AMD - Bulldozer Chitchat

[jim]

Nibbler, you're needed!

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

First part

I am a person not an app!!!!

Second part

Anyway,if you look at the Hexus HandBrake charts the Core i5 2500K is not that far behind a Phenom II X6:

http://forums.hexus.net/pc-hardware/...ded-power.html



The article mentions similarly priced CPUs,meaning it probably is a comparison of the 3.3GHZ Core i5 2500k and the 3.1GHZ FX8120.

Third part

It also seems that the Bulldozer CPUs used to run the DiRT3 demos were engineering samples running at 3.4GHZ:

http://www.evga.com/forums/tm.aspx?m=1109726&mpage=4

Fourth part

This chap has seen Bulldozer in action and says it holds up well against the Core i7 980X:

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...=1#post4950183

AFAIK,he was involved in the overclocking event.

[kopite]

Trasnlation :

n the infamous hotel room two blocks away from IDF, AMD is our first official benchmark results of the AMD FX "Bulldozer" processor shown. Aangezien beide tests vermoedelijk zorgvuldig zijn uitgezocht om het nieuwe platform in een goed daglicht te zetten, kunnen we op basis van deze getallen nog geen conclusies trekken. Since both tests are presumably carefully chosen for the new platform to put in a good light, we can based on these numbers no conclusions. Toch willen we jullie de resultaten niet onthouden. Yet we want the results do not remember.

First they showed a comparison between a new unspecified AMD FX processor and an unspecified Intel processor i5 Sandy Bridge, with the help of the program Handbrake a video of 5 minutes is converted to H.264 video in SD resolution. De AMD FX processor met acht cores voert deze taak uit met gemiddeld 223 frames per seconde, de Core i5 met vier cores kwam uit op 188 fps. The AMD FX processor with eight cores perform this function with an average of 223 frames per second, the i5 with four cores came in at 188 fps. That may be the case, but who has a more negative view would conclude that AMD is looking to double the number of cores needs to less than 20% better performance available.

In the second demonstration showed up one game in three Dirt 2560x1600 resolution, running on two Radeon HD 6790 cards in Crossfire.. In one system, the cards are combined with an Intel Core i7 980X, in the second system with an AMD FX processor. D. The Intel machine could produce an average of 80.9 fps, the AMD machine averaged 82.8 fps. The much cheaper AMD FX processor is faster than the Core i7 980X - if you want to show - though we should really stick through it: Dirt 3 to this resolution and the chosen card is very GPU thus limited. The extra 2 fps of the AMD-101 system can be explained ways, all of which are not necessarily traceable to CPU performance.

. For real benchmarks, we'll have to wait for the AMD FX processors actually available. Fortunately, that probably will not take too long.
However revealed also a working laptop with AMD processor Trinity, the next generation AMD APU based on Bulldozer cores and a next generation GPU. Trinity middle of next year will reach the market.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

First part

The original article is in Dutch so you can get a slightly better translation:

In the infamous hotel room two blocks away from IDF, AMD is our first official benchmark results of the AMD FX "Bulldozer" processor shown. Since both tests are presumably carefully chosen for the new platform to put in a good light, we can based on these numbers no conclusions. Yet we want the results do not remember.

First they showed a comparison between a new unspecified AMD FX processor and an unspecified Intel processor i5 Sandy Bridge, with the help of the program Handbrake a video of 5 minutes is converted to H.264 video in SD resolution. The AMD FX processor with eight cores perform this function with an average of 223 frames per second, the i5 with four cores came in at 188 fps. Both systems will be comparable in price according to AMD, which it wants to show that AMD a better price / performance offering. That may be the case, but who has a more negative view would conclude that AMD is looking to double the number of cores needs to less than 20% better performance available.

In the second demonstration showed up one game in three Dirt 2560x1600 resolution, running on two Radeon HD 6790 cards in Crossfire. In one system, the cards are combined with an Intel Core i7 980X, in the second system with an AMD FX processor. The Intel machine could produce an average of 80.9 fps, the AMD machine averaged 82.8 fps. The much cheaper AMD FX processor is faster than the Core i7 980X - if you want to show - though we should really stick through it: Dirt 3 to this resolution and the chosen card is very GPU thus limited. The extra 2 fps of the AMD-101 system can be explained ways, all of which are not necessarily traceable to CPU performance.

For real benchmarks, we'll have to wait for the AMD FX processors actually available. Fortunately, that probably will not take too long.

However revealed also a working laptop with AMD processor Trinity, the next generation AMD APU based on Bulldozer cores and a next generation GPU. Trinity middle of next year will reach the market.


Second part

It seems at least in 8 thread mode,the IPC of each cores is around Phenom II level,if it is an FX8120. However,if it is an 3.6GHZ FX8150,IPC will be less although could be closer to the performance of each core in 8 thread mode could be closer to a Phenom II X6 1090T or 1100T.

Looking at 80% figure AMD quoted,it would mean a performance drop of around 25% overall in 8 thread mode as opposed to a hypothetical 8 core Bulldozer CPU.

Hence,I suspect IPC might be around 10% to 25% higher if a single thread is run though each module when compared to the Phenom II.

Also,since the 4 core and 6 cores should have the same amount of L3 cache when compared to the 8 core version,IPC should be better. OTH,AMD could choose to disable some of the L3 cache.

Of course, the calculations I made could be all Moose droppings though!!

Third part

Here is a video of Trinity running the latest Deus Ex game with alpha drivers:

http://www.anandtech.com/show/4813/l...n-video-at-idf

The game is running at 1366x768 with MLAA activated,trilinear texture filtering,normal shadows,SSAO and DOF enabled and post-processing and tessellation activated too.

Trinity uses improved Bulldozer cores which are known as Piledriver.

[peterb]

People don't read edits!

They do if the content is worthwhile,

Seriously though, better to add content to an existing post (if their hasn't been another comment) than to post four consecutive posts with the attendant overhead of signature space etyc. Just makes the thread flow a little clearer!

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

They do if the content is worthwhile,

Seriously though, better to add content to an existing post (if their hasn't been another comment) than to post four consecutive posts with the attendant overhead of signature space etyc. Just makes the thread flow a little clearer!

You mean three not four! Plus,I have done edits in the past and people posted the same thing again a few posts later.

Anyway,I have combined the last few posts now. Most people will just skim read the first few lines of each post!

[peterb]

You mean three not four! Plus,I have done edits in the past and people posted the same thing again a few posts later.

Anyway,I have combined the last few posts now. Most people will just skim read the first few lines of each post!

Nah, not if they are interested! And if they don't, then tl;ny (their loss, not yours ) But thanks anyway!

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

I just re-read the Anandtech article. Supposedly,AMD hinted that Trinity will be launched within the next few months!! Does this mean AMD Piledriver will be out early next year too??

This sounds like what Nvidia did with the GTX480 which was followed by the GTX580 only after a few months.

Edit!!

When I say next few months,I mean early 2012.

[kopite]

Gah if thats the case then I`m really not sure what to do about upgrading.

Its looking more and more likely that I`ll get my new laptop now and then see how the land lies in the new year.

[EvanJackPenn]

Gah if thats the case then I`m really not sure what to do about upgrading.

Its looking more and more likely that I`ll get my new laptop now and then see how the land lies in the new year.

Yeah exactly. I want to upgrade (well, build) at about December time. My friends are hosting a LAN in around January/February time, and I don't want to miss Guild Wars 2 or Bioshock Infinite releases. I'm hoping that piledriver and the 7900s will be out by then. I'm quite tempted to wait for them. Unless BD benchmarks AWFULLY, then I may wait for Ivy instead.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Yeah exactly. I want to upgrade (well, build) at about December time. My friends are hosting a LAN in around January/February time, and I don't want to miss Guild Wars 2 or Bioshock Infinite releases. I'm hoping that piledriver and the 7900s will be out by then. I'm quite tempted to wait for them. Unless BD benchmarks AWFULLY, then I may wait for Ivy instead.

The article says early 2012 for Trinity so around 6 months or so. It seems like they are trying to launch Trinity around the same time as when Ivy Bridge will be launched.

[watercooled]

Any idea what process Trinity will be produced on? 28nm maybe?

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Any idea what process Trinity will be produced on? 28nm maybe?

I still think it is 32NM. Not sure about the 28NM process which AFAIK is a bulk process on which the Zacate successor is being built.

[shaithis]

The only 28nm chips on the most recent roadmap are the Krishna and Wichita APUs.

[watercooled]

Thanks, I wasn't sure. I suppose it makes much more sense to stick with an established process when adding the IGP.

[kalniel]

Thanks, I wasn't sure. I suppose it makes much more sense to stick with an established process when adding the IGP.

They apparently had to upscale the GPU process to fit into 32nm as it was designed for 28nm, but that was probably easier given 32nm production was already going, while 28nm is still lagging.