Athlon Processors Discontinued New Phenom.

JohnDotCom · 15th May 2007, 13:28

AMD are ceasing Production of all Athlons now which have been their main Processor of recent years.

AMD will phase out the Athlon brand on its next generation of top-end K10 CPUs, it has announced. It will be replaced by a 'Phenom'.
According to AMD's marketing, the CPU's will 'allow users to experience the phenomenal'.
The first CPU to be based on the architecture will be an Opteron featuring the Barcelona core. At the top of the list of Barcelona's new feature set is a radically different cache architecture, which has no less than three integrated levels of cache inside the CPU.
Each of the four cores will have 64KB of Level 1 cache, followed by a larger 512KB block of Level 2 cache. However, these independent Level 2 cache blocks will then feed into a 2MB shared pool of Level 3 cache.
This differs from Intels Core 2 architecture, which has only a large, shared pool of Level 2 cache after the Level 1 cache. The reasoning for the independent Level 2 cache for each core was to cut down latency. Basically, if one core wants to write an instruction to the shared cache but is unable to do so because the cache is being read by another core, it can now simply store that instruction in the Level 2 cache and drop it in when it can.

The new architecture will be able to handle up
to four floating-point operations per clock, and will also feature improved branch prediction and support for 128-bit SSE instructions. However, unlike Intel's forthcoming Penryn products, the K10 architecture will still be fabricated on a 65nm process.
According to AMD, this is due to the total amount of cache on the processors being lower than that on Intel's processors, which frees up enough room to fit a 65nm quad-core CPU in a single package.
After that will come desktop parts in the form of the quad-core Phenom FX, and the Phenom X4 and X2. These will feature the same cache architecture as that of the Opteron, and will be able to accommodate the same amount of cache. However, there are some slight differences between the Phenom and the Opteron. The most significant of these is that overclockers will be able to adjust the frequency of each core separately, although the vcore will always remain at the same level as the most heavily loaded core.
However, unlike Opteron CPUs, Phenom CPUs will allow you to adjust the voltage of the memory controller separately from the CPU cores. This feature is courtesy of AMD's new Socket AM2+, which provides two separate voltages for the memory controller and CPU.
Phenom FX CPUs will use Socket F, and will be backwards compatible with AMD's existing Quad FX motherboards, meaning that you could build an 8-core system with two quad-core CPUs. The Phenom X2 and X4 will use AMD's AM2+ socket, although you'll be able to use the CPUs in a current AM2 motherboard too; you just won't have access to the new socket's extra voltage features.

Simon · 15th May 2007, 18:45

Blimey.... That's some processor

I'm a big fan of AMD processors with no less than all my mates using them. Trouble with these new technologies is they'll be outdated within a month and will cost you several arms and an odd couple of legs to buy in the first place....

JohnDotCom · 15th May 2007, 18:49

Isn't that always the same Simon every time a faster processor comes out your previously fastest one suddenly plummets in price.
Never purchase the Fastest of any range as for sure they will always drop within a couple of months.
The new Intel Quad Core processors are a perfect example, all droped by 15% today to the trade in bulk!

Andyb123 · 15th May 2007, 21:36

Ok so a nice new super fast processor but how hot will it run, could I fry an egg on it. Just how fast can they make these things go before the heat problem kicks in and casues a melt down.

How big a cooling system will you need for such a powerfull processor?. Just a bit of a accademic question to be honest I am not by any imagination overly knowledgeable on these matters. Just know that heat is a real problem from experience.

JohnDotCom · 15th May 2007, 22:28

Similar to the New Intel Core 2 Duo these new processors draw much less current and do not get half as hot with over twice the speed. No longer do you require a different processor for Laptops.
The reasons for this are not describeable without many pages but basically these only run the amount of power/voltage/current as required to do the work being carried out and when not in use cuts right down to anything from a tenth of max speed up to the max speed of processor on each core, so the 2 or 4 cores (meaning like having 2 or 4 Processors on board) will produce much less heat other than on very power intensive programs, The new Motherboards have much better pipe cooling systems and fans to assist in keeping Processors/Graphics Cards and Hard drives cooler. The New SATA Hard drives coming on line later are the standard 7500rpm + 10000RPM and 12500RPM drives removing completely the need for SCSI drives any more. These new hard Drives will also have 16/32 & 48MB Cache!

MGOracle · 20th May 2007, 14:03

I used to be an Intel fanboy especially when such issues were apparent regarding ATi & Nvidia graphics cards and their compatability. Now that ATi and AMD have joined forces I'm left wondering why Intel and Nvidia don't do the same.

I turned to AMD about 3 years ago but recently they have been way off the boil and still are. Intel are back in the game, yes their pricing can put people off but AMD have still got a long way to go before they start to impress me again.

15th May 2007, 13:28	#1
JohnDotCom * Rover 75 FaceLift Tourer CDTi 170BHP Auto ConnSE 2005 Model Starlight Silver Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Abergele Posts: 28,735 Thanks: 0 Thanked 6 Times in 5 Posts	Athlon Processors Discontinued New Phenom. AMD are ceasing Production of all Athlons now which have been their main Processor of recent years. AMD will phase out the Athlon brand on its next generation of top-end K10 CPUs, it has announced. It will be replaced by a 'Phenom'. According to AMD's marketing, the CPU's will 'allow users to experience the phenomenal'. The first CPU to be based on the architecture will be an Opteron featuring the Barcelona core. At the top of the list of Barcelona's new feature set is a radically different cache architecture, which has no less than three integrated levels of cache inside the CPU. Each of the four cores will have 64KB of Level 1 cache, followed by a larger 512KB block of Level 2 cache. However, these independent Level 2 cache blocks will then feed into a 2MB shared pool of Level 3 cache. This differs from Intels Core 2 architecture, which has only a large, shared pool of Level 2 cache after the Level 1 cache. The reasoning for the independent Level 2 cache for each core was to cut down latency. Basically, if one core wants to write an instruction to the shared cache but is unable to do so because the cache is being read by another core, it can now simply store that instruction in the Level 2 cache and drop it in when it can. The new architecture will be able to handle up to four floating-point operations per clock, and will also feature improved branch prediction and support for 128-bit SSE instructions. However, unlike Intel's forthcoming Penryn products, the K10 architecture will still be fabricated on a 65nm process. According to AMD, this is due to the total amount of cache on the processors being lower than that on Intel's processors, which frees up enough room to fit a 65nm quad-core CPU in a single package. After that will come desktop parts in the form of the quad-core Phenom FX, and the Phenom X4 and X2. These will feature the same cache architecture as that of the Opteron, and will be able to accommodate the same amount of cache. However, there are some slight differences between the Phenom and the Opteron. The most significant of these is that overclockers will be able to adjust the frequency of each core separately, although the vcore will always remain at the same level as the most heavily loaded core. However, unlike Opteron CPUs, Phenom CPUs will allow you to adjust the voltage of the memory controller separately from the CPU cores. This feature is courtesy of AMD's new Socket AM2+, which provides two separate voltages for the memory controller and CPU. Phenom FX CPUs will use Socket F, and will be backwards compatible with AMD's existing Quad FX motherboards, meaning that you could build an 8-core system with two quad-core CPUs. The Phenom X2 and X4 will use AMD's AM2+ socket, although you'll be able to use the CPUs in a current AM2 motherboard too; you just won't have access to the new socket's extra voltage features. Last edited by JohnDotCom; 15th May 2007 at 13:32..

15th May 2007, 18:49	#3
JohnDotCom * Rover 75 FaceLift Tourer CDTi 170BHP Auto ConnSE 2005 Model Starlight Silver Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Abergele Posts: 28,735 Thanks: 0 Thanked 6 Times in 5 Posts	Isn't that always the same Simon every time a faster processor comes out your previously fastest one suddenly plummets in price. Never purchase the Fastest of any range as for sure they will always drop within a couple of months. The new Intel Quad Core processors are a perfect example, all droped by 15% today to the trade in bulk! Last edited by JohnDotCom; 15th May 2007 at 22:15.. Reason: Spell

15th May 2007, 18:45	#2
Simon Banned - Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: - Posts: 10,318 Thanks: 0 Thanked 4 Times in 3 Posts	Blimey.... That's some processor I'm a big fan of AMD processors with no less than all my mates using them. Trouble with these new technologies is they'll be outdated within a month and will cost you several arms and an odd couple of legs to buy in the first place....

15th May 2007, 21:36	#4
Andyb123 Loves to post Rover 75 2L CDT Conn Se HiLine SATNAV Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Wrexham Posts: 299 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Ok so a nice new super fast processor but how hot will it run, could I fry an egg on it. Just how fast can they make these things go before the heat problem kicks in and casues a melt down. How big a cooling system will you need for such a powerfull processor?. Just a bit of a accademic question to be honest I am not by any imagination overly knowledgeable on these matters. Just know that heat is a real problem from experience.

15th May 2007, 22:28	#5
JohnDotCom * Rover 75 FaceLift Tourer CDTi 170BHP Auto ConnSE 2005 Model Starlight Silver Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Abergele Posts: 28,735 Thanks: 0 Thanked 6 Times in 5 Posts	Similar to the New Intel Core 2 Duo these new processors draw much less current and do not get half as hot with over twice the speed. No longer do you require a different processor for Laptops. The reasons for this are not describeable without many pages but basically these only run the amount of power/voltage/current as required to do the work being carried out and when not in use cuts right down to anything from a tenth of max speed up to the max speed of processor on each core, so the 2 or 4 cores (meaning like having 2 or 4 Processors on board) will produce much less heat other than on very power intensive programs, The new Motherboards have much better pipe cooling systems and fans to assist in keeping Processors/Graphics Cards and Hard drives cooler. The New SATA Hard drives coming on line later are the standard 7500rpm + 10000RPM and 12500RPM drives removing completely the need for SCSI drives any more. These new hard Drives will also have 16/32 & 48MB Cache!

20th May 2007, 14:03	#6
MGOracle Banned MG ZT CDTi 135+ Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Cardiff Posts: 1 Thanks: 0 Thanked 5 Times in 2 Posts	I used to be an Intel fanboy especially when such issues were apparent regarding ATi & Nvidia graphics cards and their compatability. Now that ATi and AMD have joined forces I'm left wondering why Intel and Nvidia don't do the same. I turned to AMD about 3 years ago but recently they have been way off the boil and still are. Intel are back in the game, yes their pricing can put people off but AMD have still got a long way to go before they start to impress me again.