New AMD Opteron 3000 series for single processor workstations based on Bulldozer

[caveman-jim]

Opteron returns to the single processor workstation market with an AM3+ socketed Bulldozer based chip:

Zurich is not just a city in Switzerland, but it is also the name of our newest roadmap addition as AMD expands the server roadmap down into the 1P space.

Just a year or two ago, the 1P server market was stagnant, filled with single processor tower servers, mainly destined for small businesses. These are the very servers that cloud computing will eventually replace in many of these small businesses.

But there is a growing class of products that are emerging based on the needs of cloud and web hosting customers. Many of the customers that I work with, especially in Germany which seems to be a hotbed of hosting activity these day, are asking for a 1P solution that marries up a true server processor with an infrastructure with client-like economics.

“Zurich,” part of the upcoming AMD Opteron™ 3000 Series processors, has an unlikely code name for something focused on the value space. “Zurich,” will have all of the server-based features that web hosting and cloud customers will demand like ECC memory, longer lifecycles, longer duty cycles, and server OS and application validation/support. It is based on the same die as our AMD Opteron 4200 Series processors, but it uses the AM3+ packaging.

This client packaging means significantly lower infrastructure costs for customers. Lower socket prices, fewer layers on the boards, lower overall platform costs.

We expect that the 1P market is going to start to heat up over the next few years, so establishing a foothold with the AMD Opteron 3000 Series platform will be important to our long term business, especially as more customers move to the cloud.

Expect to see more details in the future on this new product when we launch it in the first half of 2012.

Read the full blog at AMD.com

[caveman-jim]

I feel like the Opteron 3000 is a 'lipstick on a pig' product; can't sell AM3+ Bulldozers to the desktop enthusiast segment so lets push it to the workstation market where it'll generate more revenue because it's 'validated'.

[noko]

Originally Posted by caveman-jim

I feel like the Opteron 3000 is a 'lipstick on a pig' product; can't sell AM3+ Bulldozers to the desktop enthusiast segment so lets push it to the workstation market where it'll generate more revenue because it's 'validated'.

well don't be too hasty. The power features are good in BullDozer (turbo, lower power states, clocks etc.) just maybe not the OC enthusiast expectations are ment. One thing missing is low clock speed performance tests, where Bulldozer is not hindered by a memory straight jacket, get into that later. Not sure what AMD is concerned about cost savings on a professional level, it just better performed in that segment.