AMD to integrate PCIe

[imported_humey]

http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=24756

 

[ZobarStyl]

God, as if AMD didn't already have enough of a lead in gaming. I wonder if it will also decrease some of the CPU-dependent overhead for SLI/Crossfire?

 

[imported_Kensai]

Wow. If it actually works, total performance will sky rocket.

 

[Megamixman]

God, CPU's are slowly becoming microcontrollers on steroids.

 

[SonicIce]

So Intel will need a new socket again to support this? This won't be here until socket 939 is dead anyway, I guess. It's a long way off. I though socket 1207 was for servers and desktops were moving to 940?

 

[Mrvile]

Heh, imagine what CPU prices will be.

 

[Elcs]

Originally posted by: Mrvile
Heh, imagine what CPU prices will be.

As long as performance increases in line with any price rises, theres not that much of a problem unless no budget level processors are offered.

 

[Peter]

Well, a PCIE root complex isn't that much silicon surface, and it doesn't need too many pins either (four per link, times N for a port of width N).

And if they put a 16x port into the CPU, then all those two-piece chipsets can technically dispose of their "north" part - and that's a lot of board space and cost saved, not added.

 

[Mrvile]

Originally posted by: Elcs

Originally posted by: Mrvile
Heh, imagine what CPU prices will be.

As long as performance increases in line with any price rises, theres not that much of a problem unless no budget level processors are offered.

That's true, although to keep performance levels increasing staying at the same price, budget-level procs will have to sacrifice some power. Like a 3200+ with PCIe might not run as fast as a 3200+ without, if they were to cost the same.

 

[imported_humey]

SonicIce, NO 940 is dead it needs regged ECC ram and 939 dont.

Both 754 and 940 are replaced by 939 now.

Peter, There aint a northbridhe on Nf4 mobos only the early vias, and there aint any FSB, its HT now, they have a southbridge and the old northbridge since it has no longer got a memory controler is called the chipset, and the pci-e currently is build into the southbridge along with sata 300 , usb2.0 and sound etc.

 

[Peter]

What? 940 is well alive (servers, workstations, anything multi-CPU), and so is 754 (mobile, budget). This is called market segmentation.

NF4 is a single chip. Read how I said "two-chip solutions", and there are plenty - VIA, SiS, ULi (not just the "early" ones), and NFpro. One or two chips, all these chipsets use HT-PCIE bridging that becomes obsolete when the CPU brings it. Much like the RAM controller disappeared from chipsets when the CPU integrated it.

Chipset makers have ever called their stuff "chipsets", no matter whether these were one, two, three or four chips - and they still do say north and south bridge if it's a two-chip solution. Traditional north bridges had CPU, RAM, graphics, and southbridge busses - with the RAM and graphics busses drawn into the CPU, they'll be fully obsolete.

Mathematically, a set is perfectly fine to have just one member.

And where did I say "FSB" again?

No need to lecture me btw, I'm a BIOS engineer, working in mainboard design. Thank you.

 

[imported_humey]

1st Peter, i didnt say you said fsb, i just included the info.

2nd Yes sure 940 is still around and for sale but its being replaced on desktops you now get 939 FX's not 940

3rd I dont give a toss what your job is ive heard it all before, im a engineer and it dont mean all i worked with were good or knew wtf they were doing.

One of my buddies in my irc channel that works together with MS on beta stuff used to work with AMD (fixed machines that made wafers), so i dont need you or any others apart from him to edu me on the tech, i take his word over anyone elses.

He seems to know whats going on well into 2007 and all he has said in past is now real so i dont doubt him.

If you so clued up on mobos you should have known 940 pin is being phased out and all FX's now are 939pins and use normal ram.

 

[BFG10K]

AMD's engineers are a clever bunch, no doubts there. The A64 is an amazing processor: fast, cool, cheap (compared to Intel).

 

[Creig]

humey, I don't think Socket 940 is going away. The AthlonFX may have been phased out of socket 940, but the Opteron is still there for servers/workstations. AMD is simply making the division between server and home CPU lines a bit more distinct.

 

[videoclone]

Intel is still a better CPU for Videogames ... .. well thats what Intel thinks.

Heck Intel still thinks there CPU .. has no competition.

And according to desktop and laptop OEM sales .. " it doesn?t "

It wont matter if AMD brings out CPU's that are 100 times faster then Intels ... this all means jack~

Nothing will change and Intel will still make 100 times more money then AMD.

I think if i was one of the brilliant Microprocessor Engineers working for AMD i would be very frustrated.

 

[Fox5]

Originally posted by: Megamixman
God, CPU's are slowly becoming microcontrollers on steroids.

Which has some problems...the bugs are now on the cpu and not on the chipset, and there's limits to what they can do. AMD's cpu already has some memory problems, what if it has problems with this? That, and it is slowly removing the point of a motherboard, they're going to be little more than connectors soon, well, I guess anybody will be able to make a decent AMD mobo then.

BTW, didn't intel want to make an all in one cpu at one point?

Will this really improve performance much though? Wasn't aware there was that much cpu->gpu communication anymore.

Well, this gives me a reason to hold off on an upgrade for even longer, and I thought an X2 system with fast DDR would be enough for a while...on the other hand, graphics bus performance is another area where AMD has lagged behind Intel, despite faster cpus, so this will at least look good for theoretical performance.

 

[Algere]

Originally posted by: humey
SonicIce, NO 940 is dead it needs regged ECC ram and 939 dont.

Both 754 and 940 are replaced by 939 now.

Peter, There aint a northbridhe on Nf4 mobos only the early vias, and there aint any FSB, its HT now, they have a southbridge and the old northbridge since it has no longer got a memory controler is called the chipset, and the pci-e currently is build into the southbridge along with sata 300 , usb2.0 and sound etc.

Well... if these "reports" are true. It could be s940, just not the s940 (server/workstation related) being used today.

 

[imported_booradley]

What a wealth of misinformation....

 

[ZobarStyl]

Originally posted by: Fox5
Which has some problems...the bugs are now on the cpu and not on the chipset, and there's limits to what they can do. AMD's cpu already has some memory problems, what if it has problems with this?

What problems? Links to back up such claims should go without saying.

Will this really improve performance much though? Wasn't aware there was that much cpu->gpu communication anymore.

Oh yeah, they hardly ever speak anymore. They don't send each other any information, the image just magically appears on the screen.

graphics bus performance is another area where AMD has lagged behind Intel, despite faster cpus, so this will at least look good for theoretical performance.

Again, link? I wasn't aware of any graphical performance area (games) where AMD has lagged behind Intel. Considering how long SLi solutions have available for AMD mobo's vs Intel's, I wouldn't say the bus performance has been an issue for AMD.

I'm not trying to hop on your case, but you post looks like a lot of misinformation to me.

 

[HDTVMan]

How would this work? I mean compared to NVIDIA Sli? Is there a defined spec for DUAL PCI-E? Or even multiple?

 

[VIAN]

I'm a bit worried of what it might mean. I would like to hear more info on it first.

 

[biostud]

This is beeing introduced on the S1207 socket aimed for workstations and servers, NOT socket M2 which is for desktops. It might come at some time, but not soon. Also as the articles states you can always add more PCIe lanes with a chipset. To run SLI/Crossfire you would probably need a compatible chipset anyway, which is why it's not going to be feasable to introduce S1207 to the home PC market. Also remember that PCIe is not just for video.

 

[imported_humey]

Creig, the optrons are still 940 pins but will be replaced by the 1207 pins (cant remeber the exact number), the desktop cpu are all now made in 939, and i doubt 754 is even made now but you can obv buy them, needing regged ECC ram for a desktop cause you want a FX was a bad idea so going from 940 to 939 pins was good for end user as ram is less costly.

Im told the next gen is 2006 where you will prob see ddr2 support even though they debated it and ddr3 they have said they will use ddr2, and last week it was shown the new "E" chips have hidden settings for native 500mhz support instead of 400mhz, obv we know they overclock well by this anyhow esp venice and san diego chips.


Quoted "Given the increasing use of opterons in servers and supercomputers, AMD ...
word" is that Opterons are going to a 1207 pin with the next generation chips"

http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=2469 < this sites write up on 500mhz memory controler hidden in new "E" amd 64's

 

[Jeff7181]

Originally posted by: Megamixman
God, CPU's are slowly becoming microcontrollers on steroids.

The motherboard is slowly becoming a PCB with "wires" to connect everything and nothing more.

 

[Jeff7181]

Originally posted by: humey
1st Peter, i didnt say you said fsb, i just included the info.

2nd Yes sure 940 is still around and for sale but its being replaced on desktops you now get 939 FX's not 940

3rd I dont give a toss what your job is ive heard it all before, im a engineer and it dont mean all i worked with were good or knew wtf they were doing.

One of my buddies in my irc channel that works together with MS on beta stuff used to work with AMD (fixed machines that made wafers), so i dont need you or any others apart from him to edu me on the tech, i take his word over anyone elses.

He seems to know whats going on well into 2007 and all he has said in past is now real so i dont doubt him.

If you so clued up on mobos you should have known 940 pin is being phased out and all FX's now are 939pins and use normal ram.

Don't be an ass. You have your "facts" wrong. Rumors have said socket 939 will be replaced by a 940 pin socket. NOT the same Socket 940 used by Opterons now... electronically they won't be compatible. 940 will be replaced by a 1207 pin socket.

If you keep insulting people, thinking you know better, cause your "buddy" told you so, you're going to miss the opportunity to learn, and you'll gain little respect. You come off as a pompous ass, and I have little respect for pompous asses.