AMD will not switch to DDR3 memory during next year with its launch of the Barcelona architecture (K8L). We recently reported that it had sped up the launch of this processor architecture and the question is if this is the key to the decision. AMD has namely postponed the launch of Socket AM3 and DDR3 to the middle of 2008. Instead it will launch the first quad-core processor, Altair, on an updated version of Socket AM2, simply Socket AM2+. The big difference between these platforms, as far as we know, is that AM2+ will use HyperTransport 3.0 instead of HyperTransport 1.0 which today’s AM2 platform relies on.
It’s doubtful we would’ve seen Barcelona next year if the Socket AM3 platform had been launched as it was first planned. If one should consider this a last minute change or not is up to you, but we can all agree on that AMD wants to launch its quad-core processor architecture as soon as possible. Instead DDR3 and Socket AM3 processor will be launched in the middle of 2008 and then using 45nm technology.
This information about AMD’s changed platform plans comes from motherboard manufacturers in Taiwan. In other words, in no way official, but still relatively reliable.
