- AMD Quad FX platform
The AMD Quad FX platform is an
AMD platform targeted at enthusiasts which allows users to plug twoSocket F Athlon 64 FX or 2-wayOpteron processors (CPUs) into a single motherboard for a total of four physical cores. [cite news | url=http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,1970271,00.asp | title=AMD Announces Dual-Socket, Dual-Core '4x4' Platform | first=Mark | last=Hachman | publisher=ExtremeTech | date=2006-06-01 | accessdate=2007-10-02] This is a type ofdual processor setup, where two CPUs are installed on amotherboard to increase computing power. The major difference between the platform and past dual processor systems likeXeon (pre Intel 5000X/P chipset) is that each processor has its own dedicated memory stores. The Quad FX platform also hasHyperTransport capability targeted toward consumer platforms. [cite news | url=http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060602-6977.html | title=AMD hitches wagon to a HyperTransport-powered 4x4 and K8L | first=John | last=Stokes | publisher=Ars Technica | date=2006-06-02 | accessdate=2007-10-02] [cite news | last=Goodin | first=Dan | title=AMD, Intel: Who's Zooming Who? | publisher=Wired Magazine | date=2006-11-15 | accessdate=2007-10-02 | url=http://www.wired.com/news/technology/computers/0,72126-0.html?tw=wn_technology_1]On May 2007, AMD has officially codenamed the eight core setup with two Phenom FX processors to be the "FASN8" (pronounced as "fascinate", IPA: IPA|/fæsəˌneɪt/, in short for "First AMD Silicon Next-gen 8-core Platform") [cite press release | url=http://www.amd.com/us-en/Corporate/VirtualPressRoom/0,,51_104_543~117412,00.html | title=AMD Names the Next PC Computing Thrill Ride: The AMD Phenom Processor | publisher=
Advanced Micro Devices | date=2007-05-14 | accessdate=2007-10-02] from the previous codename "4x4+" used in Analyst Day presentations.Configuration
In each socket resides an AMD
Athlon 64 FX CPU. Each socket is connected using AMD's Direct Chip Module, this dual-processor architecture was dubbed by AMD as the "Dual Socket Direct Connect Architecture" (DSDC Architecture), [cite press release| url=http://www.amd.com/us-en/Corporate/VirtualPressRoom/0,,51_104_543~114483,00.html | title=AMD Quad FX Platform with Dual Socket Direct Connect Architecture Redefines High-End Computing for Megatasking Enthusiasts | publisher=Advanced Micro Devices | date=2006-11-30 | accessdate=2007-10-02] providing a dedicated channel between the CPU cores and from each CPU out to the system memory. Due to the nature of the Direct Connect architecture, each CPU can access the other's dedicated memory store. The both of them, constituting one four-core system, have a power consumption (TDP) of 250 W [cite news | title=AMD's Quad FX platform: AMD decides to socket to 'em | url=http://techreport.com/articles.x/11353 | first=Scott | last=Wasson | publisher=The Tech Report | date=2006-12-01 | accessdate=2007-06-11] for each 125 W labelled TDP.AMD first announced the platform as "Socket 4x4" on June 1, 2006, [cite news | url=http://reviews.cnet.com/4531-10921_7-6536370.html | title=AMD's introduces new CPU architectures, Socket 4x4 chipset | first=Rich | last=Brown | first=Dean | last=Takahashi | authorlink=Dean Takahashi | publisher=CNET Networks | date=
2006-06-01 | accessdate=2007-10-02] citing customer feedback for such a system. [cite news | url=http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2006/06/amd_puts_pressu.html | title=AMD Puts Pressure On Intel In PC Gaming With New Socket For Two Dual-Core Processors | publisher=San Jose Mercury News | date=2006-06-01 | accessdate=2007-10-02] A four-core system has been exhibited as a demo at AMD headquarters onJuly 25 2006 . AMD has claimed that the systems which consist of a pair of CPUs will cost belowUS$ 1000 altogether with a suitable motherboard. [cite news | url=http://techreport.com/discussions.x/10428 | title=Dual-CPU kits for '4x4' to sell for under a grand | first=Scott | last=Wasson | publisher=The Tech Report | date=2006-07-26 | accessdate=2007-10-02] The motherboards strongly resemble dual-socketOpteron 22xx series motherboards as they share the same socket and one bank of memoryDIMM s per CPU, but the motherboards of the platform have support for regular unbufferedDDR2 RAM while the Opteron setup requiresregistered memory . The platform also has support for multiple graphics cards.An eight core reference system was demonstrated in an event held early May 2007 by AMD.cite news | url=http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/31977/ | title=AMD demos 8-core Agena FX enthusiast PC, stream processing | first=Wolfgang | last=Gruener | publisher=TG Daily | date=
2007-05-10 | accessdate=2007-10-02]Competing products
The major competition of the platform is from
Intel , which launched its Core 2 desktop microprocessors in late July2006 and itsmulti-chip module quad-core processor codenamed "Kentsfield" in November 2006 as the Core 2 Extreme series. [cite news | url=http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/127862/intel_launches_quadcore_chips.html | title=Intel Launches Quad-Core Chips | first=Ben | last=Ames | publisher=PC World | date=2006-11-14 | accessdate=2007-10-02]Intel had also responded in 2007 with two upcoming platforms, one in
CeBIT codenamed "V8", targeting workstation market [cite news | url=http://www.theinquirer.net/en/inquirer/news/2007/01/14/intel-pulls-wool-over-eyes-with-gaming-rig | title=Intel pulls wool over eyes with "gaming rig" | first=Charlie | last=Demerjian | publisher=The Inquirer | date=2007-01-14 | accessdate=2007-10-02] and one in 2007Beijing Intel Developer Forum (IDF), codenamed "Skulltrail" for enthusiasts, [cite press release | url=http://www.intel.com/pressroom/archive/releases/20070416supp.htm | title=Intel Developer Forum Day 1 News Disclosures From Beijing | publisher=Intel | date=2007-04-17 | accessdate=2007-10-02] both with similar dual-processor configuration but with "V8" lacking multi-graphics support.Reception
Reviews of the platform have been largely unfavourable. Reviewers have noted that the platform requires significantly more power than a Core 2 Extreme QX6700 processor system,cite news | url=http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=2879 | title=AMD's Quad FX: Technically Quad Core | first=Anand Lal | last=Shimpi | authorlink=Anand Lal Shimpi | publisher=
AnandTech | date=2006-11-30 | accessdate=2007-10-02] rp|13 with performance being generally inferior.rp|14 [cite news | url=http://www.hexus.net/content/item.php?item=7505 | title=AMD QuadFX pushed to the limit... and beyond | first=James | last=Morris | publisher=Hexus.net | date=2007-01-18 | accessdate=2007-10-02] rp|8 In some cases, performance was seen to be even lower than the dual-core FX-62,rp|6 which has been blamed on higher memory latency introduced by the platform's use ofNon-Uniform Memory Access . [cite news | url=http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/amd-quad-fx.html | title=Quad-Core from AMD: Quad FX Platform Review | first=Ilya | last=Gavrichenkov | publisher=X-bit labs | date=2006-11-29 | accessdate=2007-10-02] rp|3Availability
The platform was launched in November 2006. Three new processors, the FX-70, FX-72 and FX-74 are released simultaneously with clock speeds of 2.6 GHz, 2.8 GHz and 3.0 GHz respectively. FX-76, clocked at speed of 3.2 GHz, was scheduled to be released in 2007, but was cancelled for the newer
65 nm microarchitecture Phenom FX processors replacing the90 nm fabrication process line ofAthlon 64 FX series processor. [cite news | url=http://www.fudzilla.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=270&Itemid=1 | title=Athlon FX 76 cancelled | first=Fuad | last=Abazovic | publisher=Fudzilla | date=2007-03-23 | accessdate=2007-10-02]Chipsets
NVIDIA
NVIDIA has introduced a chipset for the platform, called "nForce 680a", provides 4 PCI-Express slots of x16-x8-x16-x8 configuration, and support up to 12 SATA 3.0 Gbit/shard disk s. [cite news | url=http://www.theinquirer.net/en/inquirer/news/2006/10/26/amds-4x4-supports-four-graphic-cards | title=AMD's 4x4 supports four graphic cards | first=Theo | last=Valich | publisher=The Inquirer | date=2006-10-26 | accessdate=2007-10-02] ASUSteK will produce the first motherboard that will support twoSocket F (dubbed as socket L1FX by NVIDIA) processors each with its own dedicated memory banks, dubbed as "ASUS L1N64-SLI WS" (instead of the L1N64-SLI Deluxe that NVIDIA announced), based on NVIDIA nForce 680a chipset.Reports suggested that ASUStek is the sole motherboard manufacturer for the chipset and left other motherboard manufacturers out, some of which stated that they will produce motherboards based on Intel chipsets instead. [cite news | url=http://www.theinquirer.net/en/inquirer/news/2006/11/20/amd-partners-outraged-at-4x4-asus-exclusive | title=AMD partners outraged at 4x4 Asus exclusive | first=Theo | last=Valich | publisher=
The Inquirer | date=2006-11-20 | accessdate=2007-10-02] There are also reports showing that the L1N64-SLI WS motherboard supports a pair of 2200 series CPU in theOpteron family without modifications to the motherboard, and the chipset was recognized as "nForce 570 SLI" chipset revision A1 instead of "nForce 680a" chipset. [cite news | url=http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=5968 | title=AMD Opteron 2200-series Works in Quad FX Motherboards | first=Anh | last=Huynh | publisher=DailyTech | date=2007-02-02 | accessdate=2007-10-02]ATI Technologies/AMD
In October 2006, sites leaked ATI chipset updates that ATI will also introduce a chipset connecting two AMD processors and four PCI-Express graphic cards, dubbed as "790FX chipset" (codenamed "RD790"), which provides
PCI Express slots of x8-x8-x8-x8 configuration, and will be available first half of 2007.cite news | url=http://www.chilehardware.com/articulo_1631.html | title=Informacion confidencial de ATi | publisher=ChileHardWare | language=Spanish | date=2006-10-06 | accessdate=2007-10-02] In September and October 2007 news sites reported that AMD had dropped Quad Phenom from their road maps. [cite news | url=http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2007/09/12/amd-no-longer-fasn8ted | title=AMD no longer FASN8ted | first=Wily | last=Ferret | publisher=The Inquirer | date=2007-09-12 | accessdate=2007-10-02] [cite news | url=http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2007/10/02/phenom-launch-2007-whoops | title=AMD goes on the slide | first=Theo | last=Valich | publisher=The Inquirer | date=2007-10-02 | accessdate=2007-10-02]Source also revealed that a revamped "580X" chipset, which is due first half of 2007, will allow two CPUs and at most three graphic cards to run on the same board, but was obviously cancelled as AMD demonstrated the 790FX chipset recently in internal events and
Computex 2007 [cite news | url=http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/31991/ | title=AMD shows off upcoming boards and chipsets | first=Humphrey | last=Cheung | publisher=TG Daily | date=2007-05-10 | accessdate=2007-10-02] instead of a revamped 580X chipset.System Builders
Since the platform launched in November, AMD has announced a list of System Builders, which have announced PC systems for the platform, those includes
Vigor Gaming ,IBuyPower ,Cyberpower PC ,MainGear andVelocity Micro . [cite news | url=http://techreport.com/onearticle.x/11378 | title=TR issues amber alert for Quad FX parts | first=Scott | last=Wasson | publisher=The Tech Report | date=2006-12-05 | accessdate=2007-10-02]American-based system builder,
Alienware , a subsidiary ofDell Computers have announced that there will be a system using the platform once the product released. Alienware has announced products for the platform, [cite press release | url=http://www.alienware.com/press_kit_pages/downloads/4x4_fact_sheet.pdf | format=PDF | title=AMD Codename: "4 x 4" Coming Soon to Alienware Systems | publisher=Alienware | accessdate=2007-10-02] however, as of today, none of the expected product lineup have been officially released.Another system builder,
VoodooPC , subsidiary ofHewlett Packard , has demonstrated an Omen PC, supporting the platform in CES 2007. With a similar system featuring Dual CPU configuration dubbed as the Omen a:221 SIlent DCC workstation, equipping twoOpteron 200 or 800 series CPU dated back to 2006, and the "OMEN AMD Quad FX SLI" system was announced later in the year.Several system integrators have also announced special Quad FX themed platforms, most notably Vigor Gaming's Force Recon QX4 "Quadfather" system.
Future updates
AMD announced in Analyst Day that, sometime during 2008, users should be able to use two, future quad-core AMD processors using the chipset, providing a total of eight physical cores, dubbed as "4x4++" with DDR3 support. [cite news | url=http://www.amd.com/us-en/assets/content_type/DownloadableAssets/PhilHesterAMDAnalystDayV2.pdf | title=2006 Technology Analyst Day | first=Phil | last=Hester | authorlink=Phillip Doyce Hester | format=PDF | publisher=
Advanced Micro Devices | date=2006-06-01 | accessdate=2007-10-02] rp|32 While backward compatible AMD quad-cores will also support an update toHyperTransport which will benefit more from a new chipset released at the same time.References
External links
*cite web | url=http://www.amd.com/us-en/Processors/ProductInformation/0,,30_118_9485_9488%5E14602,00.html | title=AMD Athlon 64 FX processor and AMD Quad FX Platform with Dual Socket Direct Connect Architecture FAQ | publisher=
Advanced Micro Devices | accessdate=2007-10-02
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