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Intel - Going Nowhere, Fast.

Soldato
Joined
25 Mar 2004
Posts
15,799
Location
Fareham
I think the slower progress on more recent CPU performance is much better for us consumers, who can safely buy a good CPU today and have it still be decent in 3-4 years time.

The speed increases were always going to be harder and harder to do.
 
Man of Honour
Joined
13 Oct 2006
Posts
91,285
Infinity fabric isn't without it's faults but it works well enough, well too work. It has allowed AMD to bring us a whole range of CPU's from quad core to 32 core EPYC.
The second generation has improved certain areas and push clocks up quite a bit.

Intel on the other hand are still trying to get it right, I don't think the mesh system works as well, but of course it would be silly of any of us to count Intel out, they have the money and resources to get their act together, eventually and just like with their 10nm node they are having trouble to start out.
They will get it right and when they do I'm sure they will be back with a vengeance.

On a side note @humbug the Q6600 was a two dual core, quad core glue together not a dual.;)

IF works pretty well for what it sets out to do - it just doesn't magically add something in terms of scaling CPU cores together that hasn't been possible before. People keep talking about IF as if it is a specialised CPU interconnect but it isn't at all - it is a high performance scalable bus that is able to be used even to transfer data between different types of hardware that don't actually understand each other - its strength is in its flexibility with minimal if any impact on performance or features over specialised implementations in any area it is applicable to.

I linked before to Intel R&D for specialised CPU interconnects going back to I think 2006 or something what is holding Intel back seems to be as much mindset at the top as anything else - they seem entrenched in an approach and lacking flexibility to deal with a changing market.
 
Associate
Joined
27 Apr 2007
Posts
963
If hardware does not advance / get more powerful developers don't improve their products to take advantage, this of course includes games.
There is loads of software being regularly updated that isn't hardware limited so that is false for the majority of software I'd say.
I may be able to keep my current system for 5+ years but will still upgrade and buy new software in that period.
 
Soldato
Joined
13 Jun 2009
Posts
6,847
What is your counter argument? Do consumers need more speed for something? No point going faster for the sake of it. It's inevitable that technology can't keep increasing linearly.
My counter argument is that the slower progress on more recent CPU performance is worse for us consumers.
 
Permabanned
Joined
2 Sep 2017
Posts
10,490
Is this a rehash of Intels sour grapes line that AMD are just gluing chips together?

If the process was a failure there would be some weight in the criticism but since it works and results in cheaper chips it is in fact a massive success and may well get copied by Intel as soon as they work out how to spin the PR of saying they're also going to glue chips together (fancy name, micro details of how their glue is different and revolutionary not an imitation).

Yes, suddenly AMD's architecture design choice became successful and Intel felt the need to coach AMD that it's "wrong". I wonder if Intel had even commented on the Bulldozer architecture flaws or it had been ok? :D
 
Associate
Joined
31 Aug 2017
Posts
2,209
Yeah they prob did have a good laugh at BD, well up until they remembered they dished out plenty of stinkers as well in the past...
Like... i dunno the Pentium that couldn't count, the P4 fiasco er the 7740x.. and the 7640 cough... almost anything trying to use intel graphics drivers...10Nm production... ect ect ect...

BD isnt alone in crapness.
 
Associate
Joined
8 Jan 2007
Posts
1,949
Location
Barcelona
I'm still on an FX approaching 5 years now and I'll most likely keep using it until Zen 2 comes out.

Best CPU I've ever owned in approaching 30 years of PC ownership.
 
Caporegime
Joined
17 Mar 2012
Posts
47,735
Location
ARC-L1, Stanton System
Bulldozer was indefensible but the brilliance of Zen more than makes up for it.

I'm still on an FX approaching 5 years now and I'll most likely keep using it until Zen 2 comes out.

Best CPU I've ever owned in approaching 30 years of PC ownership.

The IPC on Zen is about 80% higher than Bulldozer. Even a Ryzen 1400 will rip the FX-8350 a new one.
 
Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
19,354
Location
South Manchester
Best CPU I've ever owned in approaching 30 years of PC ownership.

What did you use before - a Cyrix Media GX? :D

IPC is poor, each "dual core" module shares an FPU which really hurts gaming performance (also see point 1) and it runs hot. Very hot. About the only good thing I can say for it is that it's got a soldered heat spreader...
 
Associate
Joined
8 Jan 2007
Posts
1,949
Location
Barcelona
My first PC CPU was in fact a Cyrix, it ran Doom perfectly.

I've got an X58 Xeon and a 3470k currently as well but I simply find the FX at 5ghz to give a better day to day experience. I mean its not like it cant run every game locked at 60fps 1440p.
 
Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
19,354
Location
South Manchester
My first PC CPU was in fact a Cyrix, it ran Doom perfectly.

I've got an X58 Xeon and a 3470k currently as well but I simply find the FX at 5ghz to give a better day to day experience. I mean its not like it cant run every game locked at 60fps 1440p.

Try iRacing. The rendering thread will have it begging for mercy. ;)
 
Soldato
Joined
28 Dec 2017
Posts
8,475
Location
Beds
My first PC CPU was in fact a Cyrix, it ran Doom perfectly.

I've got an X58 Xeon and a 3470k currently as well but I simply find the FX at 5ghz to give a better day to day experience. I mean its not like it cant run every game locked at 60fps 1440p.
I think I saw you mention this before - do you mean a 3570k?
 
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