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It's (Almost) Hammer Time

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the please-amd-don't-hurt-'em dept.

thelizman writes "C|Net is catching up on the buzz with AMD's Hammer line of processors. Of note in the article is how AMD demonstrated their 64-bit contender using Linux and Windows, instead of just Windows. In reality, Linux will likely have 64 bit applications more quickly than Microsoft, and will see use on this processor more readily than your average WinTel machine, so you know...like...it only makes sense."

12 of 344 comments (clear)

  1. Will this hammer... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    come with an ice pick? Cuz you're gonna need a solid block of ice to cool the damn thing. It IS an AMD, afterall.

    1. Re:Will this hammer... by phagstrom · · Score: 5, Funny
      Cuz you're gonna need a solid block of ice to cool the damn thing. It IS an AMD, afterall


      With no cooler:

      Can't thouch this!! :-)
    2. Re:Will this hammer... by RainbowSix · · Score: 5, Informative

      How did this get modded up? Check www.sandpile.org. The P4 maxed out at 99 watts and the Athlon maxed out at 75 watts. Maybe AMD should add huge plastic brackets to their spec so people can use freakin huge heat sinks and then maybe they'll shut up about trying to cool a "megar" T-bird 1.4 gig@75 watts.

      --
      --------
      It's OK to be social, just don't tell anyone about it.
  2. cf: IA64 by bugnuts · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The 64-bit x-86 hasn't been welcomed as warmly, primarily due to backward compatibility issues. Definitely having the source and being able to recompile Linux apps will give the Linux folks a jump out the gate for 64-bit apps.

    In general, I doubt strongly this is a AMD vs Intel issue, either. This is a Windows (and their legacy users) vs Linux (and their overly prideful users that must find every method to berate windows). :)

    1. Re:cf: IA64 by storem · · Score: 5, Informative
      It seems AMD is aware of this. They even sponsor a website dedicated to 64-bit porting open source software. (Including GNU/Linux offcourse).

      The site also has a 64-bit simulator for you favorite 32-bit processor based Linux system.

      --
      StarTrek.org Free Webmail
  3. Windows at disadvantage? by PM4RK5 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Correct me if I'm wrong, but the only versions of windows that I know of that are 64-bit are the 64-bit WinXP and maybe versions of NT (but those were probably for Alpha anyway), which are now outdated.

    There are probably enough people like me that don't want to upgrade to WinXP just for 64-bit (I don't like lots of things about XP, but thats my opinion). So it would seem that Linux with Cross-platform portability (hence, x86-64) will have a better chance at propagating (spelling?) itself in to this market faster than windows.

    Just my opinions, not to be taken as fact.

    1. Re:Windows at disadvantage? by sean23007 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      You may well be right. In fact, this could be AMD's way to get back at Microsoft. For so long, MS and Intel have been sleeping together, both helping eath other out in each other's industries, forcing the other computer manufacturers to use their products in computers.

      In the transition to 64 bits, if AMD can get there faster (and by there, I mean readily available to the consumer, not readily available to the bored millionaire), they can enlist Linux as their Microsoft and do the same thing to the market that has been happening for a decade: only with a free OS.

      Actually, I wouldn't mind, and I don't think many would.

      --

      Lack of eloquence does not denote lack of intelligence, though they often coincide.
    2. Re:Windows at disadvantage? by inburito · · Score: 5, Insightful

      What would you benefit from running a 64bit platform?

      Key applications for 64bit computing are more or less involved with anything that requires a huge amount of memory. Servers(massive databases), high-end engineering(airplanes, ships, etc.) and scientific computing come into my mind.

      In these kind of applications and systems you're not concerned whether or not you like windows xp but rather: how cost effective is it and what is the performance advantage?

      Unless your computers memory capacity is exhausted(what, 4 gigs is not enough for everyone?) and it is crunching numbers on full load 24/7 I don't see too many reasons aside the coolness factor to even consider 64bit computing. Heck, smp systems would make much more sense in most of the cases.

  4. Can't touch this by Magnusite · · Score: 4, Funny

    Argh, is this going to add yet ANOTHER set of addressing modes? Now we will have:

    mov ah, #1
    mov ax, #1
    mov eax, #1
    mov eeax, #1

    Seriously, I wonder how they have modified the register addressing field of the instructions to handle this.

  5. Designing the X86-64 architecture... by JPriest · · Score: 5, Informative

    Kevin McGrath (AMD senior tech) gave a great presentation at Stanford on the Hammer and how AMD took on many design concepts of the X86-64 architecture. This was probably one of the more informative lectures I have seen on the topic. The video is long though http://murl.microsoft.com/videos/stanford/ee380b/0 00927_ee380_OnDemand_100_100K_320x240.htm

    --
    Saying Java is nice because it works on all OS's is like saying that anal sex is nice because it works on all genders.
  6. Desktop applications requiring lots of RAM by mbessey · · Score: 5, Insightful

    A short list of desktop applications that could reasonably use multi-gigabytes of RAM. These are all arguably "high-end" applications, but that goes with the territory:

    1. Non-linear video & film editing:
    Current video editing software can work from and to disk, but availability of more RAM will make it easier to do more sophisticated effects in real time.

    2. Genome sequence analysis
    Okay, not very many people will be doing this, but it IS a growing field, and people are doing the work on desktiop machines now (albeit slowly).

    3. Modelling / CAD
    You can never have too much memory in a CAD workstation.

    4. Software development
    Again, you can never have too much memory. More memory enables more agressive optimization, as well as supporting more productivity features in the IDE (like full source indexing). I have used toolsets that need 2+ GB of RAM to compile a relatively simple program (they swap now, of course).

    So, probably not for Microsoft Word '03, but there are definitely applications for 64-bit computing out there other than servers.

    -Mark

  7. Anandtech article with pictures! by pointwood · · Score: 4, Informative

    Anandtech has posted an article with lots of information and pictures Right here.