AMD's Altair FX Previewed

Altair FX is the name of the latest CPU seen in AMD’s roadmaps. Nothing unusual one might say, with the working frequency of the final CPU varying from 2.7 to 2.9GHz. But as we get to cache memory, things are starting to change. The processor is said to carry a significant amount of cache and will end up with 2MB of dedicated L2 cache memory per CPU die and an additional 2MB of shared L3 cache memory.

That brings the total cache to a whopping 6MB which actually sounds a lot when compared with older AMD products. Altair FX exists only on roadmaps and it is said to be integrated in the upcoming Agena native quad core family but no one knows for sure what will happen with this CPU.

The processor will come out in the third quarter next year and will probably use 1207+ LGA socket. Estimations regarding power consumption have pointed out that this CPU will eat 120A on full load. Another 20A will be drained by the northbridge so we can be pretty sure that a 125W TDP or more is to be expected depending heavily on the core’s final working frequency. The HTT speed will double increasing from 2000MHz to 4000MHz. More details available in AMD’s roadmap mention 128-bit FPUs and integrated SSE4 instruction set.

As always, the future sounds nice for AMD. It’s the present that keeps bringing them down constantly. AMD’s 4x4 platform using 1207 pin LGA socket is almost here and it will keep you busy until the first “stars” from AMD will arrive. Let’s hope that Altair FX won’t remain just a name on a roadmap.