AMD Opteron CPU with four cores and HyperTransport 3.0

AMD has been showing its socketed quad-core Opterons for servers and workstations at Computex. The processors are based on the Budapest core, which is essentially a Barcelona core with a HyperTransport link. Opteron 1300 Series processors are compatible with the AM2 motherboard socket used for the previous dual-core 1000 version, as long as the BIOS supports them. When questioned by heise online, AMD confirmed that the new Opterons also support Socket AM2+. HyperTransport 3.0. Separate supply voltages for the Northbridge and the CPU cores have only been possible since AM2+. A suitable chipset and voltage converter are required. The CPU List on AMD's website is not completely up-to-date, since the Opteron 1300 Series is not shown and AMD has not revised the Opteron datasheet since March.

AMD also announced a whole host of server and workstation manufacturers who plan to install the new CPUs. HP, for example, intends to offer its Proliant ML115 G5 server and xw4550 workstation with the quad-core Opteron. Both of these are currently only available with dual-core. Dell will make them available as an option in its entry-level server, the PowerEdge-T105. Here too, the Dell website lists only the older Opterons. AMD was able to report that Cray is now starting to ship its XT4 machines. This is hardly cause for Cray to celebrate, however, since the firm originally hoped to start shipping last year and has been keeping its customers waiting ever since. The delays even caused Cray to issue a profit warning. Nevertheless, the Jaguar XT4 supercomputer based at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the former US nuclear facility, was equipped with 7,832 2.1Gz quad-core Opterons on 12 May and is now achieving around 263 Teraflops. There should just be enough time to get these figures into the June Top 500 List. In autumn 2007, Jaguar managed 7th place with 102 Teraflops. If Cray had been able to fit the four-core Opterons back then, it would have made second place.

AMD has only been fulfilling large orders for the Opterons with the Barcelona core for multi-processor systems – with revised B3 stepping - since April. The "official" launch of the quad-core Opteron in September 2007 was – like the launch of Phenom – a PR disaster. In December, AMD temporarily suspended deliveries of the Barcelona.

(trk)