ADVANCED MICRO DEVICES launched the 'Spider' platform, which combines the company's next-generation quad-core processors, graphics cards and chipsets in one platform to deliver better graphics, perfor¬mance-per-watt and improved high-definition video. Targeted at gamers and multimedia enthusiasts, desktop PCs with the Spider platform include the quad core Phenom proces¬sors and can hold multiple ATI graphics cards to give users the "ultimate visual experience," according to AMD.
The quad-core Phenom processor, will provide the processing power to the plat form, and will be initially available in speeds of2.2G Hz and 2.3GHz. Processor speeds will crank up to 2.4G Hz to 2.6G Hz in the first quarter of 2008, said Leslie Sobon, director of product marketing for desktop sys¬tems at AMD. Phenom includes three shared caches to improve memory perfor- mance, an improvement from the two caches included in earlier AMD processors.


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The chips, manufactured using the 65-nanometer pro¬cess, have multiple power-effi¬ciency features that set them apart from Intel's latest Pen¬ryn processors, Sobon said. A hardware and software plat¬form allows the processor to detect the application running and adjust power consump- tion accordingly, she said. For example, if a user is running an e-mail application, the pro¬cessor automatically adjusts to use less power. The processor also improves energy efficien¬cy during idle time, she said. The processors also have improved hyper threading technology for better application performance, Sobon said.

AMD will ship the 2.2GHz Phenom 9500 and 2.3GHz 9600 processors for US$251 (approx Rs.10,000) and $283 (approx Rs.9500) respectively. PCs based on the Spider platform will ship with the ATI Radeon HD 3850 and ATI Radeon HD 3870 graphics cards. The graphics cards sup¬port Microsoft's DirectX 10.1 specification that enhances overall image quality on PCs. DirectX is the primary interface responsible for rendering multimedia, including game images and video, on Micro¬soft platforms. It also renders better high-definition video with support for UVD (Uni¬fied Video Decoder), which results in better HD DVD and Blu-ray images. Spider will support Cross¬fireX technology, which allows up to four graphics cards to work together to enhance graphics performance in a system. That allows scalability in graphics performance and saves users from investing in graphics chips in the future.

When computers with the Spider platform will start shipping many vendors, including iBuypower, Falcon Northwest, Cyberpower, Velocity Micro will offer PCs that use it.
By packaging a CPU and GPU under one platform, PCs will become more afford¬able for users, Sobon said. However, users will be able to purchase components like graphics cards from other vendors, though it may cost a bit more, Sobon said.
Spider is the first fruit of AMD's acquisition of AT!, Sobon said. However, since the acquisition of ATI, AMD has struggled, losing processor market share to Intel and recording four straight quarterly losses weighed down under costs related to the ATI acquisition.

Both Intel and Via have failed at delivering a com¬bined graphics processor and CPU platform, with Intel killing its Timna proj¬ect in 2000, and Via failing with its Matthew microprocessor project.