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Intel Corp. will describe in details its next-generation micro-architecture for x86 microprocessors at the upcoming Intel Developer Forum (IDF) that kicks off next week, according to the company’s plans. While not many sessions will be dedicated to the new technology, the world’s largest chipmaker has already said that the new chips will be 20% faster their counterparts from Advanced Micro Devices.

Claims reportedly made by Mooly Eden, who is vice president and general manager of Intel’s mobile platforms group, suggest that Intel’s code-named Conroe and Merom processors would deliver performance advantage of at least 20% when compared to speed of AMD processors planned to be released in the second half of 2006.

“We believe we’ll be able to open a major gap with the new processors,” Mr. Eden is reported to have said about performance difference with AMD processors. “It will take at least a year and a half to two years to close such a gap.”

All the peculiarities of the next-generation micro-architecture (NGMA) are not clear at the moment. Though, from various official statements and unofficial information leaks, it can be summarized that the new micro-architecture will utilize shorter pipeline and high performance per clock ratio. The new processors will feature 14-stages pipeline, down from 31 or more stages found in current Intel Pentium (Prescott) designs, 4-issue out-of-order execution engine as well as improved performance of the floating-point unit (FPU). Initially, Intel will offer desktop processors clocked from 1.86GHz to 2.93GHz, but later on the clock-speed should improve. Also, the new chips and platforms on their base will also feature capabilities like virtualization, LaGrande technology, x86-64 in addition to EDB, EIST and iAMT2.

According to Intel, the combination of the architectural changes, large cache of up to 4MB and fast processor system bus of up to 1333MHz will allow the world’s largest chipmaker to claim victory over the smaller rival, the chipmaker believes. But one thing that the new processors from Intel will lack is built-in memory controller, something that conditions AMD’s consistent wins in benchmarks.

An executive from AMD, who is going to introduce processors with dual-channel DDR2 memory controller later this year, said he did not expect Intel’s processors to be 15% - 20% faster compared to the Athlon 64 and Turion 64 products.

Discussion

Comments currently: 7
Discussion started: 03/02/06 04:03:13 AM
Latest comment: 03/03/06 12:47:35 PM
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[1-5]

1. 
Too vague, which means it's a choice set of tests they believe this to be true on. So I don't buy the speed improvement claim.

Of course they'll trumpet far and wide their upcoming stuff because the current stuff stinks. They know it. They just don't want you to go buy a new system in June... lol, but wait till December when they'll really introduce these new cpu's. I also don't buy the July/Sep intro date rumours, or we'd be seeing sample chips by now. They'll be late, as always.

$.02
[Posted by: Anemone  | Date: 03/02/06 04:03:13 AM]

2. 
Ha ha ha yeh right,
"performance advantage of at least 20%", “It will take at least a year and a half to two years to close such a gap.”

Lets see now, for how many years has Intel been lagging behind AMD.(For the size of the Intel company, far too long...)

Once again, Intel paper flogging its dead cow processors.
[Posted by: BatteredSav  | Date: 03/02/06 04:10:33 AM]

3. 
Intel: LOOK A COW!

AMD: Keep smoking that pipe there buddy.

Sorry, but if Intel's track record on delievering on thier touted promises from the past few years is any indicator of things to come,(not even including all the canceled projects, like Tejas and Tigerton or the flop that is Prescott, aka the flame thrower) I'm not holding my breath. Smoke and mirrors guys, it's what Intel's marketing team does best. It will be interesting though to see if their engineering teams will be allowed by the upper management to finally dislodge thier combined heads from the marketing teams collective rectum.
[Posted by: Lou Ceifer  | Date: 03/02/06 06:57:36 AM]

4. 
A lot of the comments here ignore that the silicon is already out there, and from all indications it will be conservatively 20% faster than the Athlon 64, while using less power. It should be more.

Why do people get offended by stuff like this anyway? Intel has failed a lot, particularly with the Pentium 4, but this isn't a Pentium 4. The Pentium M has been consistently excellent, and this is more a derivation of that chip. The Yonah is already an extremely useful processor.

So, I know it hurts people that consider AMD part of their family, but it will be a better processor than the mediocre Athlon 64, and a Hell of a lot better than the awful Pentium 4. It's good for everyone, except for AMD, because it allows us to have better choices. AMD will still be around probably selling them for less since they will be inferior to the Intel product, like they were with the K6. They survived, and kept Intel prices in check because while AMD will have an inferior product, it won't be vastly inferior and most people don't need the fastest processors anyway. Power use will be a big advantage for the Intel processors though, and that is useful to everyone. Still, the Athlon 64 will survive as a value processor.

While the Athlon 64 is a mediocre processor, keep in mind that AMD is certainly working on their next generation processor too. Will that be better than the Merom? It easily could be. I don't know anything about it, but certainly AMD has something in the works. The AM2 that all some idiots were talking like it was a huge improvement appears to be a major dud, with the first benchmarks showing inferior performance to the current DDR solution. The final product will be better, but clearly this isn't a major improvement.

So, accept it. Intel will pass AMD and the planet will survive. It happened with the Pentium 4 too for a while against the Athlon. AMD survived. This will be a bit different, because Intel will have a faster and more efficient processor, but AMD will survive, come out with their new processor at some point, and it'll go on that way for a while. My major concern is AMD's lagging manufacturing capability. I don't think anyone outside of Intel wants AMD to fall by the wayside and become irrelevant. I don't think they'll ever fall too far behind in design, because at this point the designing part is pretty mature, but manufacturing is a big problem right now.

[Posted by: TA152H  | Date: 03/02/06 11:47:37 AM]
+ expand thread (2 answers)

5. 
Good comment TA152H.
As you said; The existing benchmarks indicates that Intel might have a +20% advantage at a lower wattage. Which is great news for everbody, even for those who gonna stick to AMD since they will have to respond to this; lower prices in the short run, and better products in the long run. Intel is a big company, and so is AMD too. The real entusiast has to find an even more exotic CPU-manufacturer in order to stay alternative, like VIA or something.
[Posted by: Y-SWE  | Date: 03/02/06 02:00:08 PM]

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