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Desktop systems based on International Business Machines Corp.'s PowerPC 970 and Advanced Micro Devices Inc.'s Athlon 64 processors place 64-bit computing within the reach of mainstream users without closing the door to 32-bit applications. Both systems delivered high performance running 32-bit code, but they still await the breadth of software support required to make the most of their 64-bit capabilities. Polywell Computer Inc. is selling a workstation system built around dual Opteron processors that starts at $3,499. INSET: 64-bit desktop systems.

Features several microprocessors. AMD's Opteron and Athlon 64; Intel's Itanium 2; Sun's UltraSparc III; IBM/Motorola's PowerPC; MIPS' MIPS64.

The article reveals changes and developments in the computer industry. The computer industry looked pretty predictable six months ago. Since then there have been surprises in processors and technology that have changed the whole playing field. These unexpected events involve almost all of the major players in processors and systems. The largest changes have happened to Intel, the world's biggest processor maker. Intel was set to bring its 90 nanometer Prescott chips into the market and had updated Itanium chips in the queue. AMD's Opteron chips were then becoming a major challenge for Intel, as they were both powerful and offered 64-bit extensions while still running 32-bit code very well. On the Itanium side, IBM is taking its Power processor architecture to levels that are very competitive with Intel's Itanium. Intel's plan to dominate the high end processor market with its proprietary Itanium design now faces challenges from AMD below and IBM above. Sun Microsystems is another company in the throes of change. It has just cancelled its next planned processor, the UltraSparc V, in order to go with new multicore designs named Niagara and Rock. It has also extended its systems line to embrace AMD's Opteron and Linux while continuing to enhance the Solaris operating system.

The article reveals changes and developments in the computer industry. The computer industry looked pretty predictable six months ago. Since then there have been surprises in processors and technology that have changed the whole playing field. These unexpected events involve almost all of the major players in processors and systems. The largest changes have happened to Intel, the world's biggest processor maker. Intel was set to bring its new 90 nanometer Prescott chips into the market and had updated Itanium chips in the queue. AMD's Opteron chips were then becoming a major challenge for Intel, as they were both powerful and offered 64-bit extensions while still running 32-bit code very well. On the Itanium side, IBM is taking its Power processor architecture to levels that are very competitive with Intel's Itanium. Intel's plan to dominate the high end processor market with its proprietary Itanium design now faces challenges from AMD below and IBM above. Sun Microsystems is another company in the throes of change. It has just cancelled its next planned processor, the UltraSparc V, in order to go with new multicore designs named Niagara and Rock. It has also extended its systems line to embrace AMD's Opteron and Linux while continuing to enhance the Solaris operating system.

The article reveals changes and developments in the computer industry. The computer industry looked pretty predictable six months ago. Since then there have been surprises in processors and technology that have changed the whole playing field. These unexpected events involve almost all of the major players in processors and systems. The largest changes have happened to Intel, the world's biggest processor maker. Intel was set to bring its new 90 nanometer Prescott chips into the market and had updated Itanium chips in the queue. AMD's Opteron chips were then becoming a major challenge for Intel, as they were both powerful and offered 64-bit extensions while still running 32-bit code very well. On the Itanium side, IBM is taking its Power processor architecture to levels that are very competitive with Intel's Itanium. Intel's plan to dominate the high end processor market with its proprietary Itanium design now faces challenges from AMD below and IBM above. Sun Microsystems is another company in the throes of change. It has just cancelled its next planned processor, the UltraSparc V, in order to go with new multicore designs named Niagara and Rock. It has also extended its systems line to embrace AMD's Opteron and Linux while continuing to enhance the Solaris operating system.

The article reports on the release of Advanced Micro Devices Inc.'s next-generation Opteron quad-core processor, called Shanghai. The company claimed that the Opteron chip provides better performance than Barcelona chip. Furthermore, the Shanghai chip has 6 megabytes of Level 3 cache, compared with 2 megabytes in Barcelona. It is claimed that the chip has received an endorsement from International Business Machines Corp.