athlon II series adopts the AMD K10 architecture. Unlike the Phenom series, the Athlon II processors do not have L3 cache, but the old 512KB L2 cache per core is increased to 1MB per core (quad-core is still 512KB). In addition, the dual-core products of Athlon II are all native designs. The name Athlon II X2 does not block two of the cores of a quad-core processor. Therefore, the thermal design power consumption (TDP) of the processor is also lower than that of the Phenom II series. The core architecture of the three-core Athlon II is also the same as that of the Athlon II X4, but one of the cores is blocked as a market distinction and named Athlon II X3.
Athlon II X4 640Th
Part Athlon II X4 is obtained by Phenom II's six-core series shielding L3 cache. For example, the Athlon II X4 640T, so users can open the blocked core and open the L3 cache through cracking methods. So, the Athlon II X4 640T immediately became the star product of the time! Just use the BIOS settings to transform into a six-core AMD X6-1405T! This free lunch naturally caused a stir in the mainstream DIY market at that time.
Athlon II X4 640T is obtained from Phenom II's six-core series blocking L3 cache
can open core + powerful overclocking. Athlon II X4 640 became the last CPU that could play open cores
that year. In fact, due to the severe castration in the Athlon II era, it was difficult to compete with the Intel processors at that time. The only thing that can be remembered by history in the Phenom era is the Athlon II X4 640T that can be opened. After Athlon II
AMD acquired ATI in the era of
amd, the fusion concept proposed was finally realized in 2011. APU was born for many years, but it did not really bring about the widespread application of the fusion concept, but it shone in the integrated market within 1,000 yuan. After ending the history of the K10 architecture represented by Phenom, AMD took out the CPU part of the APU in the high-end market with FX as the main character, and took out the CPU part of the APU in the low-end field to arm the mainstream CPU.
AMD Athlon II X4 631
Athlon II X4 631 is the product and was launched in autumn 2011. Unlike the previous Athlon II series, AMD Athlon II X4 631 is based on Husky microarchitecture (the improved version of K10), adopts the latest 32nm production process, a native quad-core design, with a main frequency of 2.6GHz, each core has 1MB of Level 2 cache (in the past 512KB), and supports up to DDR3-1866 memory. It adopts the FM1 interface design and only supports A75/A55 motherboards, and is not compatible with the previous AM3 motherboards of AMD Athlon II X4.
Athlon II X4 641
quad core and priced at less than 500 yuan have once become a hot product in the market, and it also put a lot of pressure on the Pentium series that is stubborn on the dual-core and dual-thread. In 2012, AMD launched the Athlon II X4 641. Compared with the former, the main frequency increased from 2.6Ghz to 2.8GHz, but the price dropped to over 400 yuan, once again increasing the cost-effectiveness to a new level! It became one of the few star products of AMD CPUs at that time.
Athlon II X4 still maintains the strong overclocking tradition, but AMD no longer provides the possibility of core opening
At this point, the era of Athlon II ends.
Veterans Immortal: Athlon X4
Active time: 2012 to the present
changed to a new packaging of Athlon X4
Interestingly, AMD originally planned to give up the "Athlon" and "Elect" brands and straighten the FX series, while the FM1 version of "Athlon II" is just a "temporary worker". Even the product logo and outer packaging use the old version of Athlon style. Unexpectedly, "unintentionally inserting willows into shade", the Athlon X4 631/641, which blocked the GPU unit, was sold so popular! On the roadmap of the new generation of AMD in 2012, a unified logo and packaging box has been formulated for AMD, and the classic "AMD" brand has been retained.
Athlon X4
AMD Athlon X4 750K, can freely adjust the frequency doubling
So, AMD Athlon X4 740/750K was born, opening the era of Athlon X4. The Athlon X4 uses an FM2 interface, which is not compatible with the previous FM1 platform. The internal CPU architecture has also undergone major changes, from "native quad-core" to "dual-module quad-core". It can be simply understood as a pile driver with an FM2 interface, but the specifications have been reduced, and the TDP thermal design power consumption has also dropped to 65W/100W.
doesn't know if I don't say it. At that time, the real performance price ratio of AMD Athlon X4 750K was the highest
. Among them, 750K belongs to the "K" generation that does not lock the frequency double, so overclocking performance is naturally the biggest selling point of this CPU. However, this time the overclocking amplitude of AMD Athlon X4 750K is not worth mentioning. However, with the positioning of 500 yuan, AMD Athlon X4 740/750K is very lethal in the entry-level CPU market and has a good reputation.
AMD Athlon X4 760K put a lot of pressure on the Pentium dual core that year
Since then, the AMD Athlon X4 series has started the pace of updates every year. In 2013, the AMD Athlon X4 760K was launched, which increased the frequency compared to the 750K and made great progress in overclocking capabilities, exceeding 4.7GHz without pressure. At the same time, the price is still very competitive, making it difficult for the Pentium at that time, leaving only the advantage of power consumption. After all, it is Athlon, after all, it is AMD's golden sign.
Athlon in the era of rollers X4
AMD Athlon X4 860K
In 2014, the Athlon X4 series was supported by the core of the high-end "rock rollers" at that time, replacing the original pile driver, and at the same time, it is also a core version of the Kaveri A10 APU. The model also entered the 100th position, becoming the AMD Athlon X4 860K. The interface is FM2+, and supports multiple series motherboards such as A88/A85/A75. The processor adopts a native quad-core design, with a 4MB Level 2 cache, and the default main frequency is 3.7GHz. Through AMD intelligent overclocking technology, it can be automatically overclocked to 4.0GHz. It happened to be the day when the G3258 was widely promoted on the 20th anniversary of the Pentium, but with the advantages of the AMD Athlon X4 860K, even if the G3258 is overclocked, it can only be comparable to the AMD Athlon X4 860K.
80K, pushing the entry-level quad-core to a new height
In 2015 and 2016, AMD took advantage of the victory in the market below 500 yuan and launched AMD Athlon X4 870K and 880K respectively.
has a more powerful radiator built in
of which 880K not only breaks through 4.0GHz, but the boxed radiator is also the same heat pipe down-pressure radiator as the A10 series (7870K), reflecting AMD's sincerity in entering the low-end market.
Before Ryzen appeared, only in the low-end field could AMD get back the spot
AMD Athlon X4 880K brought rare recognition to AMD. It also sounded the alarm for the proud Intel, so in the Pentium series with the seventh generation Core architecture, Intel finally was willing to open Pentium's hyperthreading. It is obvious that this reflects the principle that competition promotes progress.
gets the popularity: Athlon APU
Active time: 2014 to the present
Athlon APU
Due to the pure CPU existence of Athlon X4, the Athlon series has not had much connection with APU. But after 2014, it was different. AMD launched the Athlon APU this year. Doesn’t it sound very difficult to talk about? However, it does exist because the positioning relationship lacks attention. The specifications of the
AM1 socket make the APU smaller than the usual APU
AMD APU 5350 seems to return to the specifications ten years ago
Athlon APU adopts a single-chip design of SoC system, aimed at tablet devices, ultra-light laptops, entry-level PCs and ultra-low power HTPCs. It adopts 4-core, 28nm process and 25W thermal design power consumption. All Athlon APUs integrate AMD Radeon R3 graphics processors, and after Athlon X2 integrates the north bridge, the south bridge is integrated with the new Socket AM1CPU socket. Because it is positioned as a cheap and low-power market, it is even lower-end than the usual APU A series, but it is the big brother of Shanlong APU. Therefore, like the Shinlong APU, no one pays attention to such weak specifications and performance.
debuted at its peak: Poison Dragon
Active time: June 2000 to October 2004
Poison Dragon
Whether it is Athlon or Athlon XP, it is competing with Intel's Pentium series. Then the task of dividing up the low-end entry-level market will naturally be handed over to another series. In June 2000, AMD officially distinguished between high and low-end product lines and launched the mainstream entry-level Duron processor. Because it is homophonic, we call it "poison dragon". In a short four-year market cycle, Dulong has experienced three generations of architectures: Spitfire, Morgan, and Applebred.
Spitfire
Spitfire The first generation of poison dragon
uses the Spitfire core and is a simplified version of Thunderbird Athlon. The capacity of the secondary cache is mainly reduced, with only 64KB, but it retains 100MHz external frequency, which is very competitive compared to the 66MHz external frequency Celeron, and also retains the MMX, Enhanced 3DNow! instruction set, with a frequency range of 550MHz to 950MHz.
Pencil method to crack the frequency doubled and make the players at that time happy
Although both Poison Dragon and Cey Young support overclocking, this generation of Poison Dragon was discovered and could be cracked through pencils, the DIY field immediately exploded. The onlookers expressed their desire to experience the pencil black technology, and the poisonous dragon was in a state of sensation. With its originally good performance, the momentum completely compares the Ceyron processor, the core of the "copper mine" at that time.
Morgan
Dondock
developed into the Palomino Athlon XP era, and the corresponding simplifiedDondock processor is the Morgan architecture. The frequency has been significantly improved, from 900MHz to 1300MHz, and the support of the MMX, SSE, Enhanced 3DNow! instruction set is retained. In fact, the performance of Morgan poison dragon is not very obvious when compared to Athlon XP. However, because AMD has banned the channels for cracking frequency doubled, and due to fever problems, Morgan poison dragon's overclocking ability is relatively inferior. So this generation is considered a regular poison dragon.
Applebred
Applebred code-named Poison Dragon
To the 130nm Applebred era, because AMD's strategy at that time was to enter the low-PR Athlon XP into the low-end market, Applebred Duron was naturally neglected and only launched three models, Duron 1400, 1600 and 1800, with the external frequency reaching 133MHz. The significant improvement in frequency and the reduction in power consumption cannot resist the wind direction of AMD's strategy. In the end, fewer people were interested in it. AMD also felt that the Poison Dragon processor became better than nothing, so it simply canceled it later.
has mixed reputations: Shinlong
Active time: July 2004 to present
replaces the poison dragon
Under AMD's strategy, the Duron processor is very embarrassing, so AMD simply canceled this product line. Taking the new era of Athlon 64 as an opportunity, AMD took the initiative to push the new low-priced CPU series to the forefront, that is Sempron, and the official Chinese name is "Shinlong".
debut failed
first generation of flash dragons is actually the previous generation of Athlon XP. It is not the 64-bit
flash dragons that continue to support the elder brother Athlon to enter the market. It is just that it is no longer the core practice of simplifying the core of the K7 era, but directly putting on the K7 era processor. From Throughbred-B to Barton, it was like a raccoon to change the prince. In contrast, the high-end Athlon 64 processor is a genuine K8 architecture. This distinction undoubtedly cleaned up the K7 series finals for AMD, but it also blocked the possibility of entry-level players enjoying a 64-bit CPU. The Shining Dragon at that time did bring some negative sounds.
Regain the conscience
Only when the second generation of Shinlong was the same as Athlon 64
In the same era as Athlon 64
After completing the mid-to-high-end market layout, in the second half of 2005, the "Shinlong" (codename Sempron) based on the K8 micro architecture finally replaced the K7 architecture as the main force of the entry-level platform, which can be said to be "waiting until the flowers are fading." Initially, the Flash Dragon was the 754 platform, and was upgraded to the AM2 platform in the second half of 2006. Until the 45nm era, Shinlong always appeared as a simplified version of the role, serving entry-level players conscientiously.
At that time, the Shinlong overclocking ability was good
inherited the overclocking performance of ASCHEN 64 since the 939 era. At the same time, the simplified specifications of Shinlong has excellent energy consumption ratio and powerful overclocking potential. Many products can exceed the external frequency of more than 300MHz. Taking the most classic 2500+ as an example, it is quite easy to overclock from 1.4GHz to 2.1GHz, with low prices, good overclocking performance, and very in line with the requirements of DIY users.
Retired from the mountains and forests
We once thought that the Sempron Dragon disappeared, but the emergence of Sempron X2 198 brought the Sempron Dragon back to the public's vision
In the later stage of Phenom, the Sempron Dragon processor stopped and handed over the entry-level CPU task to Ahtlon II until the emergence of Sempron X2 198. As a GPU-free version of LIANO APU, the Sempron X2 198 is a lower-end CPU than the Ahtlon II X2, so it is naturally unattended.
From Sempron X2 198 to APU Sempron X2 240 and 250, Sempron X2 evolved with the evolution of Ahtlon in APU, but as the model with the lowest performance level, it has long been forgotten by history.
Shinlong holds a lower-end position than Athlon. Its weak performance is naturally no one in the DIY field.
Maybe the lowest-end words are too ugly. AMD transformed Shinlong into a Sempron APU, and adopted a single-chip design for SoC system. For tablet devices, ultra-light laptops, entry-level PCs, and ultra-low power HTPCs. It adopts TSMC's 28nm HKMG process. Thermal design consumes between 3 and 15 watts. Built-in display core, USB3.0 controller, video transcoder, etc. with GCN architecture.The CPU core is a native quad-core design, and the dual-core product will be obtained from the quad-core chip, like the first generation of Intel Core processors, to block half of the core number.
ASON APU and SCHENRO APU have both transformed into the field of low power consumption
Interestingly, Xbox One and PS4 use this architecture. I don’t know if I don’t say it. In fact, Shinlong is still active in the current CPU market, but its positioning has long been separated from the scope of DIY hardware.
The final summary of the article: New Dragon Chapter
Speed Dragon's creation of the world, peak life, retreating to the second line, and transforming to this day; Yi Long's unfavorable journey, rectifying the chaos, retreating bravely; the poisonous dragon's short life; the controversial life of the Shining Dragon, short glory, and retreating to the mountains and forests. The AMD CPU of the
dragon series has followed, chased and surpassed. Of course, there were also difficulties. We Chinese have special feelings for dragons, and it seems that God also destined that AMD's dragon CPU has an indissoluble bond with us DIY players. Whether it is a model of cost-effectiveness, a star in the overclocking world, or a pioneering era of core creation, the history of the dragon system for more than ten years has brought us too many surprises and disappointments. Most importantly, in this history, AMD told us that CPU efficiency is the first priority and taught Intel to be a human being (although Intel in the FX era taught it in turn).
Ryzen arrives, and the yellow robe is in her body. The history of AMD Dragon CPUs in the future will enter a new chapter!
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