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AMD copperwhopper Intel heartstopper

1.1GHz Athlon will Cu-you, Jimmy

Just micro-seconds after Intel said how it had tweaked aluminium so that it was able to produce a 1GHz Pentium III at .18µ (micron), Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) showed a 1.1GHz Athlon using copper interconnects with integrated cache on the chip. Both AMD and Intel make microprocessors, which many believe to be the brain in a personal computer. What this means is that AMD has successfully moved its manufacturing process from aluminium to copper, meaning that electrons whizz along the tiny wires faster, as the latter element is less resistant than the former. A micron is approximately 1/100th of the thickness of a typical human hair. What this also means is that AMD is ready to ship these 1.1GHz microprocessors just whenever it chooses to do so, and that its Dresden fab, known to some OEMs and distributors as Deathstar, is bang on course to produce Cu-Athlons starting from now. In a prepared statement, AMD said that it expected to get money from sales of these fast processors by the end of the second quarter, this year. ® See also Intel claims volume 1GHz on Coppermine RSN™ Race to 1GHz bad for end users The Quick Guide to Register Jargon

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