Official from AMD: Slow Barcelona clocks confirmed.

[Wombat2]

http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=40680
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118310081919852862.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,2152350,00.asp

Releasing this confirmation on iPhone Friday is sneaky as hell :lol:

 

[Wombat2]

http://www.amd.com/us-en/Corporate/VirtualPressRoom/0,,51_104_543~118193,00.html

AMD to Ship Industry’s First Native x86 Quad-Core Processors In August

—AMD’s Stable Infrastructure Strategy Enables Availability of Systems from Platform Partners in September—

Sunnyvale, Calif. -- June 29, 2007 --Continuing to lead the shift of mainstream enterprise computing to energy-efficient processors, AMD (NYSE:AMD) announced today that Quad-Core AMD Opteron™ processors, code-named “Barcelona,” are planned for shipment in both standard and low power versions at launch later this summer. This would be the first time AMD has made both standard and low power parts immediately available as part of a new processor launch.
Additionally, AMD today updated its projected timing on “Barcelona” availability and provided additional product details. AMD expects that the processors will begin shipping for revenue in August 2007, with systems from AMD platform partners beginning to ship in September 2007. Due to its enhanced architecture – it is the world’s first x86 CPU to integrate four processing cores on a single die of silicon – Quad-Core AMD Opteron™ processors can deliver significant performance and performance-per-watt enhancements over existing processor architectures yet are designed to be backwards compatible with existing AMD Opteron platforms.
With planned availability at launch in a range of frequencies up to 2.0 Ghz, AMD expects its native quad-core processors to scale to higher frequencies in Q407 in both standard and SE (Special Edition) versions. Designed to operate within the same thermal envelopes as current generation AMD Opteron processors, AMD estimates that the new processors can provide a performance increase up to 70 percent on certain database applications and up to 40 percent on certain floating point applications, with subsequent higher frequency processors expected to significantly add to this performance advantage. “More than ever before, customers are expecting energy-efficiency and performance-per-watt leadership as much as absolute performance. With this new reality of computing, greater performance at the expense of greater power consumption is no longer an option,” said Randy Allen, corporate vice president, Server and Workstation Division at AMD. “AMD has prioritized production of our low power and standard power products because our customers and ecosystem demand it, and we firmly believe that the introduction of our native Quad-Core AMD Opteron processor will deliver on the promise of the highest levels of performance-per-watt the industry has ever seen.”

Obviously they are pitching Barcelona on performance-per-watt rather than performance itself.

 

[turpit]

The Inquirer had the link to the Barcelona price/sku in there. I had forgotten about that, but if Barcelona does indeed make the august launch, at $390 bin, for the 2.0Ghz that makes it exceptionally attractive compared to the $856 2.4Ghz Tigerton supposedly launching in september.

 

[xpresso]

looks like a non event

 

[bats2jm]

Obviously they are pitching Barcelona on performance-per-watt rather than performance itself.[/quote]
what does that mean??? if it has a higher performance per-watt will it not be a better chip? just asking

 

[Wombat2]

what does that mean??? if it has a higher performance per-watt will it not be a better chip? just asking

Slower but more energy efficient chip e.g. difference between a Ferrari and a Prius.

 

[Wombat2]

The Inquirer had the link to the Barcelona price/sku in there. I had forgotten about that, but if Barcelona does indeed make the august launch, at $390 bin, for the 2.0Ghz that makes it exceptionally attractive compared to the $856 2.4Ghz Tigerton supposedly launching in september.

Tigerton and Barcelona dont compete in the two socket arena. Barcelona prices for the 3+ socket chips are going to be be in the Tigerton price range.

 

[jstall]

http://www.amd.com/us-en/Corporate/VirtualPressRoom/0,,51_104_543~118193,00.html

AMD to Ship Industry’s First Native x86 Quad-Core Processors In August

—AMD’s Stable Infrastructure Strategy Enables Availability of Systems from Platform Partners in September—

Sunnyvale, Calif. -- June 29, 2007 --Continuing to lead the shift of mainstream enterprise computing to energy-efficient processors, AMD (NYSE:AMD) announced today that Quad-Core AMD Opteron™ processors, code-named “Barcelona,” are planned for shipment in both standard and low power versions at launch later this summer. This would be the first time AMD has made both standard and low power parts immediately available as part of a new processor launch.
Additionally, AMD today updated its projected timing on “Barcelona” availability and provided additional product details. AMD expects that the processors will begin shipping for revenue in August 2007, with systems from AMD platform partners beginning to ship in September 2007. Due to its enhanced architecture – it is the world’s first x86 CPU to integrate four processing cores on a single die of silicon – Quad-Core AMD Opteron™ processors can deliver significant performance and performance-per-watt enhancements over existing processor architectures yet are designed to be backwards compatible with existing AMD Opteron platforms.
With planned availability at launch in a range of frequencies up to 2.0 Ghz, AMD expects its native quad-core processors to scale to higher frequencies in Q407 in both standard and SE (Special Edition) versions. Designed to operate within the same thermal envelopes as current generation AMD Opteron processors, AMD estimates that the new processors can provide a performance increase up to 70 percent on certain database applications and up to 40 percent on certain floating point applications, with subsequent higher frequency processors expected to significantly add to this performance advantage. “More than ever before, customers are expecting energy-efficiency and performance-per-watt leadership as much as absolute performance. With this new reality of computing, greater performance at the expense of greater power consumption is no longer an option,” said Randy Allen, corporate vice president, Server and Workstation Division at AMD. “AMD has prioritized production of our low power and standard power products because our customers and ecosystem demand it, and we firmly believe that the introduction of our native Quad-Core AMD Opteron processor will deliver on the promise of the highest levels of performance-per-watt the industry has ever seen.”

Obviously they are pitching Barcelona on performance-per-watt rather than performance itself.

Did you actually read the article before you made your statement?

 

[bats2jm]

true but they did say that two version will come out std and low powered so...

 

[CompTIA_Rep]

I personally like the lower power consumption model for most applications. It may not be as fast, but it is an alternative when attempting to go green (at least a little bit).


Anyway, whether or not this is good news depends on how the market and manufacturers perceive the new processor. I mean, really, who on toms hardware doesn't want more power (obligatory tim allen: hohohoh)?

Anyway, there has been over 100 threads talking about this... once the product is out for the general public, I hope everyone comes back and talks about it some more!.... And I hope it wont be like the fx72s (forgotten).

 

[xpresso]

Until benchmarks are released, this chip remains a non event from the little leaked benchies we've encountered which were very non flattering. I am actaully getting tired of AMD :? , and waiting for Penryn at this point.

 

[Wombat2]

Well at least we now have a timeframe in which we can expect proper benchmarks.

The initial slow clocks are disappointing but not a train smash. However, the clock-for-clock performance differential between K10 and Core/Penryn will now be the determining factor. We dont have that number yet ... only confusing hints ... but at least we know we are going to get this number soon.

 

[turpit]

The Inquirer had the link to the Barcelona price/sku in there. I had forgotten about that, but if Barcelona does indeed make the august launch, at $390 bin, for the 2.0Ghz that makes it exceptionally attractive compared to the $856 2.4Ghz Tigerton supposedly launching in september.

Tigerton and Barcelona dont compete in the two socket arena. Barcelona prices for the 3+ socket chips are going to be be in the Tigerton price range.

Thats too bad for AMD then.

 

[petevsdrm]

I can't believe we still don't have solid benchmarks. It sucks that we have to sit here and speculate about the performance of barcelona by analyzing the semantics of a press release. :x


By the way congrats on becoming mods Turpit and Comptia(when the heck did that happen 8O )

 

[Howard_Stern]

Thanks for the info Wombat. You've been really posting some good ads of late.

 

[jstall]

Until benchmarks are released, this chip remains a non event from the little leaked benchies we've encountered which were very non flattering. I am actaully getting tired of AMD :? , and waiting for Penryn at this point.

Interesting, you are tired of waiting for non-existent benchmarks so you will wait for a non-existent CPU instead which has no reliable benchmarks published for it either.

Until CPU's in comparable market segments are available and can be compared there is not much point in deciding which way to jump, although I am sure that won't stop you putting in your pre-order.

 

[Wombat2]

One more issue: How overclockable are the K10 desktop and server chips really going to be if instead of shipping at their target clocks of 2.7-2.8 GHZ, they release at 2 GHZ? That a 30% clock deficit. I dont see how the K10 is going to overclock well.

If confirmed, this is going to kill AMD on the desktop high performance side given the likely extreme overclockability of the new 1333 FSB Cores and upcoming Penryns.

 

[Wombat2]

Oh my word ... to add insult to injury:

http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/cpu/display/20070628163848.html

Advanced Micro Devices, the world’s second largest manufacturer of x86 central processing units (CPUs) will delay the roll-out of its new enthusiast-class platform to next year, according to sources familiar with the plans of AMD.

 

[crow_smiling]

but if Barcelona does indeed make the august launch, at $390 bin, for the 2.0Ghz that makes it exceptionally attractive compared to the $856 2.4Ghz Tigerton supposedly launching in september.

As has already been pointed out Tigerton is competing with the Opteron 8 Series, with the 8216 dual-core (2.4 GHz) currently listing at $873:
http://www.amd.com/gb-uk/Corporate/VirtualPressRoom/0,,51_104_609,00.html

So $856 for a MP 2.4GHz quad core has to be seen as cheap and will only add more pricing pressure on AMD.

Note. $856 is for the dual-core and not quad; they come in at $1980 according to Digitimes: http://www.digitimes.com/mobos/a20070628PD213.html

 

[turpit]

I can't believe we still don't have solid benchmarks. It sucks that we have to sit here and speculate about the performance of barcelona by analyzing the semantics of a press release. :x


By the way congrats on becoming mods Turpit and Comptia(when the heck did that happen 8O )

Dunno....woke up one morning, and the mod fairy left had left a suprise on my login

 

[ElMoIsEviL]

One more issue: How overclockable are the K10 desktop and server chips really going to be if instead of shipping at their target clocks of 2.7-2.8 GHZ, they release at 2 GHZ? That a 30% clock deficit. I dont see how the K10 is going to overclock well.

If confirmed, this is going to kill AMD on the desktop high performance side given the likely extreme overclockability of the new 1333 FSB Cores and upcoming Penryns.

Yeah and on the Server front Tigerton will not be introducing CSI with the Clarksboro chipset in the Caneland platform. Instead it will have the same number of FSB's as it will have sockets. Thus there should be no Bandwidth issues with 4P+ anymore for Intel. All this, you guessed it, around September time.

EDIT: Roadmaps changed and CSI to be introduced in Q1, 2008 with Tukwila Itanium Platform.

 

[rodney_ws]

If you're not the best at what really counts, make up another category (or two!) that you can excel at... you see this ALL the time in TV commercials. All of this hype and that's the bone they're going to throw us? Performance-per-watt? Bleh.

 

[sailer]

Well at least we now have a timeframe in which we can expect proper benchmarks.

The initial slow clocks are disappointing but not a train smash. However, the clock-for-clock performance differential between K10 and Core/Penryn will now be the determining factor. We dont have that number yet ... only confusing hints ... but at least we know we are going to get this number soon.

True enough, the initial clocks are very disappointing, but I wonder about the overclock potential. The AMD 3800+ for instance, looks disappointing compared to a FX60, yet the 3800+ can be overclocked above the stock FX60 speed and will even pretty much match an overclocked FX60. So, if these initial Barcelona chips can be overclocked pretty high, they may not be disappointing at all. Only when they get into the hands of some overclocking enthusiasts will we know for sure.

 

[Blackhawk44M]

wow man I gotta keep this computer just a lil longer. P.S. Congrats turpit.

 

[crow_smiling]

True enough, the initial clocks are very disappointing, but I wonder about the overclock potential. The AMD 3800+ for instance, looks disappointing compared to a FX60, yet the 3800+ can be overclocked above the stock FX60 speed and will even pretty much match an overclocked FX60. So, if these initial Barcelona chips can be overclocked pretty high, they may not be disappointing at all. Only when they get into the hands of some overclocking enthusiasts will we know for sure.

Surely the reason they are being released at such low speeds is due to the current stepping not yielding more than they are releasing them at. If they were good over-clockers they would be released at higher speeds in the first place!