“Advanced Micro Devices will use cache memory in somewhat novel ways to broaden out its desktop chip line, including its upcoming Athlon64 processor, according to sources.
The Sunnyvale, Calif.-based chipmaker will launch the Athlon64 with performance ratings of 3400+ and 3100+ in September and then crank the top performance rating up to 3700+ in the fourth quarter, according to sources. By the end of next year, the performance rating is expected to rise to 4300+. Ratings roughly correspond to the clock speeds of Intel chips, so that a 3100+ chip is more or less equivalent to a 3.2GHz Pentium 4.” [News.com]