AMD has unveiled its new platform codenamed “Spider”, with quad-core processor supporting scalable graphics. The AMD Spider platform combines the introduction of AMD Phenom quad-core processors, ATI Radeon HD 3800 Series graphics processors with Microsoft DirectX 10.1 support, AMD 7-Series chipsets with CrossFireX and AMD OverDrive software.
AMD on Monday announced its "Spider" platform centered on the Phenom quad-core processor, the desktop follow-on to the "Barcelona" Opteron server chip. The Phenom, like the Barcelona before it, will initially be available at clock speeds lower than expected. In this case at a top speed of 2.3 GHz. The Phenom line had been expected to initially achieve 2.4 GHz (or even 2.6 GHz according to some reports). Some resellers are showing availability for the 2.3-GHz part but long lead times for the 2.4-GHz version. Phenom 9600 (2.3-GHz) and 9500 (2.2-GHz) processors are available "now" for $283 and $251 respectively in 1,000-unit pricing, AMD said. The Phenom-based Spider platform integrates the ATI Radeon HD 3800 Series graphics processors--introduced last week--and AMD 7-Series chipsets. One of the platform's salient features is support for multiple graphics processing units (GPUs) based on AMD-ATI CrossFireX technology. "Running four graphics boards in one system...could be a nightmare for a system builder to get all those graphics cards proper airflow...[But] AMD has made massive multi-GPU performance easy to build, and affordable," said Kelt Reeves, president of Falcon Northwest, a high-performance PC supplier. The Phenom, like Barcelona, uses an integrated memory controller designed to support memory speeds up to DDR2 1066, 128-bit floating point units, and a shared L3 cache. AMD said it surveyed consumer and commercial users to measure power consumption and found that AMD Phenom processors with Cool'n'Quiet 2.0 technology rated at 95 watts TDP (Thermal Design Power) can consume an average power of 32W for consumers and 29W for commercial users. Other features include support for split power plane motherboard designs and the ability to set independent core frequencies. The AMD 7-Series chipsets are designed using 65-nanometer (nm) process technology, bettering standard chipset process technology that is typically based on older 90nm processes. Initial testing: PC World said the Phenom-based configuration they tested used two HD 3850 graphics cards, an MSI motherboard based on the 790FX chipset, and 2GB of DDR2-1066 RAM. "AMD's test system scored a 105 on PC WorldBench 6 beta 2, which is significantly faster than...[a system with a] 3-GHz Athlon 64 X2 6000+, though not nearly the 32 percent gain touted by AMD. That's an impressive boost over AMD's previous CPUs, but it's nowhere near enough to make Intel sweat.
With a fresh cash infusion of between $550 million and $700 million from Abu Dhabi’s Mubdala Development, AMD is rolling out its “Spider Platform,” which includes the new Phenom processors (desktop versions of the quad-core Barcelona), HD3800 series graphics (rolled out last week) and the new 790 chip set.
With this platform approach AMD hopes to have a hot holiday season with PCs for gaming and entertainment, delivering HD, multimedia content in a more quiet, energy efficient and less costly system than the typical ultra-gamer boxes, according to Patrick Moorhead, AMD vice president of marketing. “People want to bridge the gap between gaming and the PC with HD,” he said. The platform supports enhanced HDMI connectivity with integrated HDCP and audio for HDMI video.
Rick Bergman, general manager of AMD’s graphics group, said a key to the platfrom is the CrossFireX capabilities, which supports up to four graphic cards on a single system and up to eight displays. A “Fusion” chip that integrates a CPU and GPU on a single die is slated for the end of 2008 or early 2009.
The Spider platform turns a PC into a real-time 3D rendering machine. “It begins to bridge the gap to final film quality with real-time graphics,” Jules Urbach of Otoy told me. He was demoing his software, which does cinematic quality 3D rendering in a browser, on the Spider platform during AMD’s press tour. “Eventually we will see films rendered in real-time and they won’t look any different [from films that require hours per frame to render].”
AMD’s new Overdrive console (below) give users lots of control of the system, with overclocking of the CPU, memory and chip set as well as voltage and memory tuning. It also features a novice mode for the uninitiated and autoclocking mode that improves system performance based on trial and error. “It the first time this much control has been available from a hardware company,” said Phil.Eisler, senior vice president and general manager, Chipset and Notebook Business Unit at AMD.
The combination of elements in the Spider platform could add up to solid win for AMD in one of its core markets and provide validation of its ATI acquisition. Now that OEMs are bringing Spider systems to market we’ll see if the price/performance claims hold up and whether enthusiast buyers open their wallets.
No comments:
Post a Comment