AMD Athlon 64...The Other 64 bit CPU

AMD released its Athlon 64 CPU today, and it looks like an interesting chip to watch. Performance tests show it will be the chip to beat if you’re interested in gaming and overall workplace performance, but the Intel P4 still seems to hold the video processing crown in the PC world, at least from the performance test I saw at AnandTech.com. That test actually used the Opetron, though I’m sure that performance tests using real Athlon64 CPU’s will be hitting the web pretty soon--if they haven’t already. PC World tests of the Athlon 64 were impressive. I had a fleeting thought I might upgrade my XP machine to this chip until I visited one of my favorite retailers, Mwave.com. Right now, as one would expect, the Athlon64 3200+ carries a $453 price tag. That’s bit rich for my blood at the moment. Instead, I might go ahead and creep the system up to an AthlonXP 2400+. It’s only $85 and will run on my current motherboard. In another year or whenever Athlon64 CPU’s hit the $100-$200 price range and I can get a 64 bit version of Windows XP (the beta was released today), I’ll take another look.