Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

AMD Predicts End of 32-bit Processors

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the end-of-the-longint-as-we-know-it dept.

DDumitru writes "Infoworld reports that AMD predicts it will stop producing 32-bit processors by the end of 2005. By depending on price cuts for Athlon-64 and Opteron, AMD is predicting that it's sales of 32-bit CPUs will fall off and obsolete 32-bit systems in less than 3 years. This is either a push forward, or a tactic to try to capture the 64/32 bit standard leaving Intel in the rear. Or it could just be hype." I'm not in a hurry to ditch any of my 32-bit machines, so long as I get them replaced by 2038.

7 of 587 comments (clear)

  1. Re:I hope the editors realize... by the_mutha · · Score: 4, Informative

    No, the REAL issue is memory space. 32 bit just won't cut it anymore for large database servers and the like, regardless of the movement for clustering.

    The thing is, in the desktop it will take longer for machines to require more than 4/8 GB of memory.

  2. Re:adaptability by RevMike · · Score: 4, Informative
    As a user of open source, I think this shouldn't really be a problem at all, should it? I mean, once gcc can compile 64-bit code, than we should simply be able to recompile all of our current apps for these new processors, shouldn't we? I'd be happy if someone out there could point me out as not being in the know...

    The Linux-on-Alpha project already did all the heavy lifting needed to run 64 bit almost ten years ago. Linux and *BSD is already running 64 bit on PowerPC. Virtually any package you can download that has an active support community is already 64 bit ready.

  3. 32-bit processors will still be around by dtjohnson · · Score: 4, Informative

    I think that AMD is just saying that *they* will stop making 32-bit processors by 2005 but not that 32-bit processors will be dead by then. It is reasonable for AMD to end production of the 32-bit processors because AMD does not have a lot of manufacturing capacity and they will want to make their 64-bit processors rather than 32-bit processors with the capacity that they do have. Also, AMD's 64-bit processors are also better 32-bit processors than many of the 32-bit processors that have been sold in the past.

    The 32-bit processors will obviously be around for a long time yet but they just will not be made by AMD. Intel will keep making them and probably other companies such as VIA and that chinese 'red storm' company (can't recall the name of it) will make them for many years to come. The old 16-bit 286 processors are still made today, even though Intel stopped making them years ago.

  4. Re:You know..... by ivan256 · · Score: 4, Informative

    I run my A7M266-D, with 2 Athlon MP 1800+ processors, plugged into a Kill-A-Watt meter. All signs point to it being cheaper to buy a dual opteron over the not so long term simply for the power saving features at idle. I figure that the new machine would pay for itself in less than a year. I'll be buying as soon as there are new opterons readily available so the price on the old ones will be low.

    Perhaps you should try being captian not-so-obvious and look and see how much it costs to leave that dual Athlon MP, which uses about the same amount of power at idle as at full utilization, on all the time. Also, if you don't need the capacity, why did you buy it in the first place?

  5. Re:You know..... by tomhudson · · Score: 4, Informative
    poster wrote:
    You can't sell an AGP video card for $30 MSRP
    Why not? GeForce 64meg w. tv-out are retailing for about that now.
    Ditto for processors; once a processor goes below about $40, it seems like it's no longer worth producing;
    You can get a motherboard w. duron 2000 cpu for $100 CAN (about $75.US). Split the cost in 2 - half for mb, half for cpu, we are under the $40.00 price point already.

    Same w. CD-ROMS at $20.00 new, etc.

  6. Re:Yes, but, by dmayle · · Score: 5, Informative

    I don't know why I'm doing your work for you, but you should try educating yourself.
    Check out BIOS32 services. It's a 32-bit entrance for BIOS services, and it's an industry standard...
    PDF link

  7. Re:16-bit? 16-bit? by Waffle+Iron · · Score: 5, Informative
    Looks like the Apollo guidance computers were 15-bits. From a random Google hit:

    Each computer had two types of memory, erasable and fixed. The fixed memory contained the programs, constants and landmark coordinates using 36,864 terms or words, each of 15 bits length. That came to a grand total of 74 kilobytes of memory. The erasable memory, which was used to store variable data used in calculations or as registers for logic operations, had only 2,048 15-bit terms.

    I remember reading elsewhere that the 36 Kwords of ROM were hard coded by hand threading the bit patterns with tiny wires and magnetic cores, and then they were sealed in a block of epoxy. Turnaround time to fix bugs took weeks.