In the course of 2007 AMD will release their Quad core architectures based on the K8L architecture, which is also known as K10. In addition to quad cores, the processors will introduce a number of innovations and refinements to AMD technology.

The CPUs are based on the same socket platform as Opteron Revision F CPUs. Although the Athlon 64 FX-7x series are based on the same socket, Opteron revision F CPUs cannot be used for Quad FX.

The AMD K8L architecture will be initially released as a Quad-core Opteron processor. Subsequently the architecture will be adopted for use in Turion 64 and Athlon 64 processors. By the end of next year, K8L should have made its way into all market segments that AMD has solutions in. The AMD K8L architecture is not just meant for quad core CPUs. In time, the architecture will also be used for AMD’s next generation dual-core CPUs.

Each core will have an L1 cache of 128 Kbytes which will be split into two independent 64 Kbytes blocks for data and instructions. The L1 cache will be placed side by side with an L2 cache of 512 Kbytes for each core.

In addition to the L1 and L2 cache, AMD has integrated into these processors a third level cache, or L3, that at first will be 2Mbytes. This L3 cache will be shared by all four cores. AMD will increase the size of the L3 cache in future CPUs based on the K8L architecture.

AMD has put a considerable amount of effort into optimizing the power consumption for their new quad core architecture. At the moment, AMD is confident enough to say that their initial TDP values are equal to that of dual-core solutions. Because of this, it will not be required to upgrade to a new motherboard, change the PSU, or even change the cooling system if upgrading from a Socket 1207 pin Opteron that is already available on the market to a Quad-core processor. The energy saving method implemented on the new quad core processor will allow each Core to have its operational frequency be independent from the other three cores. The voltage, however, will remain identical between the four cores.

These are the main architectural characteristics that have been changed for the K10 in regards to K8:

• New SSE4 extensions
• 32-bit instruction fetch
• Dual 128-bit SSE dataflow
• Dual 128-bit loads per cycle
• Instruction fetch bandwidth is doubled from 16 to 32bytes per clock
• HyperTransport Version 3.0 will be supported for successive versions of the K8L architecture
  

The moment quad core Athlon 64 FX processors are made available on the market, Quad FX will be able to upgrade from four to eight cores. This will not only double the amount of cores, but will also make the system benefit from all of the above architectural innovations.

architetture Quad FX 2006: due processori dual core

Architecture of the Quad FX 2006: the quad core processor

In the same period AMD will also roll out a new version of their Quad FX platform. The platform will be based on a 1207+ pin socket. Physically the socket will be the same, however, the type of performance increase users will experience going from Socket 1207 to “1207+” is not clear at the moement. One new feature of the revised platform will be that it is able to use HyperTransport Version 3.0. On paper, the new HT version will increase performance by allowing users to take better advantage of the quad core processor. The currently released Quad FX platforms will still be able to work with the new Quad core Athlon 64 FX CPUs, but with the limitation that they will not be able to take advantage of the bandwidth of HyperTransprot 3.0. In order to use HyperTransport 3.0, it will be necessary to upgrade the motherboard.