AMD Preparing ''Thuban'' Desktop Six-Core Processor..

[Apokalipse]

AMD is planning to create a desktop implementation of its Opteron "Istanbul" monolithic six-core processor. Codenamed "Thuban" (named after a star in the Draco constellation, which means Dragon), the new processor will be based on the socket AM3 package for compatibility with existing and future desktop core logic. It features six cores, 9 MB of total cache (6 x 512 KB L2 + 6 MB L3). Thuban is aimed to make for AMD's high-end desktop processor, as the company prepares to face competition from a near-complete lineup of processors based on the Nehalem/Westmere architectures from Intel. It is expected to be the posterboy for AMD's "Leo" high-end consumer desktop platform that succeeds its current Dragon platform.

Some of the key components that make up AMD Leo platform are the upcoming AMD 890FX and 890GX chipset, companion SB800 series southbridge chips, and members of AMD's Evergreen family of DirectX 11 compliant graphics processors. On the software front, AMD will give its Fusion and Overdrive utilities some big updates. The SB800 series southbridge chips will feature native support for SATA 6 Gb/s and USB 3.0; connectivity is further enhanced by integrated Broadcom MAC Ethernet interfaces. While the Leo platform is expected to launch almost simultaneously with the 8-series chipsets, the six-core Thuban processor on the other hand comes later. It is due only in Q3 2010. Thuban will have come out an year after its enterprise implementation in the form of Opteron "Istanbul".

AMD Leo 2010 Platform - Enthusiasts' Dream Setup? by VR-Zone | Premier News Source
AMD Readies ?Thuban? Six-Core Desktop Processor - X-bit labs

 

[Puddle Jumper]

It's good to see that there will be a desktop version of Istanbul unfortunately Q3 2010 is to late for it to give them a much needed performance advantage over Intel's high end desktop chips

 

[Apokalipse]

Well think of it this way; the i7's main advantage is their performance in multithreaded applications. That's in large part due to HyperThreading.
Hyperthreading, of course, doesn't work as well as actually having 8 cores. However, it's still better than 4 cores 4 threads, when more than 4 threads are being used.

The 6-core CPU's should at least close the gap in large part when comparing in multithreaded apps.


Anyway, I'd say it's never "too late" to increase performance. An increase is an increase, and that's always welcome.

After these chips release, they just need to focus on getting 32nm manufacturing, as well as their Bulldozer architecture - and Fuzion, which could very well be part of the plan for Bulldozer (from what I hear, Bulldozer is supposed to be very modular)

 

[Puddle Jumper]

I have no doubt Thuban will close the gap with i7 and could very well beat it. The problem is i7 won't be top of the line in Q3 2010, Core i9 which has 6 cores, hyperthreading, and is 32nm will be released in either Q1 or Q2 of 2010.

Bulldozer is certainly interesting since very few specifics seem to be available for it. Is there any indication if it will launch at 32nm or is it to early to tell?

 

[ricanflow]

The 9MB cache should make a big difference as well.

 

[Apokalipse]

Well really it's the same amount of cache as Deneb gets per core. 6MB L3 (shared) + 512KB L2 (per core).
Basically it's Istanbul on the desktop.

If these are priced competitively (and they probably will be), it'll be a nice upgrade for power users, especially since it fits in existing motherboards.


Anyway, AMD seem to be kind of tight-lipped about Bulldozer. There's a good chance it could be something big.