Super processor, rock bottom price
Written: May 12 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Reliable, inexpensive, quality performance, speeds up to 550 MHz
Cons: no speeds over 550MHz available yet
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| Gr8ful's Full Review: K6-2, 500 MHz (MPN-AMD-K-2/500BOX) Processor |
I recently built a computer for a friend featuring the K6-2 processor and he is completely satisfied with it. It performs as well as a Pentium II and with higher speeds available (up to 550MHz). The AMD K6-2 processor is used commonly in computers under $1000 and, unfortunately, some are not so well designed computers. This is a shame because some people blame this on the AMD processor and it just isn't so.
The fact is the AMD K6-2 processor has 2 times the cache memory on the chip as the Pentium II. All Pentium processors (Pentium, Pentium II and Pentium III) use 32k of Level-1 (on chip) cache. The AMD K6-2 uses 64k and it makes a difference in large power hungry programs. Although the latest Pentium III processors make up for this by making their cache run the same speed as the processor, but they also cost a whole lot more.
AMD introduced new technology with the K6-2 called "3DNow!". It basically is an instruction set built into the processor to reduce the processing time for common multimedia tasks. Instead of having to process the information it is already built in. There are a total of 26 instructions on the K6-2. These instructions are similar to the MMX instructions on the Pentium II processors. "3DNow!" gives the user a greatly improved multimedia experience with realistic sound and high quality video. Combined with a good 3D accelerator card, you get superb frame rates for 3D gaming and overall stunning graphics.
For quality performance at a reasonable price, I suggest this processor for an excellent multimedia computer. You can find a K6-2 500MHz processor for under $60. Look for them on Pricewatch.com
Recommended:
Yes
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