Apparently They Just Released Bulldozer Again

AMD has been trailing Intel in the x86 operation space for years now. Ever since the introduction of the kickoff Core 2 processors in 2006, AMD hasn't been able to recover and render to the heyday of the Athlon 64 and Athlon 64 X2. Instead the company has remained relevant by driving costs down and competing largely in the sub-$200 microprocessor space. AMD's ability to hold on was largely due to its more than-cores-for-less strategy. Thank you to ambitious pricing on its triple and hexa-core parts, for users who needed tons of cores, AMD has been delivering a lot of value over the past couple of years.

Recently however Intel has been able to bulldoze its per-core functioning upwardly with Sandy Bridge, where information technology's becoming increasingly difficult to recommend AMD alternatives with college core counts. The heavily threaded desktop niche is tough to sell to, particularly when you force users to take a significant striking on single threaded performance in club to attain value there. For a while now AMD has needed a brand new architecture, something that could lead to dominance in heavily threaded workloads while addressing its deficiencies in lightly threaded consumer workloads. Afterwards much waiting, we become that new architecture today. Bulldozer is here.

It'due south branded the AMD FX processor and it'south merely available in a unmarried dice configuration. Measuring 315mm² and weighing in at effectually 2 billion transistors (that'due south virtually GPU-sized fellas), Bulldozer isn't that much smaller than existing 45nm six-core Phenom II designs despite being built on Global Foundries' 32nm SOI procedure. Both dice area and transistor count are upward significantly over Sandy Bridge, which on Intel'south 32nm HKMG process is only 995M transistors with a die size of 216mm^two. This is one big chip.

CPU Specification Comparing
CPU	Manufacturing Procedure	Cores	Transistor Count	Die Size
AMD Bulldozer 8C	32nm	8	ane.2B*	315mm2
AMD Thuban 6C	45nm	vi	904M	346mm2
AMD Deneb 4C	45nm	4	758M	258mm2
Intel Gulftown 6C	32nm	six	ane.17B	240mm2
Intel Nehalem/Bloomfield 4C	45nm	iv	731M	263mm2
Intel Sandy Bridge 4C	32nm	iv	995M	216mm2
Intel Lynnfield 4C	45nm	4	774M	296mm2
Intel Clarkdale 2C	32nm	two	384M	81mm2
Intel Sandy Bridge 2C (GT1)	32nm	2	504M	131mm2
Intel Sandy Bridge 2C (GT2)	32nm	2	624M	149mm2

Update: AMD originally told us Bulldozer was a 2B transistor chip. It has since told usa that the 8C Bulldozer is actually i.2B transistors. The die size is still accurate at 315mm².

Architecturally Bulldozer is a pregnant departure from anything we've ever seen before. We'll go into greater detail after on in this piece, just the building cake in AMD'south latest architecture is the Bulldozer module. Each module features two integer cores and a shared floating point core. FP hardware is larger and used less often in desktop (and server workloads), so AMD decided to share it betwixt every two cores rather than offering a ane:1 ratio between int/fp cores on Bulldozer. AMD advertises Bulldozer based FX parts based on the number of integer cores. Thus a two module Bulldozer CPU, has four integer cores (and 2 FP cores) and is thus sold every bit a quad-core CPU. A 4 module Bulldozer role with eight integer cores is called an eight-cadre CPU. There are obvious implications from a operation standpoint, but we'll get to those shortly.

The FX Lineup

There are a full of 7 AMD FX CPUs that AMD is announcing today, although only four are slated for near-term availability.

CPU Specification Comparison
Processor	Cores	Clock Speed	Max Turbo	NB Clock	L2 Cache	TDP	Price
AMD FX-8150	viii	iii.6GHz	4.2GHz	2.2GHz	8MB	125W	$245
AMD FX-8120	8	3.1GHz	4.0GHz	two.2GHz	8MB	95W/125W	$205
AMD FX-8100*	8	two.8GHz	3.7GHz	2GHz	8MB	95W	N/A
AMD FX-6100	half-dozen	iii.3GHz	3.9GHz	2GHz	6MB	95W	$165
AMD FX-4170*	4	iv.2GHz	iv.3GHz	2.2GHz	4MB	125W	N/A
AMD FX-B4150*	4	3.8GHz	4GHz	2.2GHz	4MB	95W	Due north/A
AMD FX-4100	4	3.6GHz	3.8GHz	2GHz	4MB	95W	$115
AMD Phenom Two X6 1100T	6	3.2GHz	three.6GHz	2GHz	3MB	125W	$190
AMD Phenom 2 X4 980	4	3.7GHz	N/A	2GHz	2MB	125W	$170

The FX-8150, 8120, 6100 and 4100 are what's launching today. The offset digit in AMD'southward FX model numbers indicates the number of cores with the 8150 and 8120 boasting eight, while the 6100 only has 6 active integer cores (three Bulldozer modules). The FX-4100 features four integer cores. L2 enshroud scales with core count (2MB per module), while the L3 cache size remains stock-still at 8MB regardless of SKU.

North Span and L3 cache frequency alternate betwixt 2.0GHz and 2.2GHz depending on the part. TDPs range between 95W and 125W as well, with the FX-8120 being offered in both 125W and 95W versions.

There'south only a unmarried Bulldozer dice. The 6 and 4 core versions simply feature cores disabled on the die. AMD insists this time around, core unlocking won't be possible on these harvested parts.

The huge gap in clock speed betwixt the 8120 and 8150 are troubling. Typically we see linear frequency graduations but the fact that there's a sixteen% difference between these two SKUs seems to betoken to process bug limiting yield at higher frequencies—at least for the 8-core version.

Outside of the quad-cadre and hex-core Bulldozer pats, the only other FX processor able to exceed the 3.3GHz clock speed of the Phenom II X6 1100T is the 8150. And if you include quad-core Phenom II parts in the mix, only two Bulldozer parts ship at a higher stock frequency than the Phenom II X4 980. Granted Turbo Cadre will aid push frequencies even higher, simply these depression base frequencies are troubling. For an architecture that was designed to scale to clock speeds 30% higher than its predecessor, Bulldozer doesn't seem to be coming anywhere close.

The unabridged FX lineup ships unlocked, which allows for some easy overclocking as you'll see shortly enough.

Motherboard Compatibility

AMD is certifying its FX processors for utilize on Socket-AM3+ motherboards. Owners of standard AM3 motherboards may be out of luck, although motherboard manufacturers tin can choose to certify their boards for utilize with Bulldozer if they wish to do so. From AMD'due south perspective however, only AM3+ motherboards with BIOS/UEFI back up for Bulldozer are officially supported.

All existing AM2/AM2+/AM3/AM3+ heatsinks should work with the FX processor; they simply need to be rated for the TDP of the processor you're looking to cool.

For this review, AMD supplied us with ASUS' Crosshair V Formula AM3+ motherboard based on AMD's 990FX chipset.

AMD does offer six 6Gbps SATA ports on its 990FX chipset, a significant upgrade from the 2 6Gbps ports on Intel's 6-series chipsets. Unbuffered ECC memory is besides supported for those who want the added security, once again a characteristic non supported on Intel's consumer grade 6-series chipsets.

Despite AMD's trend towards releasing APUs with integrated GPUs (thus requiring a new socket), AMD insists that the AM3+ platform volition live to see one more processor generation earlier it'south retired.

AMD'southward Liquid CPU Cooling System

Aslope its new FX processors AMD is introducing its first branded liquid cooling arrangement manufactured by Asetek.

AMD'south cooling organisation is like to other offerings from companies like Antec and Corsair. The organisation is cocky contained, you never have to worry virtually adding any more liquid to it.

Attach the cooling module to your CPU socket via a unproblematic bracket, and affix the radiator to your case and you're adept to become. The radiator is cooled via two 120mm fans, also included in the box.

AMD doesn't have an verbal thought on pricing or availability of its liquid cooling solution, only I'm told to expect it to be around $100 one time bachelor. My sample actually arrived less than 12 hours agone, and then look a follow up with performance assay subsequently this week.

The Roadmap

For the commencement time in far too long, AMD is really existence very forthcoming most its future plans. At a recent tech day nigh Bulldozer, AMD laid out its CPU core roadmap through 2014. The code names are below:

Piledriver you already know about, it's at the heart of Trinity, which is the 2—4 cadre APU due out in early 2012. Piledriver will increase CPU cadre performance by around ten—15% over Bulldozer, although it will initially appear in a lower performance segment. Call back that terminal generation of AM3+ CPU I mentioned earlier? I fully expect that to be a GPU-less Piledriver CPU due out sometime in 2012.

Steamroller will follow in 2013, once more improving operation (at the cadre level) by effectually x—15%. Excavator volition practice the same in 2014. AMD believes that these performance increases will be sufficient to keep up with Intel over time, however I'll let you lot be the judge of that once we get to the Bulldozer performance numbers.

The other thing to annotation about AMD's roadmap is it effectively puts the x86 concern on an annual cadence, in line with what we've seen from the AMD GPU folks. Although AMD isn't talking virtually what procedure nodes to expect all of these cores at, it looks like AMD volition finally accept an respond to Intel'southward tick-tock release schedule moving forward.

The Architecture

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Source: https://www.anandtech.com/show/4955/the-bulldozer-review-amd-fx8150-tested

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