World’s First Comprehensive, Cutting-Edge PC Platform from AMD

Rewriting the rules for enthusiast
computing, AMD (NYSE: AMD) today unveiled its new platform codenamed “Spider”,
with the first true quad-core processor supporting scalable graphics for The
Ultimate Visual Experience™. The AMD Spider platform combines the introduction
of AMD Phenom™ quad-core processors. The AMD Spider platform is a major milestone
on the path to Accelerated Computing, AMD’s vision for platform-level
acceleration through co-processing.

“AMD is the only
company committed to delivering The Ultimate Visual Experience across all the
screens of your life,” said Dirk Meyer, president and COO, AMD. “The AMD Spider
platform embodies our approach to platform-level innovation and delivers a
highly-advanced, feature-rich enthusiast computing experience. Our commitment
to energy-efficient design and manufacturing excellence drives an unprecedented
performance-per-watt at an amazing price point, putting enthusiast-class
platforms in reach for more users than ever before.”

AMD’s Spider platform
advances enthusiast computing by delivering the most sophisticated multi-GPU
enthusiast platform ever with ATI CrossFireX technology. The combination of the
energy-efficient 55nm ATI Radeon HD 3800 Series of graphics processors and the increased
system bandwidth of PCI Express® Generation 2.0 and HyperTransport™
3.0 technology, provide optimal processing power for a scalable HD multi-GPU
experience. AMD design and manufacturing innovation has enabled the AMD Spider
platform to easily scale to three or four graphics processors and deliver a
true gaming supercomputer.

 “Falcon Northwest is particularly impressed
with the quad ATI CrossFireX potential of the new AMD Spider platform,” said
Kelt Reeves, president of Falcon Northwest. “Running four graphics boards in
one system has been a dream of gamers, but could be a nightmare for a system
builder to get all those graphics cards proper airflow. The cohesive nature of
the Spider platform design allows the AMD 7-Series chipset, high-performing AMD
Phenom quad-core processor, and the already cool and quiet ATI Radeon HD 3800
graphics cards to all be placed for maximum airflow and cooling. AMD has
made massive multi-GPU performance easy to build, and affordable.” 

HD Technology Leadership

AMD is delivering
the only platform that boasts major next-generation, industry-standard
technologies to provide unparalleled bandwidth and balance in the delivery of
next-generation HD content. With HyperTransport 3.0 technology, AMD Phenom
processors have more system bandwidth than ever before with up to 14.4
GB/second of high bandwidth I/O. When combined with the additional bandwidth of
AMD PCI Express 2.0 chipsets and graphics processors, the AMD Spider platform
enjoys maximum bandwidth to support smooth 1080P video playback, enhanced
multi-GPU and high-speed disk and network interfaces. With the only true
quad-core processor and infrastructure flexibility with AM2+ socket, AMD
processors are designed to be compatible with future 65nm and 45nm AMD Phenom
processors to deliver key performance gains.

Video enthusiasts
can enjoy best-in-class HD entertainment on AMD Spider platforms with the
addition of the powerful visual processing capabilities of the ATI Radeon HD
3800 Series. Striking image quality and power-efficient playback are made
possible through the ATI Avivo™ HD video engine and the Unified Video Decoder
(UVD). The addition of UVD ensures exceptional platform efficiency and image
quality in HD-DVD and Blu-ray decoding for both H.264 and VC-1 specifications.
Big screen gaming and entertainment is also made easy with enhanced HDMI
connectivity with integrated HDCP and audio for HDMI video.

Scalable Platform Performance

AMD’s Spider
platform offers a new class of enthusiast platform scalability, with multiple
upgrade options to increase performance and boost compatibility with
configurations that can deliver an estimated two teraflops* of
desktop processing power by harnessing four graphics processors. The multi-core
design of AMD Phenom quad-core processors, based on Direct Connect
Architecture, features an integrated memory controller designed to support
memory speeds up to DDR2 1066**, 128-bit floating point units and AMD’s Balanced Smart Cache for
rapid access to memory, with a shared L3 cache for leading-edge performance on
multi-threaded software.

The AMD 7-Series
chipsets introduce the world to the latest ATI CrossFireX technology, a new
class of scalable multi-GPU performance, supporting three or four ATI Radeon HD
3800 Series graphics processors for unparalleled upgradeability and DirectX
10.1 performance with the industry’s only tri- and quad-GPU solution for
Microsoft Windows Vista®. AMD 7-Series chipsets support up to four
graphics processors and 42 PCI Express lanes, enabling maximum performance and
upgradeability for gamers and PC enthusiasts. AMD 7-Series chipsets can deliver
the ultimate in personalized enthusiast platform performance with AMD OverDrive***
software, the industry’s most powerful and intuitive Windows operating
system-based performance tuning utility. Through a simple Windows operating
system-based interface, AMD OverDrive software can satisfy the needs of a wide
range of performance-oriented users from enthusiast overclockers to mainstream
gamers.*** In addition, AMD AutoXpress™ settings can increase your
system performance when combined with enthusiast memory modules, ATI Radeon
graphics, as well as AMD Phenom quad-core processors.

“AMD has a long
history of delivering compelling hardware innovations so that consumers and
enthusiasts can enjoy new experiences and take full advantage of the
capabilities that our products including Windows Vista deliver,” said John
Schappert, corporate vice president of LIVE Software and Services at Microsoft.
“The AMD Spider platform adds a new dimension to AMD’s excellence in driving
platform robustness and scalability, designed to deliver the utmost in
upgradeability and performance with the new tri- and quad-GPU solution for
Windows Vista.”

Energy Efficiency

High-performing,
energy-efficient AMD Spider platforms provide industry leading platform
performance-per-watt, combining energy-efficient AMD Phenom quad-core
processors for an improved computing experience, low power 65nm enthusiast AMD
7-Series chipsets, and low-power, high-performance 55nm ATI Radeon HD 3800
graphics. The AMD Spider platform also includes an unprecedented list of
computing technology firsts and focus on power consumption, including: ATI
PowerPlay™, Cool’n’Quiet™ 2.0 technology, Microsoft DirectX 10.1 support,
HyperTransport 3.0 technology and PCI Express 2.0.

In a new
initiative to measure real-world processor power consumption, AMD surveyed
consumer and commercial users to understand precise usage patterns. AMD
measured power consumption for these usage patterns and has found that AMD
Phenom processors with Cool’n’Quiet 2.0 technology rated at 95W TDP can consume
an average power of 32W for consumers and 29W for commercial users.****
For more information on the power consumption of AMD processors and platforms
visit www.amd.com/coolnquiet .

Enhanced features
include AMD CoolCore™ technology, support for split power plane motherboard
designs and the ability to set independent core frequencies. The AMD 7-Series
chipsets are designed using 65nm process technology, a first for chipsets. With
a TDP of approximately 10-12 watts, the 7-Series chipset offers world-class
energy efficiency, allowing users to focus resources on processing performance.
With a flawless transition to 55nm process technology, the ATI Radeon HD 3800
Series can deliver more than two times the performance-per-watt over the
previous generation of AMD graphics products. In addition, ATI PowerPlay for
the desktop allows for automatic power state adjustments for increased GPU
efficiency when under moderate load or idle. All of these features contribute
to better power optimization by enabling more efficient performance, lower
power consumption, and quiet operation.

            “In today’s PC market there is escalating consumer demand
for multi-core performance and enriching HD media experiences,” said Toni
Duboise, senior analyst with Current Analysis West. “Platforms with enhanced
performance features and improvements in performance-per-watt and energy
efficiency, such as AMD’s Spider platform, are a big benefit to customers.”