2CPU.com » News » May 2004 » AMD's Opteron 150 and 250 Reviewed @ TR

Tech Report has posted a lengthy look at AMD's recently released Opteron 150 and 250 processors.

Physically, the Opteron 150 and 250 are identical, but they are slightly different internally. Both chips can support up to three 16-bit, 800MHz HyperTransport links to the outside world, but none of the HyperTranport links on the 100-series Opterons are coherent, or capable of being used to talk to another CPU. As a result, only the Opteron 250, which has one coherent link, can be used in dual-processor systems.

For those of you curious whether or not we'll be reviewing these processors or using them as the basis for other articles, unfortunately that probably won't be possible. AMD has told us they won't be supplying us with any additional processors for testing. Anyways, if you'd like to check out their latest and greatest, click and read.

04/25/2004 02:49 PM: AMD's Ruiz: "Dell -will- use Opteron" by Hooz
There has been some speculation regarding Dell's adoption of AMD's Opteron for their PowerEdge line of servers. Dell even had an Opteron show up for sale on one of their client sites with a real Dell ...

04/08/2004 04:44 PM: A payoff on AMD's 64-bit bet by Jim_
C|Net is running an interview this morning with AMD CTO Fred Weber regarding AMD rolling the dice on 64-bit. Q: When it comes to Opteron, what do you expect to see from that chip? Will four- and eight...

LP_Dayblade Experienced SMP'er Posts: 335 Joined: 2001-09-27

#29286 Posted on: 05/18/2004 06:44 PM For those of you curious whether or not we'll be reviewing these processors or using them as the basis for other articles, unfortunately that probably won't be possible. AMD has told us they won't be supplying us with any additional processors for testing. Curious as to why AMD has said no to the review samples? Just no interest in review / tech site reviews or are these models going to be more marketed towards the higher end server market...or????? Hmmm. Interesting that the 150 is going to be non-smp. Dayblade Dayblade Rig #1: Platinum: Windows 7 Pro 64-bit, AMD X2-5200 8GB DDR2, 3 TB, 1GB ATI HD 3870x2 Rig #2: Azure: Windows XP 32-bit, AMD Phenom X3 440, 4GB DDR2, 1TB, 2GB ATI HD 4850x2

Hooz Administrator Posts: 2337 Joined: 2000-03-29

#29287 Posted on: 05/18/2004 07:15 PM Sorry, I'm not spending much time seeding Opteron reviews now that Sun, HP, IBM and Fujitsu Siemens are onboard and cranking out awesome products. Initially I thought that meant all review sites, but I guess it just means our site I guess now that AMD is getting where they wanted to be, they're forgetting about all of us who helped get them there. Which site on the 'net had the most extensive coverage of dual AMD solutions from the very beginning? Wouldn't have been us, would it? [size=1][url="http://www.2cpu.com"]2CPU.com[/url] - Because two are always better than one! Are you folding? [url="http://folding.extremeoverclocking.com/team_summary.php?s=&t=3074"]2CPU.com Folding@Home Team[/url] [url="http://www.heatware.com/eval.php?id=19979"]My Heatware[/url][/size]

Occupant Registered User Posts: 2421 Joined: 2002-03-04

#29288 Posted on: 05/18/2004 09:17 PM They'll send you chips agian, once thier is something really new to crow about. Just a simple clock increase isnt really a usefull review, anyhow...

neutralstone SMP Newbie Posts: 1 Joined: 2004-05-18

#29289 Posted on: 05/18/2004 09:57 PM Originally posted by Occupant Just a simple clock increase isnt really a usefull review, anyhow... That may be, but it is nice to see the 250 creaming everything else in some of those benchmarks (e.g., Cinebench 2003 rendering). It seems that the only places where it seems to trip up are those places where the motherboard, the application, or the operating system are to blame. Besides, as a buyer, *I* find it useful. :-)

Pontius Aspiring Duallie Posts: 70 Joined: 2004-04-20

#29290 Posted on: 05/18/2004 11:22 PM Note that the Xeons were not in a dual configuration. He was testing SINGLE Xeons, which isn't really a fair comparison of the Opteron 250s. Needless to say, I'm sure when he gets his dual Xeon config straightened out, the 250's will blow it away anyways.

i_wolf labhair dom as gaelige Posts: 2097 Joined: 2002-11-19

#29291 Posted on: 05/19/2004 01:07 AM They'll send you chips agian, once thier is something really new to crow about. Just a simple clock increase isnt really a usefull review, anyhow... There could be an element of this in it. However, why would other hardware review sites get their hands on them... particularly the jack of all trades review sites. 2cpu is very specific and caters for the market unto which AMD is targeting this processor. I also reckon that even though it is only a speed bump people will still want to see results as to what their extra money being spent on a 250 instead of a 246 or 248 is going to get them. AMD are shooting themselves in the foot with this one. I am very disappointed. Hung like a donkey. Go like a horse!

rmn oh my, it's huge! Posts: 6013 Joined: 2002-01-26

#29292 Posted on: 05/19/2004 01:28 AM Originally posted by i_wolf why would other hardware review sites get their hands on them... particularly the jack of all trades review sites. Because they get a million page hits a day...? RMN ~~~

Vandy SMP Lover Posts: 70 Joined: 2002-01-22

#29293 Posted on: 05/19/2004 10:21 AM I am so sad to hear that AMD isn't going to send you anymore stuff to review. I have been a long time reader of 2cpu.com I have something special that I will do exclusively for 2cpu.com Expect a post in the General Hardware Forum either Tomorrow or Thursday. If it is okay with Jim and the other Mods?? HINT: It has four of them! Stay Tuned...

i_wolf labhair dom as gaelige Posts: 2097 Joined: 2002-11-19

#29294 Posted on: 05/19/2004 07:51 PM Because they get a million page hits a day...? RMN ~~~ well, I would imagine that 2cpu would have a large number of daily hits. More importantly I reckon that the people who frequent 2cpu would tend to be IT professionals who are in the market for these AMD Opterons etc... While Tomshardware, anandtech etc... do cater to IT professionals, they appear to cater more to the high end hobbyist. Letting a hobbyist tech site review your latest and greatest workstation and professional gear seams a bit silly, especially when there is a dedicated, respected and known site out there (plug 2cpu ) that caters specifically for the market you intend to sell into. all the best i_wolf Hung like a donkey. Go like a horse!

rmn oh my, it's huge! Posts: 6013 Joined: 2002-01-26

#29295 Posted on: 05/20/2004 03:59 AM Anandtech has very good reviews of SMP systems. In fact, I think the site itself runs on SMP AMD systems. A site doesn't need to be called 2CPU to have a good coverage of SMP, just as it doesn't have to be called AMDZone to have a good coverage of AMD CPUs, etc.. How many people do you know that regularly read 2CPU's reviews but don't read Anand's? Tom's is a different matter. The best way I can describe my opinion of THG is by saying that I consider them about as competent as mainstream media. I prefer reviews to be done with equipment picked by the reviewer, anyway. If the stuff is "donated" (or lent) by the manufacturer, there's always the possibility that it was hand-picked to give the best possible results. IMO, the best way to make reliable (or, at least, honest) reviews is to get a sponsorship from a retailer or distributor, and pick the parts randomly from the stock. That way you're in the same position as a normal buyer. RMN ~~~

Occupant Registered User Posts: 2421 Joined: 2002-03-04

#29296 Posted on: 05/20/2004 04:12 AM Thats true. I think Storagereview.com used to have such a relationship with hypermicro. (review gear, in exchange for ads) I dont know if that relationship continues, or not. I dont read alot of reviews anymore, unless I trust the website Ars, Ace, Hardocp(sometimes), techreport, storagereview, 2cpu, xbitlabs, dvdrhelp, a few others that escape me... I try to keep up with new devices and what poeple think of them, so I can give customers an informed opinion on devices I may have never seen.

2CPU.com » News » May 2004 » AMD's Opteron 150 and 250 Reviewed @ TR