AMD "Piledriver" refresh of Zambezi - info, speculations, test, fans

[sergiojr]

Of course architecture matters, but what you don't take in to consideration is that frequencygains isn't linear. And over 4GHz the sacfrifices you have to do to gain each MHz isn't worth it at this point.

It is not processor frequencies that are not linear. It is transistor frequencies, that are. But as I said before processor frequency ~ transistor frequency/ critical path. So if there is a hypothetical 4Ghz barrier for K10 on 45nm, then this barrier will be around 5Ghz for Bulldozer on the same 45 nm techprocess (I assume that Bulldozer's critical path is around 1,25 times shorter based on Llano and Bulldozer 4-core frequencies and power consumption in CPU-dependent tasks).

You can't say that Bulldozer is more efficient than K10 or Llano, Bulldozer is less power efficient tha K10 on 45nm!

It is because 32nm techprocess is currently worse the 45nm (est. 5-10%). Of course it saves costs, but performance wise it's just worse. Probably they will match with Q1 2012 Bulldozer update.

Your comparision to Llano doesn't work since Llano has an integrated GPU, you don't know how much power the cores in Llano consumes and you don't know how the GPU affects the cores power consumption. If llano is made on a different kind of silicon to make the GPU work good enough then that could cripple energy efficieny in the cores.

There is something like 2,6Ghz 100W non-GPU Llano
http://products.amd.com/en-us/Deskto...False&f12=True
Not a fair comparison of course, but at least it is much more then you have to backup you claim.