AMD Crowned 1GHz King

After announcing initial shipment of 1GHz Athlon processors would begin today, AMD chairman and CEO W.J. Sanders III told the press the milestone "is a watershed event not only for AMD, but also for the personal computer industry." He then went on to compare reaching the 1GHz mark to Chuck Yeager breaking the sound barrier.

Just nine months after shipping the first Athlon processor, AMD has quickly become a strong rival to chip giant Intel, and pushed production to the extreme. With Intel hot on its heels, AMD was able to reach the mark first due to its "strategic investment in process technology, product development and productive capacity over the past several years."

In a partnership with Compaq, consumers will be able to order Athlon-based systems beginning Thursday, March 9th. Available in a new model, the Presario 5900z, the 1GHz processors will offer users "crisp, clear visual images and premium audio sound never before experienced with a consumer PC." Compaq believes the new Presario will facilitate the creation of greater media content and further enhance the Internet experience by giving users a processor with the power to handle higher quality streaming media.

The fully loaded Presario 5900z, which includes 128MB SDRAM and a 30gig hard drive, will retail for $2,499 USD, and will be available via telephone as well as Compaq's 'At Home' Web site or through the 'Built for You' program.

Gateway's 1GHz computer, the Select 1000, includes a 19" monitor and the 32MB nVidia GeForce graphics card, along with a 30gig hard drive and 128MB of RAM. This model will retail for $2999 USD and can be ordered via the Gateway Web site.