Embedded AMD Processor Recognition
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23913A/0—November 2000
Embedded AMD-K6™ Processors BIOS Design Guide
Preliminary Information
Note: Extended functions 8000_0002h, 8000_0003h, and
8000_0004h return an incorrect name string for the
AMD-K6-2E+ and AMD-K6-IIIE+ processors (Model D). See
“Functions 8000_0002h, 8000_0003h, and 8000_0004h —
Processor Name String” on page 77 for more information.
Displaying Cache Information
Extended functions 8000_0005h and 8000_0006h provide cache
information for the processor. Some diagnostic software
displays information about the system and the processor’s
configuration. It is common for this type of software to provide
cache size and organization information.
Functions 8000_0005h and 8000_0006h provide a simple way for
software to obtain information about the on-chip caches and
translation lookaside buffer (TLB) structures. The size and
organization information is returned in the registers as
described in “Appendix A” on page 71. Software can simply
display these values, eliminating the need for large pieces of
code to test the memory structures.
Determining AMD PowerNow!™ Technology Information
Extended function 8000_0007h provides information regarding
the processor’s support for AMD PowerNow! and its enhanced
power management (EPM) features. Based on the status of the
EPM flags, software can determine if the processor supports
programmable bus frequency control and programmable
voltage ID control. A ‘1’ for each bit indicates that the feature is
supported; however, the feature must be enabled by software.
See “Function 8000_0007h — AMD PowerNow!™ Technology
Information” on page 79 for more detailed bit descriptions.
Sample Code
A code sample using the CPUID instruction to identify the
processor and its features is available from AMD’s website at
http://www.amd.com/products/cpg/bin.