AMD Jumps to 12-core Chip, Skips 8-core Chip Plans

[Stormcrow]

Phenom is AMD's Pentium 4...the irony, it is sweet and delicious.

They'd have a much better time if they scaled the cores to "specific tasks", like a "Gaming Processor" with two cores underclocked and the two others able to reach higher speeds.."Server" with all cores scaled to their phenomnal 2.2GHz, and maybe like a "Home" with one really high scaled core and 3 others at lower clock speeds. Don't know, makes sense in my warped prospective of reality. Phenom sucks, they know it...it's all about marketing though, plus they'd have a focal selling point like OMG MHZ!!1 that Intel used for the P4, except with "specifically engineered processors for the home browser or hardware enthusiast"

*shrug*

[polobunny]

Originally Posted by Stormcrow

Phenom is AMD's Pentium 4...the irony, it is sweet and delicious.

They'd have a much better time if they scaled the cores to "specific tasks", like a "Gaming Processor" with two cores underclocked and the two others able to reach higher speeds.."Server" with all cores scaled to their phenomnal 2.2GHz, and maybe like a "Home" with one really high scaled core and 3 others at lower clock speeds. Don't know, makes sense in my warped prospective of reality. Phenom sucks, they know it...it's all about marketing though, plus they'd have a focal selling point like OMG MHZ!!1 that Intel used for the P4, except with "specifically engineered processors for the home browser or hardware enthusiast"

*shrug*

To be fair, more like Pentium D. That was utter crap, but it also came in a multi core package woohoo :P

[Boy'nBlack]

Might sound silly, but it's save face time. I'd like to wax about some parallel to Intel, but we didn't even bleed like AMD is doing right now. There was always something else besides processors to hold Intel upright. ATI is just starting to steam ahead, but faith and word of mouth is still really low to use a stock shoring.

So AMD is really keeping it on a roots level...for now. Hopefully the management can keep it down for a while. Most can't, as they like to boost and show their hands too much. This is a server market for them, and has nothing to do with Windows or us users. There's really more money in a server chip than us, even if they had the best...and that's shown when they DID have the run. They must form a base, and getting the servers back is step one. So don't expect too darned much from this report on our side. It's not really aimed at competing in the desktop market. Again, they tend to lean on marketing a bit too heavily (nVidia) and can swing that way in a moment's notice...right or not.

I think, and suggest, that it'd be a major drawback if the do swing back too quick. Intel is a scary beast, have always had stuff in the works in the background, and can too easily bring out to compete. That wouldn't be scary if they haven't moved to forward thinking vise here and now. AMD should keep the keel even, focus on 35nm, and a 2009 release for us to pick over. If it has 6 cores instead of 12, fine. Only the bean counters think we'll be fooled into thinking more is better, and reviewers will show that is foolish as well. Sad thing is, Admin are bean counters at AMD when the other side's admin is full of folks from the Engineering floor.

So just be careful what you take from reads like that. Humans generally like to pick the good out and make Popsicles from them instead of what it really foretells. AMD needs money to move on, and that money is in the server markets...not us.

To say Phenom sucks is errant. Probably not the same parallel as meant by Polo, but indeed the P4 sucked at the end too. No relation should be made from past and what is always occurring...this isn't fantasy football. Or is it? Look at the coaching moves, WR's added, draft strength. If Phenom sucked, thus the next AMD sucks: The colts win, no competition. Heck, the other team said they weren't coming. AMD are the Cleveland Browns at this point. Scary, possible, and now have all the tools to get there...year after year. Will they? It's not so one sided that you can count on a team based on what they have. There's always the other side watching and figuring you out. They suck only by word of mouth.

[One4yu2c]

Slightly off topic, but the shift from the MHz/GHz race to the sprint for more cores has me yawning, regardless of whether it's AMD or Intel we're talking about. Specialized apps are one thing, but developers/programmers still haven't brought multithreading into the mainstream, and with dual-core processors having long supplanted single-cores (for the most part), it's high time they kick it up a notch. I'm sure a dodeca-core Nehalem would slice through SuperPi, and maybe AMD's upcoming dozen-core chips will too, but outside of synthetics, the hardware is waiting for most of the software to catch up. And I won't even touch on 64-bit computing, I've ranted enough for one post...

[Boy'nBlack]

No Paul, that's dead on topic. The hype machine behind the push for more cores simply isn't valid, yet accepted.

What's really fun to follow is the volleys that nVidia have been pounding out into the media. You know, stuff like the CPU is dead, GPU's can do it and have been forever, all that really ignorant stuff. Totally one sided to say the least. Off topic, I'm not sure if prodding the bull in the nose is a good thing. Even if they sit there and do nothing, there's a goat ready to bite your trousers. AMD/ATI, after all, holds both courts in play. I see the school yard bully just getting mean and cussing more.

But you're feeling exactly as I am in the forward core march. It's the same thing we've been through for years. I mean, the Athlon MP is still not optimized as far as I'm concerned. To say we should have 4 Athlon MP's and everything still works, and just as good as a Pentium3 500 is just not logical...on any level. It's my same old rant: Sell me on a 500HP HWlogicMobile, I buy it, bring it home, get the grocery and kids, and I'll swear by it like it's better than sliced bread. It says it can do this, so it does...even if it is not used that way. Really, we should all be buying Xeons and Opterons for no other reason than it's a server CPU and thus, is better. I had honestly thought 45nm would mean faster duals, not more quads.

Sad thing is, that doesn't sell; neither does my viewpoint. No one wants to hear that something old still does very well for them. Car guys do I suppose...but to a relative point. We can't go around collecting Voodoo3 2000's because they were what they were. Cruise it down the main drag, and the buyer is scared of the points. I like the rare, "OMG, where did you find it!?" as you mutter, "had it all along" as the coupes overheat and spit on the ground. I wouldn't know an upgrade is needed until it hit me in the face. Yet the run for pinks seems to go on and on.

Rant...one post. OMG, I've just felt a bit of self restraint! Thanks...this could go on for 3 more pages. Gotta build up a bit more before putting us all to sleep.
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Off topic again, but I notice PoloBunny has a new avatar and sig. You guys back there in the secret rooms need to really get together and suggest me something. The safes are just not that friendly to have around. I promise I won't make you all Richard Simmons in the other forums if you give it glancing thought.

[One4yu2c]

Originally Posted by Boy'nBlack

Off topic again, but I notice PoloBunny has a new avatar and sig. You guys back there in the secret rooms need to really get together and suggest me something.

Stewie's still up for grabs...

[PrOLifIC_onE]

Originally Posted by One4yu2c

Slightly off topic, but the shift from the MHz/GHz race to the sprint for more cores has me yawning, regardless of whether it's AMD or Intel we're talking about. Specialized apps are one thing, but developers/programmers still haven't brought multithreading into the mainstream, and with dual-core processors having long supplanted single-cores (for the most part), it's high time they kick it up a notch. I'm sure a dodeca-core Nehalem would slice through SuperPi, and maybe AMD's upcoming dozen-core chips will too, but outside of synthetics, the hardware is waiting for most of the software to catch up. And I won't even touch on 64-bit computing, I've ranted enough for one post...

Funny, I was thinking the same thing. ANd now, even worse for AMD, they seem to be falling into the same trap that Intel did during the GHZ war. Back then Intel was more focused on increasing GHZ by brute force, as opposed to increasing effieciency and decreasing cost. Now AMD seems to be the one just focusing on increasing number of cores, rather than trying to come up with that new ground-breaking idea, that could spring them back into contenders in the enthusiast market (high effeciency and low cost CPUs)...

[WhiteEagle]

Interesting to say the least...so 12 cores by 2010? I say bring 'em on...after us programmers figure out how to make use of 'em best! :evil: