Cazalan :
hcl123 :
The contrary, the cluster approach, by permitting to divide the workload in "separated" type of instructions and data, is the "feature" (edt) that more helps "clock cycle" (since long, academia simulations shown this)... on AMD module only the FP code "type" is off the CPU code paths.
But its already clever, prone to achieve higher clocks AS DEMONSTRATED... and prone to future enhancements... and no its NOT BD/PD that is P4, matter of fact BD has less pipeline stages than SB/HW, 15 compared to 17 for SB/Hasfail. Only they toke the possibility of separated code paths to streamline the CPU cores further (they went a little too far i think).
By overclocking I was referring to the TDP limits and turbo modes. With a Jaguar/Athlon each core can be clocked up or down without any dependencies. Like you can have Core 0 at 4Ghz and Core 1 at 1Ghz. For many workloads you don't need every core running at the base clock. Ideally you could get 1 or 2 cores to clock even higher than usual, while preserving TDP with the remaining cores at much lower clock speeds.
If you look at Intel mobile processors some of them can turbo 1Ghz over their base clock. I'd like to see that grow even larger to like 2Ghz. A lot of what we do on computers tends to be bursty in nature. Temporary super-Turbos would make PCs feel even more responsive.
What you describe as *nothing* to do with the "module" topology.
It has to do with the power management schemes, that with AMD more centered around "server" for this chips, is half/half, that is, is only clock gated and managed in halfs (since Lisbon/Thuban), not by single *Modules*.
About TDP limits, SOI has it much higher, IBM chips are around 250W for those big servers and must function 24/7 (imagine all days all along always close to max load ?) for many years.
IBM doesn't need Turbo, it doesn't make sense... AMD is half way to both ends.
If you want *REAL* low power (for the "bursty" usage model)... simply go ARM (there you wouldn't need too sophisticated power managements... and the software tends to be much less bloated and faster to) .period.
Sophisticated Power Management is only an attempt to "ease" the power constraints of x86.