AMD unveils 1GHz Duron

Compaq to use the chip in Presario 1200 notebooks

AMD last week released two mobile processors and revealed that Compaq will use them in Presario 1200 notebooks.

It also announced price cuts on current chips and said it will ship a 1GHz low-end desktop Duron processor later in the quarter.

The moves will help AMD maintain pressure on Intel in terms of price and performance, and could offer bargains to users who do not require high-spec systems.

Compaq's support will come as a relief to the processor manufacturer, which recently suffered when IBM decided to stop using AMD's Athlon chips for PCs in Europe and the US.

The new Athlon 4 mobile chip runs at 1.1GHz, an increase of 100MHz over the previous fastest chip. A 1.2GHz version is expected before the end of the year.

AMD's new mobile Duron chip, which runs at 900MHz, is based on a new processor core called Morgan. The core is a scaled-down version of Athlon 4 Palomino and introduces AMD's PowerNow technology to the budget mobile processor line.

PowerNow allows the speed and voltage of the processor to vary depending on the demands placed on it by an application.

Pat Moorhead, vice president of desktop and mobile marketing at AMD, said that the PowerNow technology in the mobile Duron chip would give users up to 30 per cent more computing time before having to recharge their battery.

The Athlon 4 1.1GHz processor is priced at $425, the 900MHz mobile Duron costs $130, and the 1GHz desktop Duron will cost $89 when it ships.

The releases coincided with the second birthday of the Athlon. Since its introduction in 1999, AMD's market share has risen from 13 to over 22 per cent, according to analyst firm Mercury Research.

To make room for the new chips, and in anticipation of further price cuts by Intel, AMD has cut prices on all the chips in its Athlon 4, mobile Duron and desktop Duron ranges. For example, a 1GHz Athlon 4 costs $290, down from $425, while an 800MHz mobile Duron costs $90, down from $170.