Android emulator system images and AMD processor

As mentionned, HAXM won't work on non-intel CPUs. So the X86 image won't be any faster than the ARM one (at least, in my experience on an AMD Phenom X6.)

An speedier alternative is to use GenyMotion.

• It is free for personal use
• An order of magnitude faster than the built-in android emulator.
• It integrates nicely with ADT (Eclipse) once you follow the detailed user guide

According to the Android documentation for the emulator, the x86 image specifically requires an Intel processor. When they say:

...Virtual machine acceleration for Windows requires the installation of the Intel Hardware Accelerated Execution Manager (Intel HAXM). The software requires an Intel CPU with Virtualization Technology (VT) support...

They are referring not just to supporting "Virtualization", but to a specific set of processor extensions only available on recent Intel processors.

Use the ARM system image. It will get the job done, it just won't feel like you are running a native Android system.