AMD and Intel Update CPU Roadmaps

vincecate writes "Recently AMD updated their processor roadmap. It shows their move to 90 nm and has a range of new processors over the next 1.5 years, including dual-core chips. An unofficial AMD roadmap shows speeds and performance increasing. Intel also recently updated their roadmap. Intel does not show anything faster than the current 3.6 Ghz in the next 11 months, including the recently delayed 4 Ghz chip, except to say '3.6 Ghz or greater.' Strangely, some of the recent SPEC benchmark results show the 3.6 Ghz chip to be slower than the 3.4 Ghz chip. One possible explanation for this is that the 3.6 Ghz chips will slow down due to 'thermal throttling' if you are not very careful to keep them cool. So it seems like heat may be the reason Intel's roadmap does now show much improvement."

Comments

Whew

[Anonymous Coward]

An unofficial AMD roadmap shows speeds and performance increasing.

And here I was, afraid that they had decided to not increase speeds and performance. That was close.

Re:Whew

[Ari_Haviv]

unlike Intel...

This shows a benchmarking problem

[RhettLivingston]

Normal applications are not as likely to drive a processor into thermal throttling as a benchmark is. It sounds like benchmarks are going to need to be rewritten to either be short enough to not cause thermal throttling or to spread the benchmark out so that the CPU has a chance to dissipate heat buildup caused by the artificially intensive benchmark code.