AMD Athlon 64 FX-60: A Dual-Core farewell to Socket-939
by Anand Lal Shimpi on January 9, 2006 11:59 PM EST- Posted in
- CPUs
Overall Performance using SYSMark 2004
Office Productivity SYSMark 2004
SYSMark's Office Productivity suite consists of three tests, the first of which is the Communication test. The Communication test consists of the following:
ICC SYSMark 2004
The first category that we will deal with is 3D Content Creation. The tests that make up this benchmark are described below:
Office Productivity SYSMark 2004
SYSMark's Office Productivity suite consists of three tests, the first of which is the Communication test. The Communication test consists of the following:
"The user receives an email in Outlook 2002 that contains a collection of documents in a zip file. The user reviews his email and updates his calendar while VirusScan 7.0 scans the system. The corporate web site is viewed in Internet Explorer 6.0. Finally, Internet Explorer is used to look at samples of the web pages and documents created during the scenario."The next test is Document Creation performance:
"The user edits the document using Word 2002. He transcribes an audio file into a document using Dragon NaturallySpeaking 6. Once the document has all the necessary pieces in place, the user changes it into a portable format for easy and secure distribution using Acrobat 5.0.5. The user creates a marketing presentation in PowerPoint 2002 and adds elements to a slide show template."The final test in our Office Productivity suite is Data Analysis, which BAPCo describes as:
"The user opens a database using Access 2002 and runs some queries. A collection of documents are archived using WinZip 8.1. The queries' results are imported into a spreadsheet using Excel 2002 and are used to generate graphical charts."
ICC SYSMark 2004
The first category that we will deal with is 3D Content Creation. The tests that make up this benchmark are described below:
"The user renders a 3D model to a bitmap using 3ds max 5.1, while preparing web pages in Dreamweaver MX. Then the user renders a 3D animation in a vector graphics format."Next, we have 2D Content Creation performance:
"The user uses Premiere 6.5 to create a movie from several raw input movie cuts and sound cuts and starts exporting it. While waiting on this operation, the user imports the rendered image into Photoshop 7.01, modifies it and saves the results. Once the movie is assembled, the user edits it and creates special effects using After Effects 5.5."The Internet Content Creation suite is rounded up with a Web Publishing performance test:
"The user extracts content from an archive using WinZip 8.1. Meanwhile, he uses Flash MX to open the exported 3D vector graphics file. He modifies it by including other pictures and optimizes it for faster animation. The final movie with the special effects is then compressed using Windows Media Encoder 9 series in a format that can be broadcast over broadband Internet. The web site is given the final touches in Dreamweaver MX and the system is scanned by VirusScan 7.0."
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LupusQA - Tuesday, January 10, 2006 - link
I just don't see the point in spending $1000+ plus for a CPU like this. My Opteron 165 has the same amount of cache, and is currently running stable at 2.7Ghz. Not to mention it only cost me $300.The only use this chip would have is for bragging rights to show off how much cash you have, or for those who wouldn't think of straying into the area of overclocking. Guess thats why AMD cancelled the 939 Opterons.. :p
SynthDude2001 - Tuesday, January 10, 2006 - link
I feel the exact same way. I've got a $356 Opteron 170, runs as fast as 2.75GHz. I'm glad overclocking is still alive and well, easy way to save $800. ;-)Furen - Tuesday, January 10, 2006 - link
Lots of X2s and Opterons can hit 2.7GHz without a problem but most people dont overclock. Sure buying this CPU wont give you the best bang for the buck but what high-end part does? The reason why AMD is against regular people buying Opterons instead of X2s is not because people are buying them to overclock them but because a) the supply of these is pretty limited as it is, b) some people will buy these things throw them onto a regular socket 939 motherboard AND expect support, and c) it messes up the market segmentation and will make it hard to gauge whether or not going socket 939 helped the 100 series with its intended market. People who overclock lowend CPUs are not the ones that would buy the higher-end CPUs even if the lower-end ones didnt overclock so well so I'd be hardpressed to call it a loss of revenue for AMD.lsman - Tuesday, January 10, 2006 - link
?a) supply is not our issue... asks AMD and mostly their pricing policy
b) Opteron 939 can't work on regular 939 mobo? huh?
c) again, that's AMD policy/decision to go Opteron 939, as well as their pricing policy. Ask them. (I personally think they shot themselves in the foot with such pricing structure. May as well cut price on those X2...)
And, no ppl bought low-end to OC move up to high end? I once won't spend over $60 for a CPU and now spend over $150 and eyeing on those $300+.
Furen - Tuesday, January 10, 2006 - link
One last thing: You are eyeing a $300 dollar CPU (a dual-core, I'd guess) because there's nothing that's cheaper with the same features. Before we could buy full-featured Athlon XPs for 60-70 bucks but now you'd be hard-pressed to find one below $150. If you think about it, however, you're still looking at the "low-end" CPUs in each feature set, which is why AMD refuses to drop the prices on A64s below ~$150 and X2s below ~$300, because people will buy these anyway. Regardless, I meant that most of us (yes, I normally buy the lowend stuff for myself) would not buy a $1000 CPU if the $300 X2 did not reach 2.6-2.7GHz, hell, most of us would not even look at a 4400+ or a 4600+.Furen - Tuesday, January 10, 2006 - link
I said that AMD doesnt want people to use Opterons as desktop chips, not that we dont want to use them.a) Supply is AMD's concern but I'd hardly think that they could go much higher on the price. Remember that Socket 940 Opteron 100s were actually quite a bit cheaper than current socket 939 Opteron 100s, they got a price hike but raising the price too much would have resulted in no one using them.
b) I didnt say that they would not work, I just said that their use on "unapproved" motherboards would mean that the chip would be unsupported (as in technical support) and unwarranted by AMD.
c) Most Opterons ended up having quite a big price increase when AMD went to socket 939. When AMD released its S939 Opteron it also lowered the price of A64s. In the end the Price of A64s and their equivalent Opterons ended up being something like the average of AMD's Old Opteron Price and AMD's Old A64 price. The market normally opposes price increases unless there is a shortage which is probably why AMD did not try to saturate the market these chips. Having more chips than the predicted demand would have just led to having idle inventories which would have forced them to drop the price on these even further. The problem was that there was a very big demand increase (which AMD should have forseen but didn't, then again, it could have just been that AMD wanted to have a shortage in order to make people accept the price hikes) so the few units out there were immediately snapped up by consumers.
Viditor - Tuesday, January 10, 2006 - link
The previous announcements from AMD were that they would continue with socket 939 till at least 2007, though the first release chips were going to be AM2. Are you sure that they are really stopping all 939 chips immediately??
Cheers
Anand Lal Shimpi - Tuesday, January 10, 2006 - link
According to the roadmaps I've seen, Socket-939 will continue but it will top out at FX-60. So while they will still make Socket-939 processors, the fastest you'll be able to get will be the dual core 2.6GHz FX-60.Take care,
Anand
ohnnyj - Tuesday, January 10, 2006 - link
Uh oh, does that mean my faithful CPU is going to jump out of my computer and move to Florida :).ohnnyj - Tuesday, January 10, 2006 - link
Oops, this was suppose to go under the post about the FX-55's retirement above. Sorry.