Creating an AMD64 Build Environment for DirectX-based Applications
This app note is intended for the programmer who is either porting 32-bit DirectX applications to 64 bits or creating new 64-bit DirectX applications to run in Microsoft® Windows® operating systems.
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Building AMD64 Applications with the Microsoft® Windows® Platform SDK
This document is intended for the programmer who is creating 64-bit software for deployment in a 64-bit Microsoft® Windows® operating environment on AMD Athlon™ 64 or AMD Opteron™ processor based platforms.
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AMD64 Software Optimization
This guide provides optimization information and recommendation for the AMD Athlon™ 64 and AMD Opteron™ processors. These optimizations are designed to yield software code that is fast, compact, and efficient.
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AMD64 BIOS and Kernel Developer's Guide
The BIOS and Kernel Developer's Guide for the AMD Athlon™ 64 and AMD Opteron™ Processors is intended for programmers involved in the development of low-level BIOS (basic input/output system) functions, drivers, and operating system kernel modules. This guide covers the implementation-specific features of AMD Athlon 64 and AMD Opteron processors, as opposed to architectural features.
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Value of AMD64 Instruction Set Architecture (ISA) Whitepaper
by Dave Kaplowitz
This paper presents a brief overview of the AMD64 ISA. This is followed by a description of the benefits of the instruction set. The most significant benefits of the AMD64 ISA are:
- An extended flat address space which allows programs to address memory beyond 4 GB.
- Native 32-bit x86 compatibility which allows 64-bit and 32-bit applications to run on a 64-bit operating system.
- Support for the 16 GPRs and 16 XMM registers - double the number of registers present in the 32-bit x86 instruction set.
- The ease of porting software from 32-bit to 64-bit systems.
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AMD64 Architecture Programmer's Manual Volume 1:
Application Programming
Content covered in Volume 1 includes:
- Register details
- 64-bit and legacy mode instruction summary
- Operands
- 64-bit and 128-bit Media instructions
- x87 Floating-point instructions
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AMD64 Architecture Programmer's Manual Volume 2:
System Programming
Volume 2 provides in-depth coverage of system details of interest to BIOS and kernel developers, as well as to those interested in general system architecture.
- Differences between x86-64 and x86 architectures
- Memory and memory management
- Operating modes
- System resources
- Exceptions and interrupts
- Machine check mechanism
- Debug and performance monitoring
- Processor initialization
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AMD64 Architecture Programmer's Manual Volume 3:
General-Purpose and System Instructions
Volume 3 includes comprehensive coverage of:
- Legacy and 64-bit integer instructions
- x86-64 system programming instructions
- Microprocessor exceptions
- Condition flags affected
- Instruction opcode mappings
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AMD64 Architecture Programmer's Manual Volume 4:
128-Bit Media Instructions
Volume 4 provides detailed coverage of the operation and usage of the 128-bit instructions used most widely for the development of scientific and media applications. Content covered in Volume 4 includes:
- XMM instructions, originally introduced as SSE and SSE2 instructions used extensively in scientific applications and media.
- XMM condition flags affected
- Microprocessor exceptions generated
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AMD64 Architecture Programmer's Manual Volume 5:
64-Bit Media and x87 Floating-Point Instructions
Volume 5 of the AMD64 Architecture Programmer's Manual includes comprehensive details of the 64-bit media and legacy x87 floating-point Instructions.
Volume 5 covers:
- 64-bit MMX Instructions
- 3DNow! Instructions
- x87 Floating-Point Instructions
- x87 and 64-bit media exceptions
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Porting Windows® Device Drivers to AMD64 Architecture
This white paper is divided into two sections. The first section presents the AMD64 processor features that are enabled when running on 64-bit Windows®. Second, it discusses the tools and present a checklist for porting your driver to 64-bit Windows for the AMD64 platform.
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Porting x86 Linux device drivers to AMD64 Technology
The AMD64 instruction set architecture is a 64-bit extension of the x86 instruction set. AMD64 processors can run in longmode, with AMD64 instructions and 64 bit registers and addressing, or in compatibility mode, with x86 instructions and 32 bit registers and addressing. Although the processor can schedule processes to run in compatibility mode while the operating system runs in long mode, a single process cannot have both x86 and AMD64 code segments linked together, nor can a single process run in both long and compatibility modes. This means that the AMD64 Linux kernel cannot use x86 drivers unless the drivers are recompiled to the AMD64 architecture. This paper provides code samples and instruction on porting x86 device drivers to AMD64 on Linux.
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CrytekIt's Far Cry Ported to AMD64 & Raises the Bar of Game Development - A Case Study
In the 32-bit version of Far Cry, AMD64 technology enables industry-leading performance and visual quality. In the 64-bit version, the technology expands the gameIt's capabilities on an exponential scale. Because a native 64-bit application can access much higher amounts of memory at one time than a 32-bit version, maps can be over 10 times as large. And because AMD64 technology doubles the number of integer and multimedia registers over those of x86, gameplay is much smoother and frame rates are higher.
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Game Developer Conference 2004 Presentations
Technical presentations from AMD, CoolLogic, Inc., Crytek, EPIC, Havok, Microsoft, NVIDIA
Downloadable Presentations

Smashing the Barriers of 32-bit Gaming

Microsoft DirectX SDK and Game, Graphics development resources
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dndrive/html/directx10212003.asp

Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 (Whidbey) by Microsoft
http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/productinfo/roadmap.aspx#whidbey

VGL - graphics toolkit by Volume Graphics GmbH
http://www.volumegraphics.com/products/vgl/index.html

DriverStudio - device driver dev tool by CompuWare Corp
http://www.compuware.com/products/driverstudio/782_ENG_HTML.htm

SoftICE Drive Suite 3.0 - device driver development tool by CompuWare Corp
http://www.compuware.com/products/driverstudio/softice.htm