Source: Tom's Hardware UK – Keywords: Phenom_9700, Spider_Platform, 790FX
Categories: Hardware
Chipsets - The Spider Platform
As part of the introduction of the Spider platform, AMD also unveiled its 7-series chipsets. The new chipset family gets its own logo:
Together with the Phenom CPU and the HD3800 family of graphics cards, the new 7-series chipsets form the Spider platform. If a system consists of these three components, the manufacturer or reseller can use the “Spider” brand name as well as the logo, but isn’t obligated to.
For AMD it is important that the Spider platform uses components that work together smoothly and have been tested together. For the user, the benefit lies in the fact that a single driver package will be able to install and set up all of the basic components in a system.
For those of you who would like to download the Spider wallpaper, we are hosting it on our website in four different resolutions.
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I'd rather have a slower processor but not have to rebuy the 3 of the most expensive components (CPU, mobo, and RAM) every time I want to upgrade something. That's why I've stuck with AMD for the last few years. Can't wait to drop a couple of Phenom FXs in to my 4x4 platform and have 8 processing cores.
What is going to happen when AMD shortly moves to 45nm processors with DDR3 memory controllers?
unless AMD are going to put both DDR2 and DDR3 memory controllers on their 45nm processors or make them in both DDR2 and DDR3 versions then you will have to change you're ram, motherboard and processor to go 45nm.(that didn't happen with intel)
Unless motherboard makers put both DDR2 and DDR3 slots on current boards although the latter wouldn't be supported until 45nm come in.(can't see that happening though).
I think these chips have more to come, thats an engineering sample and the mainboards got a chipset with undeveloped drivers.
I say give it a month for the nvidia chipset....... and retest.
I can see why they need 4x Crossfire boards given the lack luster performance of the new ATI cards... ATI seem to be struggling since their Cope-de-grace with the X19xx series...
AMD clearly has a good design (architecture) but the process technology is their achilles heal. They need 4Mb+ L3 cache, high K transistor process, and 45nm like yesterday!!
As a bit of an AMD fanboy (I'm on a dual Opteron rig just now) I hate to see whats happening to them now!!
Bob
P.S. But it will be better
Overall, I like the way AMD has gone for compatibility and performance. The price is phenomenal and the ease of implementation will ensure downtime during upgrades is kept to a minimum. It's easy to under-estimate just how hard that is to pull off.