AMD 3DNow! Instructions finally extinct as LLVM compiler drops support

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It is almost extinct, but it's still supported in the Assembly language.

AMD K6 and FX-8350
(Image credit: AMD)

AMD’s near-ancient 3DNow! Instructions have faded even further into obscurity. Open-source compiler LLVM is finally removing support for the set of instructions that hasn’t been supported by AMD’s CPUs since 2011.

The 3DNow! Instruction set was introduced in 1998 as a competitor to Intel’s MMX. It added Single Instruction, Multiple Data (SIMD) instructions to AMD’s base x86 instruction set, which helped the CPUs do vector processing of floating-point operations using vector registers.

“This set of instructions was only supported by AMD chips starting in the K6-2 (introduced 1998), and before the “Bulldozer” family (2011). They were never much used, as they were effectively superseded by the more-widely-implemented SSE (first implemented on the AMD side in Athlon XP in 2001).

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Jeff Butts
Jeff Butts
Contributing Writer
2 Comments Comment from the forums
  • usertests
    I have a Llano APU that supports this. My 3D graphics are safe.
    Reply
  • DS426
    Oh yeah, AMD K6-2... That was the first CPU that I used when my dad taught me how to build a PC way back when.:) 380 MHz if I recall?
    Seems to have also intentionally or unintentionally planted a spirit of underdog enthusiasm in me ever since.

    Anyways, I imagine everyone expect for maybe one or two yahoos in the Universe are safe with 3DNow! Being dropped. Seemed like a neatly marketed instruction way back when, even if it wasn't nearly implemented as much as Commander Intel's SSE instruction line. Gaming was more of a shock and awe thing for me back then -- if I could even play the game (if it would run, have sound, and have enough playable FPS), it was awesome.
    Reply