AMD Resurrects K8 Architecture for 2008 Roadmap

[something_totally_different]

AMD plans to keep "Brisbane" around, releases new chips based on it

Things at AMD may have gone from bad to worse with the lackluster Phenom launch in late November. Not only did Phenom fail to appeal to professional reviewers, but the company ended up removing one third of its CPU lineup just after the big day.

Last week AMD CEO Hector Ruiz vowed that the company would stop hemorrhaging cash and return to profitability soon. "That is our number one goal right now," Ruiz said in a conference in Bangalore.

Making a profit at AMD apparently means refocusing on its older K8 architecture. The company will introduce eleven 65nm K8 processors over the next two quarters. By comparison: AMD launched two quad-core K10 Phenom processors in November with three more scheduled over the next two quarters. Two tri-core Phenom processors will follow in March 2008.

Essentially, AMD will move any remaining Athlon 64 processors from the 90nm node to the 65nm node, with a few new frequency and TDP variations.

The AMD Athlon 64 X2 5600+ will be the first to jump on the new 65nm K8 bandwagon with a 65W TDP. The previous Windsor-based chip of the same featured an 89-Watt TDP. AMD will also add 100 MHz to the core frequency of the Athlon 64 X2 5600+, now rated at 2.9 GHz. Total L2 cache will be halved in the move to the Brisbane core, and the updated Athlon 64 X2 5600+ chips will feature only 1MB of L2 cache. Availability of these processors is scheduled for Q1 2008.

AMD's higher-end Athlon 64 X2 6400+ and Athlon 64 X2 6000+ will both be discontinued.

AMD will also update its "Energy Efficient" series and will release three new chips, the AMD Athlon 4850e, Athlon 4450e, and Athlon 4050e in Q2 2008. All of the new offerings will be based on AMD's Brisbane core and will feature a 45-Watt thermal envelope. AMD's current energy efficient "BE-2xxx" series will be phased out at that time. Respectively, the new chips will run at 2.5GHz, 2.3GHz and 2.1GHz.

All new Brisbane chips will be based on the Socket AM2 interface. These processors are compatible with AMD's AM2+ socket designated for Phenom processors.

http://www.dailytech.com/AMD+Resurrects+K8+Architecture+for+2008+Roadmap/article9899.htm


Good luck AMD, your fans salute you.

 

[Mattus]

You'd have to be a fan to buy a rehash of the same old stuff when Intel is making chips that are faster, cooler and probably not much more expensive!

 

[something_totally_different]

Go to bed.

 

[BillytheImpaler]

Give me a 20 W AM2 CPU, not this 45 W rubbish!

 

[wolvers]

I hope AMD can get their act together soon.

If these chips are cheap enough and overclock well they may sell ok?

 

[Pandobear]

It looks to me that AMD has finally begun to realise that the big money is not in the high end, but in the mainstream and if they can continue to move into the low power sector with a total platform solution, similar to the VIA eden range, whilst still being fast enough to run Vista a reasonable pace then hopefully they can return to profitability. It is dissapointing that the Phenom processors were not the performance leaders, but there are still plenty of other markets that are profitable, such as SFF and media PCs that suit low power processors, as long as they can develop decent chipsets with reasonable on board graphics. This really should be acheivable with their integration of ATI. It is not exciting, but it would pay the bills!

 

[muon]

May need to stick a couple of brisbanes together to get a decent quad core out since phenoms cant clock well enough.