AMD’s K8: Carpe Diem
Intel seemed to have been in an excellent position — but what happens next completely throws the industry off. AMD releases the Athlon 64 chip, based on a completely new K8 architecture, which incorporates the memory controller onto the CPU die itself.  The bragging point, however, was the ability of the processor to execute 64-bit commands. There were no mainstream operating systems that took advantage of the 64-bit technology, yet it provided a sense of “future proof” to the consumers. They also used a new expanded Socket 754 and Socket 939. The performance of the Athlon 64 kept Intel awake at night. Intel replies with the Prescott core Pentium 4 (falsely rumored as the Pentium 5) in order to scale higher on clockspeeds. It completely backfires. Intel eventually scaled clockspeeds up to 3.8Ghz, but stopped there. Intel flirts with the 4.0Ghz, but ultimately, Intel decides against it. They threw DDR2 technology onto the Prescott. It didn’t work. They buffed up the level two cache. No dice. In order to deemphasize clockspeeds, Intel decided to release a new three-digit naming scheme. To match AMD, Intel released EM64T – Extended Memory 64-bit Technology — Intel’s version of AMD’s 64-bit technology, AMD64. Still, most computer enthusiasts seemed to prefer AMD’s Athlon 64.

With the multi-tasking frenzy in full gear, Intel and AMD started incorporating dual-core processors into their desktop line. Intel continued to use the Pentium 4 “NetBurst” architecture for its dual core. Intel simply soldered two Prescott’s core Pentium 4’s together onto a single die and released it as a Pentium-D Smithfield. AMD went a bit further, redesigning their dual-core processor to be more efficient. They release the Athlon 64 X2 — while more expensive than the Pentium D’s, it maintains a high level of performance for AMD. Intel further shrinks the fab process on the Pentium D’s and the Pentium 4’s to 65nm - “Cedar Mill” for single core Pentium 4, “Presler” for dual core Pentium D. Nothing much changes and it was evident that this was NetBurst’s last breath.

In need of a savior, Intel looked at their extremely successful mobile processors…

AMD finally “re-releases” budget processors
Intel continues to assert its presence in the low-end market by releasing a newly revised Celeron line dubbed Celeron D. Celeron D is basically a Pentium 4 Celeron with a Prescott core and double the level two cache. Oddly enough, two wrongs made a right — Celeron D displayed respectable performance, though nowhere near what the Athlon XP’s brought to the table. And what’s up with AMD? After officially abandoning the low-end market when they axed the Athlon XP a few years back, AMD decided to formally re-enter the low-end market with the newly released AMD Sempron. Initially, the Sempron processors were nothing more than rebadged Athlon XP Thoroughbred and Barton processors with limited level two cache. AMD kept pressuring Intel when it released the Sempron based on the newer K8 architecture. Eventually, both AMD and Intel opened the low end to 64-bit technology, implementing AMD64 on the Sempron 64 and EM64T on the Celeron D, respectively.

Intel looks to its “Core” for answers
After a number of major moves (new CEO, new logo, and new marketing philosophy), Intel decided to complete the facelift with a completely new architecture on its flagship processor line. Based partly on the Pentium-M processors, Intel’s Core architecture sends them forward in so many ways. While still using the LGA775 socket, Intel shortened the pipeline architecture of the CPU from thirty one to fourteen, making it more efficient per clock. They also buffed up the level two cache and implemented an entirely revamped dual-core memory sharing system. The overall level of performance was raised dramatically.

And what’s up with AMD, you ask? They release an updated Athlon 64 processor based on Socket AM2. To keep up to speed, AM2 now takes on DDR2 memory, just like latter Pentium 4 and Core-based processors. The respinning of the core proved to be a bumpy path, as AM2 Athlon 64’s are very picky on the type of system memory they have. Many consumers complained about the need for expensive DDR2-800 low-latency memory to run an AM2 platform stably. With Intel’s Core 2 Duo CPU’s making big headlines, AMD kept scaling the Athlon 64 X2 by releasing 5000+ and 5200+ models, both clocked at 2.6 Ghz. In addition, AMD decides to quietly and gradually discontinue the Socket 939 line. Why so? Interesting move — it definitely forces consumers to move on with something…

And that’s where we are in the long soap opera of processors. No more clockspeed wars — rather, core-scaling wars as Intel and AMD rave multi-core technologies.