AMD has introduced an updated version of its Athlon XP 32bit processor for desktops. The new chip features a faster front-side bus to boost performance.

The AMD Athlon XP 3200+, available immediately, is the world's highest-performing desktop processor, according to AMD. The company said the processor outperforms a Pentium 4 running at 3GHz, despite Intel's new HyperThreading technology that gives certain types of applications a speed boost. However, Intel is expected to introduce a 3.2GHz version of the Pentium 4 in the near future.

The new Athlon's performance is aided by the introduction of a 400MHz bus linking it to the rest of the system. Earlier Athlons featured a 266MHz or 333MHz system bus.

"The new AMD Athlon XP processor 3200+ with 400MHz bus is another example of AMD delivering technology that creates a better computing experience for all levels of PC users," said Rich Heye, vice president and general manager for microprocessors at AMD.

Intel's rival 3GHz Pentium 4 has an 800MHz bus, but despite this, AMD said the Athlon XP 3200+ performs six percent faster than the Intel chip under common benchmark tests. AMD names its processors with numbers based on benchmark performance rather than processor clock speed. The Athlon XP 3200+ actually runs at a speed of 2.2GHz.

The release will not immediately benefit enterprise users, many of whom are still wary of buying anything other than Intel-based desktop systems. However, AMD is hoping for greater uptake by corporates when it releases its Athlon 64 later this year. This will be a uniprocessor version of the AMD Opteron 64bit processor, which launched last month, and which could tempt firms with the prospect of running high-end applications on relatively low cost PC hardware.

Reports that the Athlon XP 3200+ would be AMD's last 32bit processor were denied by the company, which said it expected the Athlon range to carry on alongside the Athlon 64.

The introduction of the new 400MHz front-side bus means that new motherboards and chipsets will be necessary to support the Athlon XP 3200+. Chip firm VIA Technology said that it would support the new Athlon with its forthcoming Apollo KT600 chipset, which will also use 400MHz Double Data Rate (DDR) memory.

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