what will be the AMD 64bit good for?

[drslump]

Hi,

In the last weeks everybody around me is talking about the upcoming 64bits AMD processor. They say that it's gonna be fantastic and that they'll get it as soon as it's available.

I understood that even if it's going to be a new architecture (64bit) will be compatible with 32bit opcodes. Another thing that I have quite clear is that will be a new Windows with support for this processor.

That brings me some questions.

Will this new CPU improve dramatically the multimedia performance? things like DivX/DVD encoding or Sound processing and advanced voice recognition.

Will it be compatible with current standards like AGP, IDE or DDR ram?

Will it support legacy 16bit dos apps?

While the new apps with support/optimizations for this CPU don't come up, will the current ones perform in this processor like they will in a top notch 32bit CPU?

thanks in advance.
cheers Ivan

[Wombat]

It's not a new ISA (Instruction Set Architecture), just an extension of the old one, much like 286->386->486, etc.

Nobody knows what improvements it will bring. That actually has much less to do with the new instructions than it does with the overall design of the processor. The only hint we really have is that XP ratings are reportedly starting at like 3300.

CPUs have noting to do with protocol support. That all depends on the chipsets, although the AMD documents show motherboards that support all of today's latest standards.

If it's truely an x86 extension, it will support all the instructions those apps use, but your compatibility question is actually an OS issue, not a processor issue.

[High_Jumbllama]

DOes it have Mutil-processing on a chip?

[Wombat]

If you mean multi-core, no I don't think so. IBM is the only company I'm aware of with multi-core products currently on the market. I'm not sure where Sun's progress is, and I'm gagged on HP & Intel

[Ribbit]

No, that got canned. (If they were ever going to do it in the first place, I think it was actually all just a rumour.)

[thop]

64bit porn. say no more.

[Marshmallowman]

64bits won't help in a lot of current programs, but if a 64bit version of divx or other encoders are written it will likely give performance twice that of the 32bit version, this not true for most programs but it will be true for encodeing/decodeing.
For me 64bit unreal 2003 will be somethnig worth checking out

IBM does have multicore CPU in production, they are making a supercomputer using 1000's of there new double CPU cores, weird thing is only one core is enabled!!!!, I am not sure if thats for redundancy or they just don't work well in the situation.
(It will be completed in a few years and is supposed to gain the crown as the fastest supecomputer)
(I can't remember the web page, so you may have to take the above with a pinch of salt)

AMD has stated that it is possible that they might do a double core opteron, another interesting snippit I picked up is that AMD actualy took out a "hyperthreading" patent in 98/99. (they demonstarted a cpu executing 2 threads simultaniosly), so I a hyperthreaded dual cpu core is a REMOTE possiblity.

[Wombat]

they are making a supercomputer using 1000's of there new double CPU cores, weird thing is only one core is enabled!!!!, I am not sure if thats for redundancy or they just don't work well in the situation.

See, that's part of the Power4 problem. People see the SPEC marks for 1-core-enabled parts, and think, "Wow, imagine the 2 and 4 core parts!" The truth is, the performance returns just aren't there. You see, with one core, it gets the cache all to itself. Two cores split it in half, etc. There are many operations where single-core parts are fastest.

[High_Jumbllama]

As I remember Intel is working on it though they scrapped plans for it in their next chip. THough I do not remember where I read this and it should not be taken as fact.

[GNEP]

I know what the AMD 64bit will be good for.

Prices of the Athlon XP. Once they are down further, I will get whatever TBred I can afford for 50 quid to replace the Duron 900 I'm running at the moment (which was a v.v. cheap replacement for a fried TBird 1.3)

Gnep