
22007E/0—November 1999
AMD Athlon™ Processor x86 Code Optimization
Select DirectPath Over VectorPath Instructions
219
Appendix G
DirectPath versus
VectorPath Instructions
Select DirectPath Over VectorPath Instructions
U s e D i r e c t P a t h i n s t r u c t i o n s r a t h e r t h a n Ve c t o r P a t h
instructions. DirectPath instructions are optimized for decode
and execute efficiently by minimizing the number of operations
per x86 instruction, which includes ‘register
←
register op
memory’ as well as ‘register
←
register op register’ forms of
instructions.
DirectPath Instructions
The following tables contain DirectPath instructions, which
should be used in the AMD Athlon processor wherever possible:
■
Table 25, “DirectPath Integer Instructions,” on page 220
■
Table 26, “DirectPath MMX™ Instructions,” on page 227
and Table 27, “DirectPath MMX™ Extensions,” on page 228
■
Table 28, “DirectPath Floating-Point Instructions,” on
page 229
■
All 3DNow! instructions, including the 3DNow! Extensions,
are DirectPath and are listed in Table 23, “3DNow!™
Instructions,” on page 217 and Table 24, “3DNow!™ Exten-
sions,” on page 218.
Summary of Contents for Athlon Processor x86
Page 1: ...AMD Athlon Processor x86 Code Optimization Guide TM...
Page 12: ...xii List of Figures AMD Athlon Processor x86 Code Optimization 22007E 0 November 1999...
Page 16: ...xvi Revision History AMD Athlon Processor x86 Code Optimization 22007E 0 November 1999...
Page 202: ...186 Page Attribute Table PAT AMD Athlon Processor x86 Code Optimization 22007E 0 November 1999...
Page 252: ...236 VectorPath Instructions AMD Athlon Processor x86 Code Optimization 22007E 0 November 1999...
Page 256: ...240 Index AMD Athlon Processor x86 Code Optimization 22007E 0 November 1999...