AMD's Athlon XP 1900+ (1.6GHz): Still #1

Final Words

There's only so much you can say about a processor that boasts no more than a 67MHz clock speed advantage over the flagship it's replacing. What won't make much sense to the end users is AMD's insistence on releasing processors that are barely faster than one another. It's clear that the launch of the 1900+ is one that was demanded for by the OEMs looking for a processor that can be marketed as the equivalent of Intel's Pentium 4 1.9GHz CPU and placed in the same class as the 2.0GHz part.

We already know that the Athlon XP is clearly the desktop/workstation CPU to buy today, there's no question to that. What we'd like to see are some more improvements from AMD to the Athlon line that go beyond marketing or pleasing their OEMs (the latter is very important, don't get us wrong; it's the OEMs that rake in the cash). There is no reason the Athlon XP shouldn't have an integrated heat spreader much like the Pentium 4. While more avid users with experience installing heatsinks on Athlon CPUs are fairly unlikely to damage their cores, someone upgrading from an older processor without such experience may learn the hard way just why a heat spreader is important.

We'd also like to see AMD take a more active role in encouraging motherboard manufacturers to take advantage of the Athlon XP's internal diode. As we noted in our initial roundup of KT266A motherboards, not a single one read the temperature of the Athlon XP from its internal diode rather by using an external thermistor. These are fairly small complaints but if no one makes them then very little will be done. We've been more than happy with the performance of the Athlon line and the Athlon XP continues that even further, but as true enthusiasts we're always looking for more out of a product.

AMD is at the point now where they aren't only a fierce competitor on a pricing level, they are also significantly faster than the competition. AMD has already exhibited some of their leadership capabilities with the bold steps they are taking with Hammer, but it's often these little things that can help along the path to that leadership position.

As for Intel, their most likely response to the Athlon XP 1900+ is the oh-so-generic declaration of the Pentium 4 2.0GHz as the world's fastest desktop microprocessor. While we anxiously awaited the launch of the 0.13-micron Northwood processors it seems as if the CPU will only sample this year and be commercially available in January/February of 2002. Although that won't be the only interesting product made available in that time period it seems that for this holiday buying season the top motherboard, video card and CPU upgrades are as clear as they will be.