Introduction

Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) K7 series of CPU is still a baby compared to the Intel Pentium line as far as evolution and expansion goes. AMD Started out with a tiny budget and a very slow start to the microprocessor industry. AMD's first real contribution to the computer market was the cloning of the 486DX classed CPU. This was the start for AMD's big struggle to make the top of the CPU market. While the AMD's line of 486 were a cheap CPU they were only considered an alternative to the Intel line and not competition. This was due to the lack of FPU power on behalf of AMD and also compatibility issues with Intel chipsets, after all who would know more about compatibility? The maker of the product of the guy trying to read a technical schematic and trying to get their product to perform as well as the maker's product performs on the same device? While the public were in favor of the new company making 486 CPU's as this forced Intel to become at least some what competitive it was not taken lightly by Intel who launched what was to be many frivolous lawsuits that we here at AMD division have called "can't beat'em let's sue them." This claim was rejected and AMD had its first line on the market. After a few years of this the microprocessor forum was rocked again as the chip giant Intel changed the way we compute with the introduction of a new line of CPU and a new communications system called the P5 bus. This new bus allowed for faster communications between the CPU and memory and also allowed for the next generation of add-on preferables, the PCI Bus. It didn't take long for the new company AMD to take up the challenge and introduce their new P5 class CPU called the K5, this was also the beginning of AMD's trademark Kx line of CPU and unfortunately a name association with less than stellar performance form the K CPU. The K5 was AMD's alternative to the Pentium line of CPU, once again it was never a good competitor with a less than average FPU and reduced amount of L1 cache meant that the K5 would never beat the Pentium CPU, however this CPU was the first and best CPU for AMD apart form the K7 line due to one aspect, the K5 would overclock more than an Intel CPU would. This gave AMD a edge over the Intel brand as the very few overclockers of the time started to get these CPU's and run them at overclocked speeds. Intel changed again to Pentium MMX technology and AMD followed with the K6 processor, which incorporated MMX technology, licensed form Intel. Again a bad FPU put this CPU behind the 8 ball and made it only a alternative to Pentium MMX CPU's. AMD's next plan during the K6 vs Pentium MMX line was to introduce the K6-2 with 3Dnow! Technology only this was delayed and didn't arrive until Intel had moved on to the next generation of CPU and once again the K6-2 was only an alternative to Intel systems. While AMD were getting closer to catching Intel on the P5 platform Intel decided the only way to secure the future for Intel was to move to a new bus that AMD hadn't used and didn't get a change to get a license for, the P6 bus used for the Pentium Pro CPU. Weeks before AMD announced the K6-2 CPU Intel introduced to the public the Pentium 2, line of CPU which kept AMD in the dark for quite some time.

In 1996 rumors were floating around the web that AMD were working on a new line of processor different form their pervious failures that would secure the future of AMD and in 1999 AMD released to the public its new generation of CPU, the AMD K7 line of CPU named Athlon.