They still don't expect 4P until next year though.
Not sure about the release dates... but..
Quote :
Tigerton is the product that will complete the Xeon range's shift to multicore. In a briefing in San Francisco last week, the vendor powered up a server running four Tigertons, meaning the beast was running 16 cores in total. The system was running the Clarksboro chipset, which means individual links between each chip and the chipset, and ends those worries about bottlenecks.
The latest chip is also paired with a new MCH. The Clarksboro, which supports FB-DIMM technology (Fully buffered) and introduces support for the new Bus architecture, CSI (Common System Interface). Best used for their processor Independent Bus connection to the MCH.
As I had stated and argued over CSI will make it into Clarksboro, in other words Tigerton.
So similar launch windows, that will be an interesting few months. I'm disappointed that the K8L won't be bringing HT3.0 with it while the Tigerton will be using CSI. I'm anxious to see what kind of performance difference that makes for intel.
So similar launch windows, that will be an interesting few months. I'm disappointed that the K8L won't be bringing HT3.0 with it while the Tigerton will be using CSI. I'm anxious to see what kind of performance difference that makes for intel.
One can logically assume that it won't have an impact on Tigerton when it is in Single socket form (meaning a single Dual Core or Quad Core Tigerton will not benefit). But it should make a difference once you start pilling up the Sockets as each core will have it's own dedicated Link. I say this because we know that Core 2 Quad does not benefit from a larger Front Side Bus as examined by THG. Therefore it is only logical that the same would apply for a single Quad Core Tigerton.
The Link is also Serial instead of the current parallel FSB. This should reduce the footprint on the motherboard thus decreasing costs and reducing layers needed as well as affecting power consumption in a positive manner.
So similar launch windows, that will be an interesting few months. I'm disappointed that the K8L won't be bringing HT3.0 with it while the Tigerton will be using CSI. I'm anxious to see what kind of performance difference that makes for intel.
K8L will have HTT3, but the DDR3 ODMC will be postponed for the 45nm shrink.
With the CSI, Intel CPUs will scalle more linear in the MP platform. CSI will help Intel to compete in the 4P+ server area, where AMD have no competition right now. HTT3 will enable more CPUs(8 total) to be directly connected to each other and the performance will scale more linear than current 8P solutions.
Both CSI & HTT3 are good solutions and the performance of the MP systems will be dependend on the CPUs performance.
I'm disappointed that the K8L won't be bringing HT3.0 with it while the Tigerton will be using CSI.
K8L WILL have HT3.0!!!
I was pretty sure K8L would be released with HT 2.0, as the AM2+ will be the only valid socket for it, and AM2+ only supports HT 2.0. I could be mistaken, and probably am. I'll go away and find some links..
I'm disappointed that the K8L won't be bringing HT3.0 with it while the Tigerton will be using CSI.
K8L WILL have HT3.0!!!
I was pretty sure K8L would be released with HT 2.0, as the AM2+ will be the only valid socket for it, and AM2+ only supports HT 2.0. I could be mistaken, and probably am. I'll go away and find some links..
Socket AM2+ supports HT3. HT3 is backwards compatible with HT2. The K8L IMC supports both DDR2 AND DDR3!
Socket AM2+ supports HT3. HT3 is backwards compatible with HT2. The K8L IMC supports both DDR2 AND DDR3!
The 65nm K8L which will come Q3 2007 will have DDR2 ODMC and will be sAM2 and sAM2+ compatible. The 45nm shrink of K8L will have DDR3 and DDR2 ODMC and will be sAM3 compatible.
Pay attention on the picture, "DDR2 with migration path to DDR3"
According to the previous plan, K8L processors as well as the new Quad Core are both based on Socket AM3 with build-in DDR2/3 memory controller, and are compatible with the existing AM2 main board. Yet AMD has decided to postpone AM3 as they reviewed the market trend of DDR3 memory.
According to the latest roadmap for memory module from Samsung, DDR3 is ready right now, where samples of DDR3-800/1066/1333 have been sent to related partners. DDR3 is expected to be available in Q2 2007 with 70nm manufacturing process, and soon to replace DDR2 in mid-2008. It’s clever to put down the non-common DDR3 support into the processors as it complicated the design as well as increased the cost. Releasing the DDR3 supported AM3 till mid-2008 is somewhat reasonable.
Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) has postponed launch of its Socket AM3 processors to the middle of 2008, from an originally scheduled third-quarter 2007, according to motherboard makers. AMD's first quad-core K8L desktop processor, the Altair, originally set to utilize the Socket AM3 connector, will be resident in Socket AM2+, indicated the makers.
The difference between AMD's Socket AM2 and Socket AM2+ is that the former adopts HyperTransport 1.0 and the latter HyperTransport 3.0, the makers indicated. Socket AM2+ is considered a transitional solution for AMD's K8L CPUs, the makers added.
Socket AM3 CPUs can only be compatible with Socket AM2- and Socket AM3-based motherboards, but Socket AM3-based motherboards cannot support any previous-generation processors, including Socket AM2 CPUs, the makers noted. Consequently, AMD has decided to postpone the adoption of DDR3 until the middle of 2008, when its first Socket AM3 processor manufactured on 45nm process technology will be announced, according to the makers.
But they are still sharing the same ram controller while AMD has on in EACH CPU.
Also are they using CSI for chipset to chipset links?
Yes, Tigerton will not have an IMC (Integrated Memory Controller) such technology will first be introduced with the Itanium and then move down to the Xeon lineups.
It's not really useful for Desktop and Entry level server processors right now as memory bandwidth issues are for now a thing of the past. With Dual Channel DDR-2 support now becoming mainstream it's not really feasible for Intel to start using IMC's in all of their products.
BUT of course this changes in large SMP Xeon configurations. As more processors share the same memory bottlenecks start to appear. As to what Intel will do in the meantime to reduce this bottleneck is as of yet unknown. But one things for sure. Nobody, myself included, thought that Intel was able to introduce CSI so early. Looks like the ship really did steer into the right direction. In other words, AMD and Intel are in for a LONG fight... and we the consumers are about to reap the benefits.
But they are still sharing the same ram controller while AMD has on in EACH CPU.
Also are they using CSI for chipset to chipset links?
Yes, Tigerton will not have an IMC (Integrated Memory Controller) such technology will first be introduced with the Itanium and then move down to the Xeon lineups.
It's not really useful for Desktop and Entry level server processors right now as memory bandwidth issues are for now a thing of the past. With Dual Channel DDR-2 support now becoming mainstream it's not really feasible for Intel to start using IMC's in all of their products.
BUT of course this changes in large SMP Xeon configurations. As more processors share the same memory bottlenecks start to appear. As to what Intel will do in the meantime to reduce this bottleneck is as of yet unknown. But one things for sure. Nobody, myself included, thought that Intel was able to introduce CSI so early. Looks like the ship really did steer into the right direction. In other words, AMD and Intel are in for a LONG fight... and we the consumers are about to reap the benefits.
can the Tigerton cpus talk to each other with out going thorough the chip set?
Yes, Tigerton will not have an IMC (Integrated Memory Controller) such technology will first be introduced with the Itanium and then move down to the Xeon lineups.
It's not really useful for Desktop and Entry level server processors right now as memory bandwidth issues are for now a thing of the past. With Dual Channel DDR-2 support now becoming mainstream it's not really feasible for Intel to start using IMC's in all of their products.
2008 will see the nahlem uarch, and will have two different types of socket, soket H and socket B, one will allow the use of an IMC and one wil not. iassume then the socket that doesnt have an IMC will be or the desktoip user and the other or xeon processors. CSI will connect xeons to itanium and there you go...