AMD K7

So what have we to expect from the AMD K7 when it arrives in 1999 then? Will we just see another processor that follows Intels tracks and gives us a great selection of processors or will we see a processor that can beat Intel in both price and performance? AMD claims that the K7 will be a competitor to Intel's Xeon and possibly Tanner but it will probably not give the Merced a fight. Will then AMD K7 be such a big success then or will it be forgotten like the IDT processors? If we look at the information that we can find about K7 now so must I say that if I dont get that Intel Katmai processor in 1999 so will it probably be the AMD K7 that will have the honour to be in my computer.

We all know that the K7 promises to give us pc buyers a new high-performance alternative to Intel's market leading processor offerings. K7 systems, however, are likely to be cheaper due to AMD's tradition of pricing it's chips 25 per cent lower than comparative Intel offerings and this might be one of the things that will make the K7 popular.

A main focus of AMD's engineering specialists at the new Far East Infrastructure Organisation (FEIO) facility in Taipei will be to provide technical assistance to allow the company's Taiwanese partners to shorten the time-to-market cycle for chip sets and motherboards for the K7. Due to the high costs of developing the initial chip set designs for the K7, which will use a new processor interface dubbed Slot A, AMD will introduce an in-house developed, fully functional chip set when the processor is launched, but will make the technology available free to third-party vendors.

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