If our math is correct we are just 9 days away from Bulldozer, but due to delays of the processor there is already talk about the successor that builds on the same base, Piledriver. According to the latest sources Piledriver will bring 10% better x86 performance that Bulldozer.
Bulldozer is around the corner, but considering AMD intends to launch new products in each category annually there is already rumors of the sucessor. Piledriver is the second generation Bulldozer core, and considering the rumors of weak performance we hope there is room for improvements.
Piledriver will use the exact same platform as Bulldozer, I.e. chipsets of the 9 series and Socket AM3+. Southbridge and northbridge will thus bring no real news, but the same functions as seen with current AM3+ motherboards. Those who have bought an AM3+ motherboard in advance, can be happy to know that Piledriver should work if the manufacturer releases a BIOS update to support the new processor.
AMD counts on 10% better x86 performance with Piledriver, and it will bring third generation Turbo Core. From what we have seen Turbo Core 2.0 will be pretty sophisticated compared to the first generation found in Phenom II X6/Thuban, but what Turbo Core 3.0 will bring we don’t know exactly. The processor will get support for two new instruction code sets FMA3 and something it calls Converged BMI (Bit Manipulation Instructions). Liek Bulldozer, Piledriver supports DDR3-1866, and considering it is the AM3+ socket it will be dual-channel, with up to four memories.
The new processor will have up to eight Piledriver cores and be called Vishera, a relatively new code-name. Before this it had plans for Komodo with the new Socket FM2, that would sport integrated nordbrygga, PCI-Express 3.0 and up to ten Piledriver cores. Even triple-channel memory for the server version of Komodo, which means FM2 will have or would have supported that. For unknown reasons Komodo was trashed and replaced by Vishera.
Also Vishera gets 8 cores, and not 10 that was planned with the now scrapped Komodo
It is always nice to hear about new products, but we would like to see what Bulldozer can do before we get any deeper into Vishera. AMD’s successor to Llano, Trinity is expected to use Piledriver cores, though only up to four and not eightoch . Trinity is due sometime Q1 2012, while Vishera should arrive during the Summer. Most likely we will see Vishera in Q3 2012.
Source: Donanimhaber
