Posted on 11/18/2007 9:38:44 PM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach
AMD WILL ONLY LAUNCH the Phenom 9500 and 9600. Even though the channel already got its hands on the Phenom 9700 (2.4 GHz) part, it will have to be pulled off from the shelves.
In a weird deja-vu, it turns out that the company found an errata in the TLB (Transition Lookaside Buffer), just like Intel did earlier this year with complete Core marchitecture. However, unlike Intel, that has a micro-code update function in all of its CPUs, AMD is forced to delay the introduction of the part.
This comes as a huge hit to AMD, at the time that evrything was looking somewhat better. On paper and in practice, its Chipsets Series 7 are world's finest at the moment - PCIe Gen2 implementation is near-perfect, old Athlon 64 X2 parts got a new life on them (insane HyperTransport overclocking options), while Radeon HD 3850 and 3870 are once again sparking a huge war in world of 3D graphics.
However, it turns out that the processor division of AMD botched this time around. We asked AMD to provide us with official statement on this huge problem, and we got a reply back from the firm:
"The Translation Lookaside Buffer (TLB) errata is an L3 protocol issue causing a system hang when running certain client workload applications independent of platform. AMD is immediately introducing an updated BIOS which will correct the TLB errata".
(Excerpt) Read more at theinquirer.net ...
Tomorrow is the announce day too.
Sucks.... we need competition. No one wants Intel to get like Microsoft
AMD Phenom 9500 Agena 2.2GHz 4 x 512KB L2 + 2MB L3 Socket AM2+ Processor Retail HD9500WCGDBOX
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For Shipping: OUT OF STOCK
In a weird deja-vu, it turns out that the company found an errata in the TLB (Transition Lookaside Buffer), just like Intel did earlier this year with complete Core marchitecture. However, unlike Intel, that has a micro-code update function in all of its CPUs, AMD is forced to delay the introduction of the part.
***This is how Intel wins the game. In the early years when microprocessors were 8 bits they were up against Zilog. They both were moving to the next generation and Intel came up with a software simulation of its core architecture so that it could fix bugs quicker. Zilog engineers were so arrogant that they would say, “Bugs, what bugs?” or when there WERE bugs, it took them a looonnnggg time to fix them. In the meantime, Intel was able to cycle through the process in days rather than months. How many of us buy Zilog processors for our desktop computers today? History might repeat itself here.
That’s wierd. How can you fis an error in the CPU via a new BIOS?
A REAL Overclocking Tool
Lastly, AMD has delivered an overclocking tool that actually works and does what it says.
AMD 'Spider' gaming platform to debut next month
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By Tony Smith
26th October 2007 09:39 GMT
AMD looks set to give its 'Spider' high-end gaming platform its first major outing on 14 November - two days after Intel introduces its first 45nm 'Penryn' processors - Register Hardware has learned.
Spider is based on AMD's quad-core Phenom processor, the company's RD790 chipset - approved by the PCI SIG organisation for PCI Express 1.1 compatibility back in April this year - and a pair of graphics cards fitted with the upcoming RV670 GPU.
Motherboard maker MSI announced an RD790-based board earlier this month, though AMD has yet to formally announce the chipset itself, which is expected to ship at the 790FX. MSI's K9A2 Platinum has a pair of x16 PCI Express slots along with four DIMM slots allow up to 8GB of 1066MHz DDR 2 memory in dual-channel configuration.
Earlier this week, AMD confirmed RV670 will debut in the middle of November, so the timing's perfect for the appearance of Spider. The GPU - AMD's first 55nm part - is expected to be launched on 19 November, which is undoubtedly why details revealed during Spider's outing five days earlier will not be available for public consumption.
RV670 is said to be a DirectX 10.1, Shader Model 4.0 chip designed for PCI Express 2.0 boards. It's said two versions will be offered, respectively codenamed 'Revival' and 'Gladiator'. Revival is claimed to be clocked at 750MHz and paired with the 256MB and 512MB of GDDR 3, both running at 1.8GHz. Gladiator sports an 825MHz GPU and is intended to ship on cards with 512MB of GDDR 4 on board. The memory is clocked to 2.4GHz. 
AMD's 790FX chipset
The itsy bitsy chipset
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by Geoff Gasior
Processors and graphics chips are easily the rock stars of this industry, and for good reason. They're largely responsible for overall system performance, and that's even more appealing to enthusiasts than eyeliner and tight leather pants are to hair metal groupies. It's fitting, then, that the bulk of attention and excitement surrounding AMD's new Spider enthusiast platform will narrow on its new Phenom processor and Radeon HD 3800 series graphics cards.
If Spider were a rock band, Phenom would undoubtedly be the front man, with the Radeon HD 3870 and 3850 filling in at lead and rhythm guitars. On drums, you'd find AMD's new 790FX chipset, hidden away not behind a massive array of snares and cymbals, but under a heatsink amongst a sea of other chips on a crowded motherboard.
Like drummers, chipsets spend most of their time outside the limelight; even shirtless and sweaty, they don't pack much in the way of sex appeal. But they're the glue that holds everything together, and that counts for a lot if you value system stability. On occasion, chipsets can also bring important new features to the table that will shape system architectures for years to come. This is one such occasion, with the 790FX packing second-generation PCI Express, support for two-, three-, and four-way CrossFire configurations, and the first desktop implementation of HyperTransport 3. Join us as we explore how these features tie the Spider platform together, and how the 790FX's performance, power consumption, and initial motherboard implementations measure up.
790 chipset ...... supposed to have very very good onbard graphics. Rates very good on Vista for graphics
MSI K9A2 Platinum AM2+/AM2 AMD 790FX ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
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MSI K9A2 CF-F AM2+ / AM2 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard Retail
>>>AMD delays Phenom 2.4 GHz due to TLB errata
I apologize.
AMD’s Triple-Core Processors = Yield-Improvement Technique, Says Intel.
XBitLabs | 10/08/2007 | 11:53 PM ] | Anton Shilov
Posted on 10/17/2007 4:00:58 PM EDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1912630/posts
Intel Launching New Chip Lineup
AP | November 11, 2007 | Jordan Robertson
Posted on 11/11/2007 5:49:12 PM EST by Anti-Bubba182
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1924301/posts
and an oldie:
China claims microprocessor technology breakthrough
http://whampoafn.net/
Posted on 06/26/2007 10:10:24 AM EDT by Rock N Jones
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1856468/posts
The BIOS reroutes the lookaside?
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/daily_news_brief_phenom_debuts
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/amd_on_the_rise_but_is_the_company_poised_for_a_fall
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/intels_barcelona_killer
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/intel_details_next_next_generation_cpu
And yes, AMD can do microcode patching too. Not sure where the author got the idea they can't...
It seems also that AMD’s margins are getting strangled off by the much bigger Intel, which has cut prices, and it has managed to cut production costs (compared to AMD) by making its cores separately, checking them out, then sticking them together for their duos and quads. Intel’s got better performance right now because (despite this approach being inherently slower, all other things being equal) it has 45 nm (if memory serves), compared with AMD’s 65 nm (if memory serves).
However, once AMD manages to match that figure (or better it), and reduce its costs (by that, and whatever else they do, such as yield improvement), things will get much better.
Also, I can’t believe that AMD would have taken this gamble unless the intent was continuing to develop this approach, such as nine-core, sixteen-core, twenty-five core, all on one wafer.
Unless they’re just stupid over there...
Chips Push Through Nano-Barrier
BBC | 1-27-2007
Posted on 01/27/2007 10:51:58 AM EST by blam
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1774609/posts
“’Big Blue’, which developed the transistor technology with partners Toshiba, Sony and AMD, intends to incorporate them into its chips in 2008.”
IBM, Intel Reach Chip Milestone in Dead Heat
TechNewsWorld TechNewsWorld | 01/29/07 2:31 PM PT | Walaika Haskins TechNewsWorld
Posted on 01/29/2007 6:32:05 PM EST by Ernest_at_the_Beach
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1775756/posts
“IBM, which is conducting its research with partners AMD and Toshiba , says it will be 2008 before it begins producing 45-nanometer chips based on the new technology.”
Intel Launching New Chip Lineup
AP | November 11, 2007 | Jordan Robertson
Posted on 11/11/2007 5:49:12 PM EST by Anti-Bubba182
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1924301/posts
“Sunnyvale-based AMD, which partners with IBM Corp. on chip-making technology, is targeting mid-2008 to start selling its 45-nanometer chips. AMD has long maintained that its chips have certain design advantages that keep them competitive with Intel’s best offerings. One of those features is an integrated memory controller, which AMD has long championed. Intel only said recently it would begin incorporating the controllers into future generations of chips.”
But for the BIOS to be able to reroute the calls, wouldn’t they be calls the processor already makes via the BIOS? And if so, why would the CPU be making calls to the BIOS for information stored internally? (Apologize as this is probably a dumb question)
The CPU needs the BIOS to do stuff involving memory, caches, etc, so the code in the BIOS is patched to fix whatever this problem is (which apparently emerges in higher clock speeds).
AMD’s [”rather unique”] Triple-Core Processors —
Yield-Improvement Technique, Says Intel.
XBitLabs | 10/08/2007 | 11:53 PM ] | Anton Shilov
Posted on 10/17/2007 4:00:58 PM EDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1912630/posts
[snip] The new quad-core AMD Opteron and the forthcoming quad-core AMD Phenom processors use monolith implementation, which means that all the cores are incorporated into a single piece of silicon. By contrast, current quad-core processors from Intel use multi-chip-package technique and incorporate two dual-core processors onto a single piece of substrate. [end]
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