AMD: Two Cores are Better Than One

By Ian Bell May 30, 2005

AMD says the new dual core Athlon 64 X2 delivers performance improvements of up to 80 percent on select digital media and productivity applications compared to single-core AMD Athlon 64 processors.

The AMD Athlon 64 X2 dual-core processor will be supported by OEMs such as Acer, Alienware, HP and Lenovo, as well as more than 40 leading system-builder partners worldwide.

According to the company “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.”

Applications will have to be written to specifically support the capabilities of the new dual cores processors.

The AMD Athlon 64 X2 dual-core processors 4800+, 4600+, 4400+ and 4200+ are priced based on performance at $1001, $803, $581 and $537, respectively, in 1,000-unit quantities.

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Computing

AMD’s next version of FSR promises better visuals and support for Xbox

At GDC 2024, AMD has announced an update to FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), its upscaling tech for improving frame rates in games. FSR 3.1 brings some predicted improvements to image quality and stability, but with it, also some changes to how it's positioned as a platform.

The main tweak is that FSR 3.1 frame generation is now "decoupled" from FSR upscaling for the purpose of working "with other upscaling solutions." Presumably, this means with Intel's XeSS or Nvidia's DLSS. This hopefully also means that you can toggle off frame generation from FSR 3, just like you can with DLSS, giving you more minute control of performance. As one user shared on Reddit, this would also be helpful for those on older RTX GPUs, combining DLSS with AMD's frame generation.

Computing

AMD needs to fix this one problem with its next-gen GPUs

AMD's current-gen graphics cards have been a revelation. Last generation, AMD was able to hit performance parity with Nvidia while sacrificing ray tracing performance. This generation, AMD is maintaining parity while getting closer in ray tracing, as showcased by GPUs like the RX 7900 GRE. But the next frontier of gaming is rapidly approaching, and AMD's current options aren't up to the task right now.

I'm talking about path tracing. Nvidia calls it "full ray tracing," and it's a lighting technique that can take gaming visuals to the next level. Path tracing is only available in a small list of titles right now, but with frame generation and upscaling tools better than they've ever been, it won't be long before we see these destination gaming experiences everywhere.
Player two in path tracing

Computing

AMD’s GPUs had a bigger year in 2023 than you might realize

AMD's RX 7700 XT in a test bench.

It's safe to say that 2023 turned out to be a good year for the discrete graphics cards market. According to the latest data, both AMD and Nvidia saw an increase in add-in board (AIB) GPU shipments in the final quarter of 2023, and the year-to-year gains are also massive. While Nvidia still dominates the market, AMD's share is climbing steadily, and Intel remains in the shadows.

Today's round of market insights comes from Jon Peddie Research (JPR), and it's all about discrete GPUs. According to the analyst firm, discrete GPU shipments increased by 6.8% over the fourth quarter of 2023 compared to the previous quarter. This is above the less-than-impressive 10-year average of -0.6%. The year-to-year gains are even more impressive, though, as JPR notes a 32% increase compared to the final quarter of 2022, with a total of 9.5 million GPUs shipped (as opposed to 8.9 million units at the end of 2022).