Main Product Lines

• AMD’s primary line of CPUs is the Athlon processor, while Pentium’s flagship line has been the Pentium. Pentiums were introduced in 1993 as the fifth-generation chip designed to supersede the 80486 chips. Pentiums have since been redeveloped and upgraded in successive generations. In 1999, AMD’s Athlon was launched as a competitor and rough computing equivalent to the Pentium III. Since then, both companies have redesigned and developed several distinct lines of processors to keep pace with advancing technology and keep up with consumer’s needs.
  
  

Pinout and Motherboard Differences

• Although both brands of CPUs perform the same computing functions, they feature massive design differences. Each line of processors connects to motherboards differently, including different pinout sizes and alignments. Therefore, to replace a Pentium CPU with an Athlon chip, or vice versa, you must replace the motherboard's CPU socket as well.
  
  

Memory Controller

• AMD’s Athlon chips include a memory controller unit inside the CPU itself, while Pentium CPUs off-load memory control to the motherboard. This allows AMD chips to access memory more quickly than Pentiums, though Pentiums can process more information while accessing memory. For most home users, the difference in memory access speed is unnoticeable.
  
  

3D Image Handling

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  AMD and Pentium chips both use a system of SSE instructions when rendering complex graphics, such as 3D representations used in gaming. But AMD uses a combination of 3D Now and SSE technology. These differences have helped AMDs outperform Pentium chips in an independent survey by CNET.
  
  

Price vs. Performance

• As of July 2010, Intel’s Pentium holds the overwhelming majority of the market share, and its upper- and lower-end systems are geared—and priced—toward both new users and heavy computing types. AMD’s range of processors leads the pack in middle-of-the-road chips, according to CNET.