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AMD Reality Check

Extreme Performance Project 2

This is an exciting article, because we went to the AMD Extreme Performance tour in Boston. The event was in Lansdowne Ave. in Avalon. Let's get started. The event was not easy to find if you aren't around there, but we got there. Outside "Avalon", there was a SUV and a large truck from AMD. They had tables set up outside to check in. The VIP event started at 7:00 P.M., and we were able to get in with VIP entrances. The VIP event was  for resellers and lasted until 8:30 P.M., where AMD opened the doors to enthusiasts.

                                Outside the AMD XPP               Pentium 4 running GTA3, low frame rate

Inside the XPP, you could see a dance floor, were AMD set up a large projector, lights and smoke (effects) and the computers (AMD and Intel) around the dance floor. In the lounge, AMD was nice enough to set up a buffet. They had a presentation at 7:30 P.M. on AMD thermal solutions on the K7 and K8, nothing much. They basically talked about thermal efficiencies of the Intel P4's and AMD K7's, how they both run similarly hot. They explained how they wanted to keep thermal solutions at 6-8 dollars, and how overclockers got the clock frequencies so high by running at -5 C and that would be very expensive for retail computers.  This was one of the small presentations they showed us.

           Thermal Presentation to Resellers       AMD XP 2400+ integrated video, Jedi Knight II

AMD had plenty of computers to prove how fast they were, all with integrated video. AMD computers were running much smoother than the Pentium 4 competitors, who were also running with "Intel Extreme graphics" integrated video. They were DELLs, at a higher price, than the Sony, HP, compaq and eMachines solutions that they were showing with AMD processors. The presenter called them "Extremely BAD Graphics" because the frame rates of the P4 setups where in 10-20 fps. AMD had also 2 computers, one with a XP 2600+ and the other with a Pentium 4 2.6 Ghz, they were basically testing, how fast they can process data, MP3's, ZIP and data blocks. They were both running with a Geforce 4 Ti4600, 512 DDR333 and 60 Gb HDD. The only differences that cant be changed are the L2 cache of the Pentium 4 at 512 kb, and the FSB of the Pentium 4 at 533 Mhz. Even so, the Athlon XP machine was able to outperform the Pentium 4 machine by a couple of seconds. They weren't from any retail brand, they made the machines themselves.

Athlon XP 2600+ and Pentium 4 2.6 Ghz, both with the same Specs, except the L2 and FSB of the Pentium 4.

Jerry Sander's video presentation to compare the Athlon XP and the P4 2.6 Ghz.

They also had UT2003 machines set up, all in a LAN, so people could compete, and the presenter also made a point how the people on the XP's had a higher chance of winning, because they are faster.               

Photo from the lounge, to the presentation screen where you can see the 5 setup tables in green, for the Ultimate Competition, The Battle of the Boxes.

So at 8:30 P.M. AMD opened the doors to the enthusiasts. The lights and smoke made awesome effects, along with the music they had on at full blast.

Lights, camera, and action, lighting at the club was great, and the smoke effects too.

Before 8:30, well, there was only 70 people, resellers, and when AMD opened the doors, the place filled up with 500 people or so. All the enthusiasts were loud, everyone was excited and yelling. AMD'ers started throwing free stuff, and everything got wild. We like that. They threw AMD polos, AMD caps, and AMD backpacks. To get one, the presenter told the people to be as loud as they can be, and they started throwing stuff.

One of the AMD'ers got on a stand, and threw some AMD polos.

There were some Athlon XP giveaways, the first one at 7:40 P.M. for the resellers, and we got so close to winning one. They did them in 10 XP's in a row. The second giveaway was at 8:45, and the third at 9:20. Then there was the battle of the Boxes. Everyone that wanted to participate (18+ age), had to fill out a form, 5 people would be chosen to battle it out, and another 5 for the second group. The person with the most correct answers out of the group got a place in the Battle of the Boxes. At the battle of the boxes, 2 people would build computers, and the one who builds the fastest computer with the money there are given wins.

The first stage in the battle of the boxes, the competition.

The 5 contestants were asked simple questions such as what is the combined cache of the Duron CPU? when did the CEO Hector Ruiz join  AMD?. If you got a question right, you get an AMD Athlon XP sticker, and whoever gets the most stickers goes to the "Ultimate Competition". The build off was very exciting, the time limit is 30 min. and both were able to finish the computer in 20 min., while being under the pressure of the people screaming, and the time constraint.

Building off in the Battle of the Boxes.

Benchmarking with PCMARK 2002, for CPU, RAM and HDD performance.

The part choices to build the computer were limited, and the person in the photo chose a Geforce 4 MX, a bad choice because no 3D performance testing was used, and Karl, the winner, chose integrated nVidia (220 Nforce chipset), more memory (256 MB DDR333), the other chose 128 MB DDR266, and both chose the Athlon XP 2200+ throughbred pocessor. Karl won, by a small margin, it was exciting, a very close battle.

Karl wins 2500 bucks, and a Athlon XP processor.

All 10 contestants won an Athlon XP Processor automatically. It was great to see how much they knew about the PC industry, and of course AMD. There was another giveaway that I havent mentioned. An Athlon XP 2600+ rig, with an Nforce 2 Dual DDR motherboard from Hothardware.com. It was the final giveaway, along with an extra Athlon XP they forgot to raffle.

The Ultimate Rig from Hothardware!

Conclusion:

    It was a great event, no one that went there can deny that. Throughout the event the AMD'ers reminded us how we should recommend AMD to any one. Most people chanted AMD!!! at the giveaways. It was great. There were also AMD girls, one of them Kim, who was giving out shirts.

AMD girls at the prize stand.

                                      The event lasted until 11:15 P.M., where we went home

Here is Dan, with an AMD backpack

        There is José, behind the stage

I hope people out there went to the Extreme Performance Project. AMD put quite a good show and giveaways for us. AMD is economically damaged, but they are supposedly beginning to launch the Athlon 64 processors soon. There are two words I could say after this: GO AMD !!

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