Advanced Micro Devices Inc says that the next version of its K6 processor line, the K6-3, will be released this quarter. AMD spokesperson Scott Allen confirmed that systems based on the chip, codenamed ‘Sharptooth’, would be available soon, although he refused to confirm reports that the first chips would be out in February. Gaming web site Sharky Extreme claims that it has had the first glimpse of the new chip. It says the CPU’s main improvement over the K6-2 is the addition of 256K on-die level 2 cache memory which runs at the main processor clock speed of 400MHz, and will improve the performance of graphic-intensive tasks. The chip will also enable users to upgrade from existing K6-2 systems. The 400MHz Sharptooth – a rival to Intel Corp’s Pentium II – looks likely to be closely followed by a 450MHz version, the price is expected to be around $350. AMD refused to comment on the details given by the web site, saying that the review was unauthorized.
