Phenom X4 and 'AMD OVerdrive' application

[Sylvanas]

Firstly here is the Link to a non english website but the screenshot speaks for itself. Sure this could be BS- but if such an app did exist in which one could adjust clockspeed and multiplier individually for each core that would be fricken sweet! No problems getting round a core that is limiting you, keep that stable and crank the others up.

I guess all will be revealed come launch day but I would love for something like this AMD overdrive to come onto the scene.

 

[Borealis7]

I remember reading in one of Anand's articles about all the "deep sleep" technology which both Intel and AMD are planning for the future and it did mention individual core shut downs and individual core clock speeds, so im not surprised.

but i wouldnt want to have to adjust every clock speed in each of my cores for every application i use. i'd prefer letting the CPU manage clock speeds during load times (if it could overclock itself while maintaining a teprature threshold that would be nice).

in the future, would you really want to sit down and set each clock on your hexa-deca-core CPU? (16 cores in case you didnt understand...)

 

[biostud]

I wonder how much of the features in phenom regarding individual cores require a socket AM2+ board and how much you can do on a regular AM2 board.

 

[daveybrat]

Originally posted by: biostud
I wonder how much of the features in phenom regarding individual cores require a socket AM2+ board and how much you can do on a regular AM2 board.

I'm hoping that a standard AM2 socket motherboard works well with Phenom!

 

[bradley]

It's a shame how disseminating real information has taken a backseat to flawed premature benches and general FUD. Anyhow, I believe this is a direct feature of split power planes and dual dynamic power management, exclusive to genuine AM2+ desktop systems. I believe this has been spoken about previously, but first I'm hearing about it being called 'Overdrive.' Interesting.

 

[formulav8]

Split Poweplanes will only work on AM2+ if I remember correctly.


Jason

 

[bradley]

Originally posted by: formulav8
Split Poweplanes will only work on AM2+ if I remember correctly.


Jason

Yeah, AM2+ and beyond. The new AMD RD790, for instance. Power is split between HT3 and the four cores combined. Meaning you can adjust frequency and multiplier independently between the cores, but just not voltage... about as complex a method currently allowable. I'd love to see an article in the coming weeks devoted to the subject. We already know the 45nm Penryns are amazing in their low power consumption numbers, while Phenom and Barcelona go one step further. Should be interesting all the same for those concerned with keeping power at a minimum.

 

[DrMrLordX]

I would like to know how split power planes will actually improve Phenom performance on AM2+ boards versus AM2 boards as is alleged. Also, I'd like to know if Phenom will have the same problems K8 chips had with respect to raising vdimm significantly without raising vcore.

 

[myocardia]

Originally posted by: DrMrLordX
I would like to know how split power planes will actually improve Phenom performance on AM2+ boards versus AM2 boards as is alleged.

How could any power saving feature improve performance? The plain and simple answer is, it can't.

Also, I'd like to know if Phenom will have the same problems K8 chips had with respect to raising vdimm significantly without raising vcore.

That's no longer an issue; it hasn't been since AMD switched to DDR2. The vcore's didn't change any for the 90nm chips, and only dropped slightly for the 65nm's, yet the maximum vdimm anyone gives even high performance DDR2 is 2.2-2.3v. The problems with burning out the memory controller were with people giving their cpu 1.35v, while giving their RAM 3.4+v.

 

[bradley]

Obviously CNQ or Overdrive isn't going to increase performance, but theoretically it shouldn't hamper performance either. Compared to the days of the Thunderbird and Pentium D, your CPU pays for itself in greatly decreased power consumption, something many don't factor into the overall equation.

BTW, while an AM2+ board is a prerequisite for split power planes, it seems all that's required for Overdrive to work is either a Barcelona or Phenom. This independent throttling of each core's frequency and multiplier is a feature inherent to these chips.

 

[VirtualLarry]

This sounds like a sweet feature for the hardcore overclockers. Now we need to stress-test each individual CPU core, individually, I guess.

 

[DrMrLordX]

Originally posted by: myocardia

How could any power saving feature improve performance? The plain and simple answer is, it can't.

That's my thought exactly, yet some AMD reps have claimed a 10% performance boost for Phenom chips on AM2+ boards versus AM2 boards due to split power planes.

That's no longer an issue; it hasn't been since AMD switched to DDR2. The vcore's didn't change any for the 90nm chips, and only dropped slightly for the 65nm's, yet the maximum vdimm anyone gives even high performance DDR2 is 2.2-2.3v. The problems with burning out the memory controller were with people giving their cpu 1.35v, while giving their RAM 3.4+v.

I actually managed to stress my memory controller on my X2-3600+ by running 1.3v vcore and 2.4v vdimm. Now it just won't behave when I run certain memory ratios . . . the only ones it likes are 1:1 and 2:1. Anything else and it has problems when the chip gets over about 2.6 ghz. It didn't do this out of the box, and it didn't do this after extended overclocking and stress testing at high vcore/vdimm levels.

 

[jonmcc33]

I recall the Penryn was supposed to feature that. If you ran a single core application it would automatically downclock the other cores and overclock the single core being used.

 

[bradley]

Originally posted by: DrMrLordX


That's my thought exactly, yet some AMD reps have claimed a 10% performance boost for Phenom chips on AM2+ boards versus AM2 boards due to split power planes.

You're correct. I had forgotten reading this. Apparently AMD has stated there would be as much as a 3-10% performance gain due to split power planes or Dual Dynamic Power Management. Here's an article explaining Dual Dynamic Power in greater detail.

http://reselleradvocate.com/pu...quad_coverstory02.html

 

[DrMrLordX]

Ah I see . . . I think the relevant bit from that article is here:

The third power ace up Barcelona?s sleeve is called Dual Dynamic Power Management, a feature that often goes by the name Split Plane. In prior AMD designs, a single power plane feeds into the CPU, fueling both the cores and memory controller. With Dual Dynamic Power Management, a Barcelona processor can split that plane, sending one power set to the cores and one to the memory controller. This allows the memory controller to run at a different power level than the cores. Users can increase the performance in the memory controller by increasing its clock speed and achieve lower memory latency. In the end, they have finer control over the power settings for the CPU, memory controller, and the amount of power being consumed. This should pay particular dividends when Barcelona?s K10 core eventually makes its way into the mobile market.

So you can run the memory controller at a higher clock speed than the chip to reduce memory latency. Wow. AM2+ systems will be . . . interesting to overclock I suppose? Has anyone encountered separate speed settings for the memory controller on RD790 platforms yet?

 

[myocardia]

Originally posted by: DrMrLordX
Ah I see . . . I think the relevant bit from that article is here:

The third power ace up Barcelona?s sleeve is called Dual Dynamic Power Management, a feature that often goes by the name Split Plane. In prior AMD designs, a single power plane feeds into the CPU, fueling both the cores and memory controller. With Dual Dynamic Power Management, a Barcelona processor can split that plane, sending one power set to the cores and one to the memory controller. This allows the memory controller to run at a different power level than the cores. Users can increase the performance in the memory controller by increasing its clock speed and achieve lower memory latency. In the end, they have finer control over the power settings for the CPU, memory controller, and the amount of power being consumed. This should pay particular dividends when Barcelona?s K10 core eventually makes its way into the mobile market.

So you can run the memory controller at a higher clock speed than the chip to reduce memory latency. Wow. AM2+ systems will be . . . interesting to overclock I suppose? Has anyone encountered separate speed settings for the memory controller on RD790 platforms yet?

I can't see that providing anywhere near a 10% performance boost. A 3% boost, with an app (benchmark) that's very memory-intensive, okay, that sounds possible. Of course, anyone who wanted to has been able to do that with AMD chips for three generations now-- lower your multiplier, raise the HTT, and run your high speed RAM as fast as it will go.

 

[bradley]

Yeah, I have a hard time believing anything more than a marginal speed increase. But guess we'll know the full details soon enough. I'm actually a little excited about the launch, even thought that sort of thing isn't permitted around here.