X-bit labs

AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+ Anew: AMD Masters 65nm Technology (page 11)

Category: CPU

by Ilya Gavrichenkov

[ 01/03/2007 | 01:42 PM ]

Conclusion

The new 65nm Brisbane core can’t provoke a revolution on the CPU market. From an ordinary user’s point of view, the processors based on the new core differ but little from their predecessors. The new core doesn’t feature any improvements on the micro-architecture level and its frequency potential doesn’t differ much from that of the older Windsor core.

So, it is AMD itself that will profit most from the Brisbane. With the smaller CPU die area and larger semiconductor wafers, the cost of dual-core CPUs is now reduced whereas the introduction of fractional frequency multipliers allows to shape up a more flexible CPU series. Having mastered the 65nm tech process prior to launching its CPUs with the improved K8L micro-architecture, AMD has got a chance to make the manufacturing process polished off and ready for the moment the company’s fate will be decided.

As for consumer properties of the new CPUs, the Brisbane core does offer something positive. First of all, the 65nm CPUs have become more economical (if you don’t compare them with the older models from the Energy Efficient series) – all the new CPU models on the Brisbane core will fit within a TDP of 65W. Second, the new CPUs may be somewhat better to deal with for an overclocker.

But is this enough to make the new CPUs appealing in the eyes of the rapidly dispersing crowd of AMD fans? We guess, not. Especially as the Brisbane’s drawback – it works slower than the previous core with data in memory– may outweigh the good points mentioned.