Barcelona B3s are just fine

[informal]

Rumours to the contrary are wrong

By Charlie Demerjian: Friday, 11 January 2008, 2:31 PM

THERE ARE A bunch of rumours floating about AMD's B3 stepping parts, saying they are have the same bug as the B2, IE the new step did not fix things. This is categorically not the case, it was, is, and never will be true.

When the rumours started to fly, I called AMD and talked to Pat Moorehead who answered all of my questions. The B3s are not bugged, period. The fix was tested on B2 silicon and verified (Don't ask, the elves who work at the Fraternal Order of Silicon Repair Mythical Creatures Local 17 get antsy if you reveal their secrets).

Basically there is no B4, there won't be a B4, and the next stepping is Cx. The Cx parts are the 45nm Shanghai cores, so the B3 will be the end of the line for 65nm. B3s are going to be sampling in the not so distant future, production in the end of Q1, and retail availability in Q2. That part is a slip.

In summary, B3 is fine. It is a little later than people expect, but what can you do? The fixed chips are on the way, sit tight, it is only a few weeks before this soap opera ends. µ

link

It's inquirer but STILL 10x more credulous than that no name French site with "supposed hush hush AMD "engineer" connections ".

[knightwolf654]

if true.. SWEET!
so 45 by Q3 mabey?

[happychappy]

I trust that French site more than INQ

[Indes]

oooo looks like that french site was stealing the inqs fire?

[Jacky]

if true.. SWEET!
so 45 by Q3 mabey?

no it's not "true". 45nm is 2009. the bugfix is still due in Q2 wether or not there will be another stepping before the bugfix! so what he posts is even worse than anything else. (b3 last stepping? it couldn't get worse thant that if true)

[LowRun]

link

It's inquirer but STILL 10x more credulous than that no name French site with "supposed hush hush AMD "engineer" connections ".

They published that no name French site story right away, probably after reading it here, remember?

http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquir.../foot-shot-day

So how does it make them a more reliable site???

And dude, just because you don't know something, it doesn't mean it have no name

[knightwolf654]

no it's not "true". 45nm is 2009. the bugfix is still due in Q2 wether or not there will be another stepping before the bugfix! so what he posts is even worse than anything else. (b3 last stepping? it couldn't get worse thant that if true)

b3 last stepping is a "good" thing. AMD realizes that in order to get k10 competitive the must shrink it faster. i doubt AMD is going to wait till 2009 to produce 45nm.

[Shintai]

b3 last stepping is a "good" thing. AMD realizes that in order to get k10 competitive the must shrink it faster. i doubt AMD is going to wait till 2009 to produce 45nm.

Seriously...there will be more steppings. Mainly to reduce cost and heat. AMD wont go 45nm in 2009. And even then, do you really think they can do 100% 45nm CPUs? If you didnt know. They are still producing quite a bunch of CPUs on 90nm. Over a year after they said they went to 65nm.

[[XC] gomeler]

Agreed.. I doubt AMD will have 45nm out this year in any sort of quantity to make a fuss about. Look how much trouble they are having K10. Now if they did a K8 45nm shrink I'm sure it'd be out the door already given their experience shrinking it to 65nm.. maybe K8 + MCM would have been a better idea?

[Teqqles]

I'd love to see a 45mn K8, would make a lovely processor for my HTPC

[DeathReborn]

AMD wont go 45nm in 2009.

Are you sure you want to say that?


If B3 still has the bug then being the last stepping would be another in a line of disastrousdecisions by AMD (alongside keeping Hector on the payroll). If it doesn't have the bug then it might give them just enough time to get some 45nm out the door in 09.

[Shintai]

Are you sure you want to say that?


If B3 still has the bug then being the last stepping would be another in a line of disastrousdecisions by AMD (alongside keeping Hector on the payroll). If it doesn't have the bug then it might give them just enough time to get some 45nm out the door in 09.

Was a typo, they will first be 45nm in 2009 and not in 2008 ;-)

[3NZ0]

Great news for AMD, shame it takes so long to do so.

Intel needs to be put back under pressure again, the sooner AMD do so, the better.

[DeathReborn]

Was a typo, they will first be 45nm in 2009 and not in 2008 ;-)

Was just checking When are Intel going to be 100% 45nm? I do believe Intel still manufactures some CPU's on 90nm aswell (Itanium). It will take at least until late 08 for Itanium to be shrunk with Tukwila.

AMD will probably still be making 90nm processors at the beginning of 09, it's where their performance has been lately.

[naokaji]

Was just checking When are Intel going to be 100% 45nm? I do believe Intel still manufactures some CPU's on 90nm aswell (Itanium). It will take at least until late 08 for Itanium to be shrunk with Tukwila.

AMD will probably still be making 90nm processors at the beginning of 09, it's where their performance has been lately.

one can still buy old netburst cpu's....

anyway, while amd sure does need to fix the TLB bug and even if they manage to do so, people have to remember that getting rid of that will not do anything to fix the performance of phenom. the initial reviews of phenom where done without the bios workaround, so performance of a phenom without the TLB bug will be no better than what it was at launch.

[ownage]

It was also said that Retail barcelona's would not have the TLB bug.

[Shintai]

Was just checking When are Intel going to be 100% 45nm? I do believe Intel still manufactures some CPU's on 90nm aswell (Itanium). It will take at least until late 08 for Itanium to be shrunk with Tukwila.

AMD will probably still be making 90nm processors at the beginning of 09, it's where their performance has been lately.

Intel still makes some 1000nm CPUs. So maybe they are abd to compare with. But all regular CPUs are shipped as 65 and 45nm.

Itanium will skip 45nm btw and go straight to 32.

[Nedjo]

its funny to see how Intel boys only want to see what suits them best, and suddenly Charlie who is really the only reliable jurno when it comes to CPU's (regardless of the fact that he is writing for the Inq) dosn't know s*it, and some unkown French site is more reliable!

Oh one more thing 45nm K10 will be out for sales in THIS year!!

[Brother Esau]

Shintai, whats you're position at Intel

[AbelJemka]

http://www.elitebastards.com/cms/
B3 = no bug

[lukija]

http://www.elitebastards.com/cms/
B3 = no bug

Can't load page?

http://www.elitebastards.com/cms/ind...=517&Itemid=29

This one works for me.

[JAWS]

After reading this potentially worrying story, we contacted AMD to get their take on the matter straight from the horse's mouth. Their response couldn't have been much clearer, as they stated that the story surrounding 'B3' silicon not fixing the TLB issue is "simply not true", and that "B3 silicon does not have the TLB erratum. It is fixed.".

Is this the same AMD that strung us along for months with K10 hype? the only word that comes to mind thinking about k10 is "broken"

I hope they fix something in K10, not only TLB.

[metro.cl]

Is this the same AMD that strung us along for months with K10 hype? the only word that comes to mind thinking about k10 is "broken"

I hope they fix something in K10, not only TLB.

I thought the same imagine how low would AMD stock if the B3 wasnt fixed we would never get the real answer from AMD.

Also this is the same Inq that said AMD eng. were dancing around K10 because in one of the first steppings it runned according to plan or even more...

[ryboto]

Is this the same AMD that strung us along for months with K10 hype? the only word that comes to mind thinking about k10 is "broken"

I hope they fix something in K10, not only TLB.

It was marketing PR. There were instances, albeit few, where the K10 does outperform Core2 by wide margins. In this case, I can't really see how lying about the B3 would be beneficial.

[freeloader]

Fix or no fix. If AMD doesn't turn around by Q3/08 they'll be in Chapter 11 before '09. They simply can't continue to burn through money and miss operating schedules the way they have in the last year. You can't keep going to the well for water, when the well is dry.