Thursday, December 6th 2007
Phenom BIOS Fix Causes 14% Performance Hit
As many readers may be aware, there is an erratum (a mistake in the design) of AMD's recently launched Phenom CPU. Basically it's a problem with the CPU's translation lookaside buffer (TLB) and L3 cache, which can lead to crashes and data corruption. This was quickly discovered, and AMD issued a BIOS fix in response. However, recent tests carried out by The Tech Report found that as a result of this fix, memory bandwidth fell by as much as 38.7% whilst the latency increased by over 50%. When they tested the real world performance hit caused by this, they found it ranged from around 5% to as much as 50% in everyday applications, with an average performance drop of 13.9%. This issue should be fixed in any CPUs manufactured in the future, but things look quite bleak for anyone who has already purchased a Phenom processor, and it would be best not to buy one until all of the 'faulty' processors have either been sold or recalled. This is very bad news for AMD, considering that it has already been struggling to make a profit for quite a few months now.
37 Comments on Phenom BIOS Fix Causes 14% Performance Hit
That being said, I still have my x2 running at 2.6, i have a 3ghz core 2 (e6300) and a Q6600 running at 3ghz, and for some items the core 2 and quad are both faster and I see no reason to deny that. Even at 2.4 the q6600 feels stronger and the benchmarks reflect it. Anyone looking for a quad right now should probably look at intel, unless you have an AM2 board and just want a drop in upgrade (just update the bios first :P).
As a tweaker and an overclocker I am not happy with my phenom X4, I dont think this one will get beyond 2.5ghz on this 690g, I could probably get higher on one of the native chipsets (7x0 series) but its performance scalability will have to come into question once again and its certainly put doubt in my mind if an overclocked phenom will really compete with intels current quads or upcoming quads.
But as a day to day user I have had no complaints. At stock 2.2 I've been running F@H 24/7, I've been doing about 50gb of video editing and encoding a day, and its not only faster than the X2 at that, I see the advantage of quad cores coming through just as I did doing the same with a core 2 and core 2 quad. The amount of work you can do at a time on a quad core is certainly well worth the investment over a dual core, doesnt matter which side of the fence your on. None of my dual cores (PD, X2, Core 2) allowed me to scan, edit, and encode several mpegs at a time without a big impact on performance, the quads (X4 and core 2 Quad) do not have this issue. So its performance being slower than the core 2 quads, still leaves it a better option than most of the dual cores for high load.
So I'm a bit on the fence about suggesting phenom X4 to anyone, regardless what people tell you the performance is there, but a 2.2ghz X4 isnt gunna compete against anything on intels quad core line up. Anyone who is big on multitasking and wants something faster than their current AM2 single or dual core...by all means grab a phenom X4, your not gunna get an entire intel quad core box for $250, so may as well drop a new chip in your current set up.
First generation products are generally a "dont buy", I'll bet AMD will have success with their quad cores, but right now...once again, intel has the faster product. Big drops in performance due to a bug fix is not gunna go over well, even if the price was dropped further. AMD needs a bit help right now thats for sure :(
trog
Intel on the other hand.... well they are probably getting nice big chrissy bonus'.... :laugh:
designer ''well it lowers the performance a little"
exec- "whats a little"....." nevermind,,,you know what, youre shitcanned. "
i wanted these chips to be good, man, i really did
They still have the budget build and the majority of people are perfectly happy with singles and duals are more than enough. AMD is the best for the budget build, no doubt, but the Phenom is a joke, and from Trog's experience I am worried about the 3870's in x-fire.
(please correct me if I'm wrong)
I bet whoever fixed the problem did get a big bonus.
But just like Pancho says, every company has their ups and down. A fan that pays for and supports an inferior product is called a Mets fan, and I am one. When it comes to physical products though I've never understood the need to pick a side and stick with it no matter what. AMD's processors seem weak right now and I have no interest in the Phenom, but they have potential in other areas. Their future video cards with two GPUs on a single card sounds like it has some potential and I look forward to that, but if it bombs...I'll go with something else. Its as simple as that. Could anyone explain to me why you cheer a money seeking company?