AMD Restructures Entire CPU Lineup

[cookoy]

there will be a range of cpus under each class and we will be as confused as ever. what about the server, desktop, mobile classification?

 

[waethorn]

[citation][nom]cookoy[/nom]there will be a range of cpus under each class and we will be as confused as ever. what about the server, desktop, mobile classification?[/citation]

The C and E series can be used in either desktop, laptop, or slate designs, unlike say Atom processors, which have several variants. The differentiating factor between the E's and C's is TDP, and their respective performance for said TDP. Each series only has two processors: a single core and a dual core.

I doubt there will be any Fusion APU's for servers. When have you seen a server system needing DX11 graphics? It will be a while before general-purpose servers require stream processing too.

One thing for sure that AMD has been saying all along: Bulldozer is a server-class platform.

 

[jimmysmitty]

[citation][nom]siman0[/nom]why do you think AMD CPUs are all over the place...FX = bang for the buckA Series = affordableE Series = dirt cheap[/citation]

The only way it will be like this is if Bulldozer comes out at about Nehalems level and slower than Sandy Bridge. If its better than Sandy Bridge it will be more like:

FX = Need a second mortgage
A = High priced
E = somewhat affordable but crap

[citation][nom]Bluestar2k11[/nom]Why not just go like😛henom III FX (High-mid range)Athlon III (Mid-low range)Sempron ? (server)Keep things simple, and as they are now. I like the Phenom name (Not just because I just bought one lol), always liked Athlon. My first 2 PC's were Athlon XP's, a 1500 and 3200.[/citation]

Sempron wont be server. Its always been the low class, much like Celeron from Intel. Right now Semprons are single core low end CPUs. Opteron is server class and normally the best AMD can push out, much like Xeon from Intel.

As for the naming, I don't think they could actually reuse Phenom since Bulldozer is nothing like K10 or K10.5. Its much like Nehalem. While it kept its roots in the Core series, it was still a change from Core 2 so it wasn't a Core 3. And Sandy Bridge is a evolution of Nehalem. I will bet that when Intel releases Haswell in 2013 it will have a new name other than Core iX.

 

[jerreece]

In related news, AMD has decided that dumping the "ATI" brand was such a great idea, they are dumping the long known Athlon, Phenom, and may also consider dumping the "AMD" name as well. A possible replacement could be Computer Processor and Video Processor Manufacturing Company (CPVPMC).

 

[mikat]

Why the hell would I want to pay a premium for an APU core that will include a graphics processor that I'll never even use? No way AMD! Oh well, I hope they continue their GPU technological evolution and not throw the baby out with the bath water -- so-to-speak!

Intel did the same thing with Sandy Bridge.

This is what Zambezi is for. Intel doesn't offer the option to not have graphics in their Sandy Bridge line, but Bulldozer will have Zambezi for enthusiasts and that doesn't include graphics at least from what I gather from this slide - http://images.anandtech.com/reviews/cpu/amd/FAD2009/desktoproadmap.jpg

 

[iam2thecrowe]

i dont think the point of AMD's APU is that if you run a GFX card you dont use the APU. I think their aim is that if you do decide to buy a dedicated gfx card, the APU can still be fully used for calculations to offload things from the CPU. No that wont be the case strait away, but i think that is their aim as more developers use opencl and such...

 

[electric00]

I think it will be easier to recognize the spec. and it`s such a long time they used Phemon,Athlon,Sempron , they need something new !! the new micro architecture is that potential that they decided to change everything !!!

 

[fletchoid]

My worry is that the new naming convention will be used as a way to obfuscate the relative quality/speed/power of the processors, so OEM vendors can play a shell game with consumers. Adding a GPU to the mix can also make decisions more difficult. Eg. Is a low end "gaming" CPU better or worse than the highest priced Mid - Low end CPU? Is it worth it to pay more for a CPU with GPU built in, or am I better off to buy a lower priced high performance CPU and a separate video card? I already have enough trouble explaining to consumers the tradeoffs they make by selecting this vs that CPU. I also worry that AMD will start having multiple sockets, thereby limiting your upgrade paths. Sure, Intel makes the fastest gaming CPUs, but can I buy cheap now and upgrade later?....No, I have to get a whole new motherboard, and of course then a new OS, etc. The single socket with long term support and backward compatibility is a huge selling feature for AMD amongst those that have limited resources.

 

[demonhorde665]

[citation][nom]kashtr0_305[/nom]Why the hell would I want to pay a premium for an APU core that will include a graphics processor that I'll never even use? No way AMD! Oh well, I hope they continue their GPU technological evolution and not throw the baby out with the bath water -- so-to-speak![/citation]

trust me when i say , i'm sure teh graphics chip core wil get used , i beleive teh point of the apu , is to eliminate teh need for a dedicated video chip for runnign web apps and OS related visuals , especialy since many industry people are talking about making web content that uses 3d hardware , also another back end use for the gpu being built in is complex calculations that run better on a gpu setting such as any physics prossessing, for example not all games use nvidia's phyx physics , many stil use havoc or some other in hosue made physics that usually runs on the cpu now have an apu and it's likely those task could get dumped on the gpu side of things and run much faster. the question you ahve to ask here though is rather or not the apu wil do thuis automatically or will this require games to be specifically writtren to use that part of the apu. an even more intriquing question i ahve is will the enxt version of 3ds max be programed to render using the gpu portion of an apu? and if so would this make render's faster?

 

[sudeshc]

Seems some positive step from AMD..........

 

[Guest]

I agree. The graphics chip core will get used and will soon be a system requirement for games and apps in the near future. Remember Intel's 386 and 486 processors that were branded with a "SX" or "DX"? Many games and apps soon required the DX version.

 

[belardo]

[citation][nom]frostyfireball[/nom] The code says:-Generaly how the chip performs in the lineup with the i3/i5/i7-The first number to note the generation -A couple more for relative clock speed, features and TDP. It's a little disorganized but not too bad.~~ mainstream second gen 6 core chip at 2.8ghz would be an AMD A2-628.[/citation]

Nobody knows what intel is thinking about when it comes to i3/i5/i7. Some i3s are as fast as i5... some i5s are faster than i7s. some i7 fit i3/i5 socket mobos, but i3 and i5 cpus don't fit i7 mobos. Its a cluster-F of a complete line of CPUs that work on 4 different types of sockets.

Yes, "AMD A2-628" would be a great way to know what you're buying... but like anything else, there will be a revised six core 2.8ghz. Todays 3.0Ghz i5 CPUs are nothing like the 3.0Ghz Core2 or Pentium4s.

 

[lradunovic77]

AMD is dying company. They are 2 generations behind Intel and with Sandy Bridge agressive pricing AMD has no room on market. If it wasn't for ATI department they would be a dead even though in my opinion ATI sucks too.

 

[Guest]

at first i thought it might add more confusion but after carefully thinking about it, i think it will add a bit of clarity to the buying process. The vision branding will most likely be used for OEM, it make life easier when im browsing laptops/desktops in a store, instead of say a HP pavilion tx2010 which tells me absolutely nothing about the machine, yes i can read through the spec (and i do, but it gets tiresome just going to each machine and reading the specs to see if it fits what your looking for) but it will make my life a hell lot easier if was branded as a HP Pavilion vision premier edition

for the enthusiast build your own market i dont think the numbers will go away, FX-Series means there is going be a fair few of them, and the only real way to discern them would be to use numbers, if your buying discreet components then chances are you will know what these numbers should mean, you wont see the vision moniker to describe discreet components

 

[Guest]

@lradunovic77

your so sure of it then go short some AMD stock, you'll make a killing, otherwise shut your yap

 

[liquidsnake718]

interesting plan to market the processors, i wonder how long the 6000 series architecture for gpus will last, even on onboard cpu's they will be outdated by next year

 

[lradunovic77]

[citation][nom]GoShortAMD[/nom]@lradunovic77your so sure of it then go short some AMD stock, you'll make a killing, otherwise shut your yap[/citation]

Like it or not only an idiot would buy AMD CPU right now.

 

[Guest]

@lradunovic77

thats wasn't an observation on what chips are selling right now, it was a statement that if you are so damn sure of AMD demise then go short some AMD stocks cause if they are without doubt going to go down the drain you will make a killing by shorting their stocks, now if you aren't willing to short their stocks then it means your words means jack cause you really dont think they are going go south, in which case shut your yap

there are alot of folks on this site going around saying AMD is going to die, but when it comes to it none of them got the guts to put their money where their mouth is, it means you dont really believe your own sentiments

 

[lradunovic77]

I do believe i just don't care about money cause i make enough.

i say in 2 years AMD is gone.

 

[hannibal]

Who here actually builds AND SELLS computers to end users? I do, and the vast majority of consumers don't know what type of processor to buy. They need good advice from respectable retailers, and AMD is simplifying the retail naming for them. We use comparison charts to show the difference between what is a Vision system, a Vision Premium, Vision Ultimate, and Vision Black. People understand that easily. None of the everyday consumers cares specifically how much RAM or what clock speed it has except to price shop to know that they aren't getting ripped off. It's the same for number of cores and cache size, etc. What they want to know is if what they buy is a good value, and if it does what they want it to do within the budget that they set.

More technical users should do what they always do: make themselves familiar with the components, read benchmarks, and make an informed decision. This is not what the general populous does, which is: get word-of-mouth reviews, be loyal to brands, and take trust in the retailers opined solution offering.

So in other words, if you don't like the naming scheme: TOO DAMN BAD! Learn it anyway. AMD is changing it for the mass market, and if you're complaining, that market isn't you.

So we both think that this new naming system is actually guite good? It is simpler than the old and hopefully allso stays simpler than the old naming system. That remains to be seen.
Or do you mean that the old one is better? I personally have to say that in this sitution I have to prefer the new one better IMHO. It is divided more clearly than the old one.

 

[Dougie Fresh]

[citation][nom]Waethorn[/nom]Who here actually builds AND SELLS computers to end users? I do, and the vast majority of consumers don't know what type of processor to buy.[/citation]

I do and I can tell you they won't care about this naming either. They tell me what they want to do with it and what they want to spend and then I put together the best system for the money. They don't want to go to Dell and figure out if a 17 is going to run Quicken. All they care is that it runs what they want, does what they need, does it reasonably quick and without blowing up or adding $100 to the electric bill every month (and maybe not even that so much).

Not once have I had anyone ask me what's inside of it, what all that stuff is called. I am not sure they even know what's in there and like I said they don't care since they want it to perform certain tasks quickyl and reliably no matter what's inside the box.

Someone who cares what's inside the box doesn't need my services.

 

[Guest]

@lradunovic77

the principle is not that you make money or not, the principle is that your so damn sure of AMD failure that your willing to back it, now if your not willing to go through then it really means your not so sure that they will fail, not like your going to lose money over it right, in fact you could probably short and hold until the failure that is bulldozer turns ups. With such clarity in your assertion you could probably make enough to retire, and if your telling me you dont like the idea of retiring early then i guess that tells us as much as we need to know about your assertion of AMDs sure failure