AMD launches 'Barcelona'

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Mon, 10/08/2007 8:32 AM  |  Life

Arnawa Widagda, Contributor, Jakarta

On Sept. 10, AMD finally launched its Quad Core Opteron processors for servers and workstations, previously known to many as ""Barcelona"". The long-awaited processor is AMD's first real answer to Intel's popular and very successful Core 2 Duo processors. AMD touts Barcelona as ""the world's most advanced x86 processor ever designed"".

Using a native quad core design, the Quad Core Opteron processors deliver higher performance compared to the currently available dual core Opteron, yet fit within the same thermal and power budgets. They are drop-in replacements for the currently available Opterons, so system integrators and IT departments can use these processors with their existing Opteron-based systems

""Today marks one of the great milestones in microprocessor achievement as AMD again raises expectations for industry-standard computing,"" said Hector Ruiz, chairman and chief executive officer of AMD. ""We've worked closely with our customers and partners to design a new generation of processing solutions embodied by today's Quad-Core AMD Opteron processor and a four-way winner in performance, energy efficiency, virtualization and investment protection.""

Much like Core 2 Duo was to the Core architecture, Barcelona features numerous improvements to the original Opteron design. They include a ""tweaked"" memory controller, a 2MB L3 cache shared by all four cores plus some other architectural enhancements to increase performance. That is not all there is to it. Performance-per-watt is now the new ""mantra"" in performance, so it's not surprising AMD introduced more advanced power-saving technologies. In usage scenarios where only one core is used, the other three can be clocked down to conserve power. Quad Core Opterons also use separate power planes for the cores and memory controller -- the memory controller can run at full speed even if the cores are clocked down and vice versa.

Originally, Barcelona was supposed to be launched in the second quarter of this year and AMD has come under heavy criticism regarding the delay. ""Frankly speaking, the issue with Barcelona has been that it is later than we wanted."" admitted Ruiz in an interview with Mercury News. ""Every time we ran into a gotcha (or technical glitch), it created a six-week or so hole in the schedule as we went back and fixed it. We hoped we wouldn't get many of those, but in the Barcelona case, we got more than we thought. By the time we got through fixing them all, we were six months-plus late from where we originally wanted to be.""

AMD currently offers four speed options for these new Quad Core Opterons -- the Opteron 2000 series for dual processor systems comprise the 2344 HE running at 1.7 GHz, 2346 HE at 1.8 GHz, 2347 and 2347 HE at 1.9 GHz and 2350 at 2 GHz. The same speeds are also available for the Opteron 8000 series aim for quad (or more) processors systems. The HE nomenclature denotes a lower TDP of 68 watt compared to 98 watt for ""standard"" Quad Core Opterons. Preliminary benchmarks and reviews from independent third parties are still scarce but they generally show in some server applications, a server equipped with a pair of 2.0 GHz 2350 Quad Core Opteron is between 3 to 30 percent faster than a similar setup with two Intel L5335 Xeon running at 2.0 GHz. However, they also show it to be 10 to 30 percent slower in others, particularly with single threaded and multimedia applications. AMD can still boast performance per watt advantage -- thanks to smarter power management and a more power efficient platform, the system equipped with Quad Core Opterons consume less power than the Xeon system, upward to 28 percent when the processor is idle.

A faster Quad Core Opteron running at 2.5 GHz -- the 2360SE -- is scheduled for a December release. Current prices range from US$ 209 for the Opteron 2344 HE to $ 389 for the Opteron 2350. The Opteron 8000 series costs more, starting from $ 689 for the 1.8 GHz Opteron 8346 HE to $ 1019 for the 2.0 GHz 8350. Desktop processors based on the same architecture, named Phenom, will also be launched in December, with speeds ranging from 2 to 3 GHz.

Although Barcelona marks a turnaround for AMD, it still has to face very tough competition from Intel. Earlier this month, Intel announced the availability of new Xeon MP processors for servers with four or more processors, code-named Tigerton. Based on the Core 2 architecture, these new Xeon MP processors offer more integer and single thread performance due to its higher clocks -- reaching 2.93 GHz or close to 1 GHz faster than the fastest Quad Core Opteron.

More recently, at Intel's Developers Forum (IDF) in San Francisco, Intel announced 45 nm Xeon processors for dual processor systems, code-named Harpertown, which should be ready for release on Nov. 12 this year. These processors offer 5 to 10 percent overall higher performance on the same clock, have higher operating frequencies (up to 3.16 GHz), run cooler and consume less power than the current processors. But more importantly, thanks to Intel's 45 nm high-k fabrication process, they cost less to make.

AMD is still using its 65 nm SOI (silicon on insulator) fabrication process to manufacture its processors. 45 nm versions of Quad Core Opterons and Phenom desktop derivatives code-named Shanghai and Leo are not scheduled for launch until the second half of 2008. Until that time, AMD doesn't have as much room to move if the current processor price war continues, a disadvantage Intel will exploit to its fullest.

Though many may say AMD's position is dire, the company has proven time and time again its ability to survive and come back stronger than ever. Compared to the original Opteron launch, AMD now has more support from major players like HP, Dell, Sun, Microsoft and longtime ally IBM. Its position is much stronger now in the server space than it was five years ago. Thanks to AMD's Direct Connect architecture, the Quad Core Opteron is able to scale more efficiently than Intel's Xeon in four or more processor systems. Intel does not have a competing technology until Nehalem with its QuickPath technology hits the market, due to arrive in the fourth quarter of 2008.

Another cushion AMD can count on is its graphics division -- ATI. It is also due to launch a revision to its graphics product lineup this November, which should contribute much needed cash to pay off the company's mounting debt. Its motherboard chipset business will also contribute to its cashflow with the launch of a new chipset to support Phenom processors in December. However, AMD has a strong rival in these areas as well, NVIDIA. Will AMD survive the double onslaught? Only time will tell for sure, but the outlook is generally more positive than it was six months ago.

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