14 DAY TRIAL // In an interview with Overclockers Australia, Garrath Johnson, Technical Manager from AMD Australia, has unveiled a few things about the upcoming Deneb microprocessor, the new chip Advanced Micro Devices has developed for desktop computers. According to Mr. Johnson, the key features of the new CPU are the 45 nanometer process technology used to manufacture it, and the enlarged cache size it will come with.
Initially, the new chip will be released for the AM2+ socket, and will come in two flavors. Moreover, all Deneb processors will be backwards compatible with AM2+. That means that AM3 Deneb parts will work on AM2+, yet will not allow pairing with DDR3 memory modules. The downside is that AM2+ parts will not work on AM3 motherboards with DDR3 kits. Those willing to use a Deneb on such a board will have to wait until the first quarter of the next year, when the company is expected to launch the DDR3 models.
According to Johnson, the AM3 models will allow users to install them on AM2 motherboards as well. Of course, that would eliminate the use of DDR3, and will also mean switching to a slower HyperTransport, but it is a great thing anyway. The standard cache size on Deneb will be 8MB, yet it seems that AMD also plans to release quad cores with a different cache size, but only smaller. It seems that the chip also features a number of architectural changes that leverage performance, yet most of the improvements reside in the process shrink and extra cache.
Johnson has also said that the first Deneb chips will feature a 3GHz core clock speed, and that they will prove good overclockers, even on air. The two first models will have a 125W TDP, yet AMD plans to release lower power quad cores as well, down all the way to 45W. Besides, the Sunnyvale company will continue to release “Black Edition” chips, as it has done until now with its dual, triple and quad-core models.
As Johnson has revealed, some BIOS updates will be necessary for those who wish to use the Denebs on older motherboards. However, this will be a matter of concern for motherboard makers, and they have already received samples of the chip. AMD will get manufacturing priority at the Foundry Company, but the chip maker says it will continue working with TSMC as well.
When referring to the cross-licensing issues that may appear with Intel, Garrath Johnson said that, “there’s cross-licensing the other way as well, and if we were to withdraw our licenses at the same time, our competition would go back to 1996. I think we’ve got each other covered. No-one wants to shoot themselves in the foot.” The entire interview can be found here.
