AMD 4x4 - Official Reviews Thread

[gOJDO]

http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/5624/4x4vsc2qbp1.jpg

-- Henri Richards, Digitimes Interview March Link: Digitimes Richard's Interview (http://www.digitimes.com/bits_chips/a20060313PR201.html?www.dailytech.com)

So what I think we are seeing right now are traditional marketing tactics – if you don't have a good product, you talk about your future....

Then their new-generation micro-architecture (NGMA), is, quite frankly, a quick fix on the front-side bus. I don't think that's the future of the Intel architecture. I think it's another quick fix until 2008 or later, when they're going to come out with a genuinely new architecture. So again, from a pure technology perspective, my assessment is that it's a lot of marketing – it's clever marketing, but it's not revolutionary. And calling it a new-generation microarchitecture is a little bit out of balance.


The same can be said for K8L exactly:

Then their new-generation micro-architecture (NGMA), is, quite frankly, a quick fix on the HyperTransport bus. I don't think that's the future of the AMD architecture. I think it's another quick fix until 2008 or later, when they're going to come out with a genuinely new architecture. So again, from a pure technology perspective, my assessment is that it's a lot of marketing – it's clever marketing, but it's not revolutionary. And calling it a new-generation microarchitecture is a little bit out of balance.

:brick: BRAVO Henri!


AbcNews (http://http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/print?id=2693130)
Anandtech (http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=2879&p=1)
DailyTech (http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=5148)
ExtremTech (http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,2065493,00.asp)
FiringSquad (http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/amd_athlon_64_fx_74_4x4/default.asp)
HardOCP (http://enthusiast.hardocp.com/article.html?art=MTIzMywxLCxoZW50aHVzaWFzdA==)
Hexus (http://www.hexus.net/content/item.php?item=7348&page=4)
HotHardware (http://www.hothardware.com/viewarticle.aspx?articleid=911&cid=1)
HWupgrade (http://babelfish.altavista.com/babelfish/trurl_pagecontent?lp=it_en&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hwupgrade.it%2Farticoli%2Fcpu %2F1611%2Fquad-fx-la-ricetta-amd-per-i-quattro-core_index.html)
LegitReviews (overclocked FX-74) (http://www.legitreviews.com/article/427/1/)
PC.Watch (http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fpc.watch.impress.co.jp%2F docs%2F2006%2F1129%2Ftawada92.htm&langpair=ja%7Cen&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&prev=%2Flanguage_tools)
TechReport (http://www.techreport.com/reviews/2006q4/quad-fx/index.x?pg=1)
THG (http://www.tomshardware.com/2006/11/30/brute_force_quad_cores/index.html)
XbitLabs (http://xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/amd-quad-fx.html)

So far we can order 4x4 here:
Velocity Micro (http://www.velocitymicro.com/wizard.php?iid=32)
iBUY POWER (http://www.ibuypower.com/ibp/store/configurator.aspx?mid=216)
Vigor Gaming (http://www.vigorgaming.com/amd/4x4launch.html)
Cyber Power PC (http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/LandingPages/amdquad/default.asp)
Main Gear (http://www.maingear.com/amdquadcore.shtml)

Its competitor, Core2 Quad is:
1. faster
2. cheaper
3. more overclockable
4. more energy efficient
5. cooler
6. smaller

The good side of 4x4 is K8L. It gives some hopes for 4x4, but when it will be available in 2H 2007, there will be better stuff from Intel also.

[Fred_Pohl]

LOL!

"So what I think we are seeing right now are traditional marketing tactics – if you don't have a good product, you talk about your future...."

That quote sums up AMD's position today very well.

[Cooper]

Sticky Thread

Please make it peacefull discussion.
Flaiming, trolling and all other off-topic stuff will not be tolerated.

PS Previous thread about AMD 4x4 were removed

[informal]

Ok, Cooper,can I have an answer why this particular topic is stickied ,if possible?
I dunno,i've seen much much better topics on this subject which didn't consist of intro flamebait post(s),but never got stickied(in fact they became full of non controled "fanboism" and AMD bashing lately).
Sorry if i asked publickly ,i just know many people are wondering about the same thing here.
edit: That is some lame photochopping there gOJDO.

[Cooper]

First of all goJDO`s thread had pretty much of 4x4 reviews found on the net. I just added a few more. Secondly there isn`t any flamebaiting here. if you`re reffering to Core2Quad > 4x4 well that`s the fact - just check the reviews ;) if you or any other member have anything else to ask/say - PM me.

/OT off

[generics_user]

The same can be said for K8L exactly:

Then their new-generation micro-architecture (NGMA), is, quite frankly, a quick fix on the HyperTransport bus. I don't think that's the future of the AMD architecture. I think it's another quick fix until 2008 or later, when they're going to come out with a genuinely new architecture. So again, from a pure technology perspective, my assessment is that it's a lot of marketing – it's clever marketing, but it's not revolutionary. And calling it a new-generation microarchitecture is a little bit out of balance.]
what exactly makes you think that it is just a quick fix?

[MsB]

"So what I think we are seeing right now are traditional marketing tactics – if you don't have a good product, you talk about your future...."

"That quote sums up AMD's position today very well."

Theres more to this than meets the eyes. While AMD is being quiet may be because they have less than highly competitive cpus in the market however, remember guys AMD is in bussiness to make money not the fastest cpu, like most brains here are centered. After taking over ATI AMD is being sure it makes the most of this acquisition to move into less ventured, less saturated markets to improve on its base and improve on things like stream processing which is rumored to be a 2 core card with a GPU just for stream processing to help with the cpu processing power in boards designed to use it. I have been seeing some big buy ups of AMD stock by AMD administrators and given the buy up of ATI its a good time to take advantage of lowering stocks. Just saying here. From what I have been told AMD is happy to trail at this time and is planning on catching up by implementing many other add ins, Mobo design improvements and the like to be able to compete with Intel while a full process's behind. I'm not a fanboi. I'm a fan girl and an investor that knows a few folks in places ;) so go ahead flame on. Ive heard rumors that AMD may have surprize 65nm dual cores to go in the fx 4x4 mobo as well. I myself am looking forward to rd600 I think its gonna be a very keen card. I would love to see a review of fx70's overclockability.

[gOJDO]

@cooper
10x for making this thread sticky :toast:

@informal
do you have something to say related to the subject and the topic? :slap:

@generics_user
Ask Henri Richard. He thinks that Core2 is a quick fix on the FSB. And if the quick fix on the FSB makes Core2 to wipe the floor with K8, than maybe Henri thinks that a quick fix on the HTT will make K8L to do the same on Core2. :rolleyes:

@MsB
yes, both AMD and Intel care only about the profit.

[red]

http://digitimes.com/bits_chips/a20060313PR201.html
Then their new-generation micro-architecture (NGMA), is, quite frankly, a quick fix on the front-side bus.
:D

[generics_user]

@gojdo

if amd´s K8L is just a quick fix, why does it use HT3.0 which gives large deceases in latency when using more than 4 cpus (16 cores) (8s systems (32 core) without scaling issues:eek: )? that´s why there were nearly no 8-socket systems because they didn´t scale that well with HT2 (lack of enough links, while HT3 allows direct interconnect of up to 8 cpus :fact: )

[gOJDO]

Well, I don't think that K8L is a quick fix on the HTT. It is said with irony, like Henri said about Core2 that is a quick fix on the FSB.
Core2 has more improvements over Core than K8L will have over K8.
HTT3 will allow up to 8 CPU directly connected, but with half bandwidth of each cHT link. IMO the K8L MP will scale linear in perfromance from 1 to 4 CPUs, and the linearity will be decreased when used 8 CPUs.
In 8P ocnfiguration the CPUs will communicate with 5.2GB/s bandwdith(2.6GB/s per direction), less than HTT1 cHT link 8GB/s bandwidth(4GB/s). I take into account that K8L CPUs have 4 cores, instead of 2 on the K8.

[breakfromyou]

Today AMD is offering three models of dual-core Socket 1207 processors that are compatible with the Quad FX platform. They are Athlon 64 FX-70 working at 2.6GHz clock speed, Athlon 64 FX-72 working at 2.8GHz and Athlon 64 FX-74 working at 3.0GHz. They will launch one more faster processor in Q2 2007: AMD Athlon 64 FX-76 with 3.2GHz clock speed. All these CPUs feature 2MB total L2 cache memory shared between the cores.

lol, nice one. :rolleyes:

the FX-76 better bet 65nm. why would they release something new for an old architecture and a new line of processors at about the same time?

[Ghostbuster]

PC Power and Cooling's Turbo-Cool 1KW-SR Selected by AMD to Power AMD Quad FX Platforms

http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20061204006169&newsLang=en

[dinos22]

i think he may have been referring to AMD on this one LOL

So what I think we are seeing right now are traditional marketing tactics – if you don't have a good product, you talk about your future....

[gOJDO]

Links to the e-stores where we can order 4x4:
VelocityMicro (http://www.velocitymicro.com/wizard.php?iid=32)
iBUYPOWER (http://www.ibuypower.com/ibp/store/configurator.aspx?mid=216)

[Asazman]

is it just me or does that guy not look as happy as he should be?

[gOJDO]

That guy is AMD's CEO for sales and management, Henri Richards.
I pohotoshoped the image, originaly he was holding a K8L CPU(native quadcore) in his right hand.
His words about Core2 are very adequate to describe todays AMD situation and the failure of 4x4.

[breakfromyou]

After watching the streaming video of the 15ths analyst day, I wasn't surprised to hear them mention Quad FX just once out of the entire 4 hours of talking.

Either they aren't too proud of it, or theres going to be something really nice about it in the upcoming year. 2 K8L quad cores in a system, and a ~90-120w TDP for each CPU? Not very energy efficient, but DAMN I bet that thing would fly. Give it a gigabyte of RAM per core, woah. Drooling again :slobber:

I'll stick with a single processor, thanks.

[Ghostbuster]

From TG Daily Top-10: Most significant Hardware of 2006 - Core 2 Duo (http://www.tgdaily.com/2006/12/15/tgdaily_yop_ten_hardware_2006/page10.html)QuadFX, we learned after our Top-10 disappointments article, was a technology many readers would have liked to see as one of the top disappointments.:fact:

[gOJDO]

If anyone have(ordered?) 4x4 please let us know and post some pictures and benchmark scores.

[Thesavage]

will be building in the new year, waiting for those price drops first. Will only be running XP64 though dislike Xp 32.