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The AMD K8 Hammer, also code-named SledgeHammer, is a
computer processor In computing and computer science, a processor or processing unit is an electrical component (digital circuit) that performs operations on an external data source, usually memory or some other data stream. It typically takes the form of a micropr ...
microarchitecture designed by
AMD Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD) is an American multinational semiconductor company based in Santa Clara, California, that develops computer processors and related technologies for business and consumer markets. While it initially manufactur ...
as the successor to the AMD K7 Athlon microarchitecture. The K8 was the first implementation of the
AMD64 x86-64 (also known as x64, x86_64, AMD64, and Intel 64) is a 64-bit version of the x86 instruction set, first released in 1999. It introduced two new modes of operation, 64-bit mode and compatibility mode, along with a new 4-level paging mod ...
64-bit In computer architecture, 64-bit Integer (computer science), integers, memory addresses, or other Data (computing), data units are those that are 64 bits wide. Also, 64-bit central processing unit, CPUs and arithmetic logic unit, ALUs are those ...
extension to the
x86 x86 (also known as 80x86 or the 8086 family) is a family of complex instruction set computer (CISC) instruction set architectures initially developed by Intel based on the Intel 8086 microprocessor and its 8088 variant. The 8086 was introd ...
instruction set architecture In computer science, an instruction set architecture (ISA), also called computer architecture, is an abstract model of a computer. A device that executes instructions described by that ISA, such as a central processing unit (CPU), is called an ' ...
.


Features

CPU features table


Processors

Processors based on the K8 core include: *
Athlon 64 The Athlon 64 is a ninth-generation, AMD64-architecture microprocessor produced by Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), released on September 23, 2003. It is the third processor to bear the name ''Athlon'', and the immediate successor to the Athlon XP. T ...
- first 64-bit consumer desktop *
Athlon 64 X2 The Athlon 64 X2 is the first native dual-core desktop central processing unit (CPU) designed by Advanced Micro Devices (AMD). It was designed from scratch as native dual-core by using an already multi-CPU enabled Athlon 64, joining it with ano ...
- first dual-core ('X2') desktop **
Athlon X2 The Athlon 64 X2 is the first native dual-core desktop central processing unit (CPU) designed by Advanced Micro Devices (AMD). It was designed from scratch as native dual-core by using an already multi-CPU enabled Athlon 64, joining it with anot ...
- later model dual-core desktop with '64' omitted *
Athlon 64 FX The Athlon 64 is a ninth-generation, AMD64-architecture microprocessor produced by Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), released on September 23, 2003. It is the third processor to bear the name ''Athlon'', and the immediate successor to the Athlon XP. T ...
- enthusiast desktop (multipliers unlocked) *
Sempron Sempron has been the marketing name used by AMD for several different budget desktop CPUs, using several different technologies and CPU socket formats. The Sempron replaced the AMD Duron processor and competed against Intel's Celeron series of pr ...
- low-end, low-cost desktop *
Opteron Opteron is AMD's x86 former server and workstation processor line, and was the first processor which supported the AMD64 instruction set architecture (known generically as x86-64 or AMD64). It was released on April 22, 2003, with the ''Sledg ...
- server market *
Turion 64 AMD Turion is the brand name AMD applies to its x86-64 low-power consumption (''mobile'') processors codenamed ''K8L''. The Turion 64 and Turion 64 X2/Ultra processors compete with Intel's mobile processors, initially the '' Pentium M'' and the I ...
- mobile computing market *
Turion 64 X2 AMD Turion is the brand name AMD applies to its x86-64 low-power consumption (''mobile'') processors codenamed ''K8L''. The Turion 64 and Turion 64 X2/Ultra processors compete with Intel's mobile processors, initially the ''Pentium M'' and the Int ...
- dual-core mobile processor The K8 core is very similar to the K7. The most radical change is the integration of the AMD64 instructions and an on-chip memory controller. The memory controller drastically reduces memory latency and is largely responsible for most of the performance gains from K7 to K8.


Nomenclature

It is perceived by the PC community that after the use of the
codename A code name, call sign or cryptonym is a Code word (figure of speech), code word or name used, sometimes clandestinely, to refer to another name, word, project, or person. Code names are often used for military purposes, or in espionage. They may ...
''K8'' for the
Athlon 64 The Athlon 64 is a ninth-generation, AMD64-architecture microprocessor produced by Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), released on September 23, 2003. It is the third processor to bear the name ''Athlon'', and the immediate successor to the Athlon XP. T ...
processor family, AMD no longer uses K-nomenclatures (which originally stood for
Kryptonite Kryptonite is a fictional material that appears primarily in Superman stories published by DC Comics. In its best-known form, it is a green, crystalline material originating from Superman's home world of Krypton that emits a unique, poisonous r ...
) since no K-nomenclature naming convention beyond ''K8'' has appeared in official AMD documents and press releases after the beginning of 2005. AMD now refers to the codename ''K8'' processors as the ''Family 0Fh'' processors. 10h and 0Fh refer to the main result of the
CPUID In the x86 architecture, the CPUID instruction (identified by a CPUID opcode) is a processor supplementary instruction (its name derived from CPU IDentification) allowing software to discover details of the processor. It was introduced by Intel ...
x86 x86 (also known as 80x86 or the 8086 family) is a family of complex instruction set computer (CISC) instruction set architectures initially developed by Intel based on the Intel 8086 microprocessor and its 8088 variant. The 8086 was introd ...
processor instruction. In
hexadecimal In mathematics and computing, the hexadecimal (also base-16 or simply hex) numeral system is a positional numeral system that represents numbers using a radix (base) of 16. Unlike the decimal system representing numbers using 10 symbols, hexa ...
numbering, 0F(h) (where the ''h'' represents hexadecimal numbering) equals the
decimal The decimal numeral system (also called the base-ten positional numeral system and denary or decanary) is the standard system for denoting integer and non-integer numbers. It is the extension to non-integer numbers of the Hindu–Arabic numeral ...
number 15, and 10(h) equals the decimal number 16. (The "K10h" form that sometimes pops up is an improper hybrid of the "K" code and ''Family'' identifier number.)


See also

*
List of AMD Athlon 64 processors The Athlon 64 microprocessor from Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) is an eighth-generation central processing unit (CPU). Athlon 64 is targeted at the consumer market. Features overview CPU features table Single-core desktop processors Athlon 6 ...
- desktop *
List of AMD Athlon X2 processors The AMD Athlon X2 processor family consists of processors based on both the Athlon 64 X2 and the Phenom processor families. The original Athlon X2 processors were low-power Athlon 64 X2 ''Brisbane'' processors, while newer processors released in ...
- desktop *
List of AMD Sempron processors The Sempron is a name used for AMD's low-end CPUs, replacing the Duron processor. The name was introduced in 2004, and processors with this name continued to be available for the FM2/FM2+ socket in 2015. Features overview CPU features table Desk ...
- low end *
List of AMD Opteron processors Opteron is the name of a central processing unit (CPU) family within the AMD64 line. Designed by Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) for the server market, Opteron competed with Intel's Xeon. The Opteron family is succeeded by the Zen-based Epyc, and Ry ...
- server *
List of AMD Turion processors Turion 64 is the name of a family of CPUs designed by AMD for the mobile computing market. Features overview CPU features table Single-core mobile processors Turion 64 "Lancaster" (90 nm) * All models support: ''MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, Enh ...
- mobile *
AMD K9 The AMD K9 represents a microarchitecture by AMD designed to replace the K8 processors, featuring dual-core processing. Development K9 appears originally to have been an ambitious 8 issue per clock cycle core redesign of the K7 or the K8 pr ...
* AMD 10h *
Jim Keller (engineer) James B. Keller (born 1958/1959) is a microprocessor engineer best known for his work at AMD and Apple. He was the lead architect of the AMD K8 microarchitecture (including the original Athlon 64) and was involved in designing the Athlon (K7) a ...


References

K08 Advanced Micro Devices microarchitectures X86 microarchitectures {{microcompu-stub