PC Hardware in a Nutshell, Second Edition

Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Processors

Until late 1999, Intel had the desktop processor market largely to itself. There were competing incompatible systems such as the Apple Mac, based on processors from Motorola, IBM, and others, but those systems sold in relatively small numbers. Some companies, including Cyrix, IDT, Harris, and AMD itself, made Intel-compatible processors, but those were invariably a step behind Intel’s flagship processors. When those companies—which Intel calls “imitators”—were producing enhanced 286s, Intel was already shipping the 386 in volume. When the imitators began producing enhanced 386-compatible processors, Intel had already begun shipping the 486, and so on. Each time Cyrix, AMD, and the others got a step up, Intel would turn around and release the next-generation processor. As a result, these other companies’ processors sold at low prices and were used largely in low-end systems. No one could compete with Intel in their core market.

All of that changed dramatically in late 1999, when AMD began shipping a processor called the Athlon. The Athlon didn’t just match the best Intel processors. It was faster than the best Intel could produce, and was in many respects a more sophisticated processor. Intel had a fight on its hands, and it’s remained so to the present day.

If you ever take a moment to appreciate how much processor you can get for so little money nowadays, give thanks to AMD. Without AMD, we’d all still be running sixth-generation Intel ...