AMD quad core chip overtakes Intel 25% in performance

AMD extinguished all criticism by announcing the detailed specifications of the quad-core Barcelona server chip, and demonstrating the desktop Phenom quad core processor with 3Ghz speed.

As scheduled, Barcelona will officially ship from August, while Phenom will land later, in the fourth quarter of this year.

Last month, AMD suffered a harsh criticism after the company announced that the first batch of Barcelona chips would only reach 2GHz. Immediately, the world is well-informed rumors that AMD may not be able to fulfill Intel's "face-to-face" promise of performance.

More but not leaps and bounds!

Currently, Intel is selling quad-core Xeon chips for servers at speeds of up to 2.66 GHz. In addition, the company also has a 3GHz model exclusively for workstations. With these two key weapons, Intel has repeatedly regained market share in the server market in the last few months.

However, with the latest AMD announcement, it seems that Intel's sunny days are about to pass. If the commitment is true, Barcelona will be 25% stronger than Xeon in terms of capacity, while the power / watt consumption will be about 30% higher.

"The new spec has ended the debate over whether or not AMD will keep its promise, " said Roger Kay, an expert at Endpoint Technologies.

" However, it should be cautious because comparing an upcoming AMD chip with Intel's market-ready product doesn't make much sense ."

Sharing this view, Instat research director Jim McGregor also said that "AMD's temporary victory won't last long."

" I don't see any leap in technology ." In the chip sector, competition is not only in terms of maximum cost or performance, but also factors such as power consumption should be taken into account.

Super power saving

Source: CNET In another independent statement, AMD said it was about to jump into the ultra-energy-efficient chip market with the development of the Bobcat chip core.

While the traditional Bulldozer chip for desktops and servers consumes between 10 and 100 Watt, Bobcat will consume only 1 to 10 Watt, which is less than a tenth of the current rate.

The first microprocessors based on the Bobcat design are expected to ship in 2009. It can be envisioned as a fixed, standard core, then AMD will gradually assemble other components. such as memory management chip, graphics chip . to create a true microprocessor.

Bobcat will target low-power devices such as TVs, ultra-portable computers and high-end mobile phones. The server version of this line of chips will consist of 8-16 different chip cores.

Slow buffalo drink turbid water?

However, it can be considered late to jump into the mobile chip market and AMD embedded applications. The playground has been crowded for a long time, but until now AMD has added its flaws with Bobcat.

Because of that, many people think that AMD's situation at the moment is no different from the proverb "Slow water drinking water".

Bobcat's heavyweight rival in this market is obviously Intel's Silverton. This platform was introduced in March 2006, but the specific information about Silverton is still hidden by Intel.

However, with mobile technology constantly changing and transforming today (as a result of a host of emerging technologies such as mobile broadband or WiMax), chip makers will be forced to readjust the device. Its successor for more compatible. "That may affect Bobcat's progress," recommends expert McGregor.

Trong Cam