B2 Stepping – TLB Bug is Still Around (Cont'd)
Since the introduction of the quad-core line, many shops have continued to list the Phenom 9700 with its clock speed of 2.4 GHz – despite the fact that AMD will only ship this model once the revised B3 stepping is ready for prime time.
Using a setting in the BIOS, it is possible to deactivate the translation of the program addresses by the CPU in the L3 cache, effectively preventing the TLB bug from striking. While this does cost a bit of performance, it makes the CPU 100% crash proof. Many motherboard companies offer new BIOS versions that include this new feature. Gigabyte, for example, plays it safe with its newest BIOS revision, turning the TLB erratum fix on. We would recommend disabling this feature again after updating to a new BIOS, or your Phenom processor will take a performance hit.
AMD plans to release the error-free B3 stepping in mid-April, which will allow for higher clock speeds. Once this happens, the Phenom 9900, a 2.60 GHz part, will be the first of this new line of faster Phenom CPUs.
MSI also sent us a BIOS version containing the TLB bug option. Lastly, AMD’s OverDrive tool also sports an option to circumvent the TLB bug.
Latest CPU News
Latest CPU reviews
- 24/05 – Overclocking Core i7-3770K: Learning To Live With Compromise
- 22/05 – Core i5-3570K, -3550, -3550S, And -3570T: Ivy Bridge Efficiency
- 15/05 – AMD A10-4600M Review: Mobile Trinity Gets Tested
- 14/05 – Core i7-3720QM: Ivy Bridge Makes Its Mark On Mobility
- 23/04 – Intel Core i7-3770K Review: A Small Step Up From Sandy Bridge
Oh dear...
This has certainly done them no more favours...
This is an embarrassment for AMD. It's actually worse that they released the Black Edition of this processor because it shows that even with all the tricks, AMD is currently not even posing as competition for Intel. I don't know what AMD will be able to do to keep going; it seems like no matter what they try they are still way behind Intel.
At least when Intel was beating AMD in performance in the early days of the P2, at least AMD was still a viable option because of their price/performance ratio.
I hope they come up with something though; I don't want Intel to be the only product and raise their prices.
Poor AMD. I liked you a lot but Intel are truly kicking your butts. Hopefully this is just a Rocky feint and they will be back with a vengence soon