AMD Piledriver to Boost Performance by 10%, Feature New Instruction Set

btarunr · Oct 4, 2011

"Piledriver" is the codename of AMD's processor micro-architecture that succeeds "Bulldozer", which AMD is referring to in a company presentation slide as "2nd Generation Bulldozer". This, even before the first Bulldozer processors in the AMD FX Processor series begin shipping. Piledriver isn't an evolution over Bulldozer as such, and is more of a incremental update to the architecture.

Piledriver features an improved core design to bring about performance improvements of 10% over Bulldozer. It features two new instruction sets: FMA3 (Fast Memory Access 3) and Converged BMI (Branch if MInus). It will feature an improved IOMMU (memory mapping unit), referred to as IOMMU v2. Apart from these, Piledriver will fit into the existing ecosystem of AMD FX Processors, consisting of socket AM3+ and AMD 9-series chipsets. AMD is currently referring to the platform Piledriver-based processors will form around themselves as "FX Next". There is no reason for you to skip Bulldozer for this, our sources told us that Piledriver CPUs can be expected only by mid-thru-late 2012. AMD FX Bulldozer processors are on course for a mid-October launch.

View at TechPowerUp Main Site

inferKNOX · Oct 4, 2011

Bulldozers are sounding more and more like they're going to fail to compete against the Intel 2x00K CPUs...

bear jesus · Oct 4, 2011

The one thing i notice most in that picture is the tiny text at the bottom saying "based on AMD projections using digital media workload" to me that makes me think in most situations there will possibly be no performance increase.

I have to wonder if piledriver will improve on power consumption or overclocking due to being the second version AMD has made on 32nm but i would not expect it.

inferKNOX said:
Bulldozers are sounding more and more like they're going to fail to compete against the Intel 2x00K CPUs...

Why does an upcoming CPU with more instruction sets than bulldozer suggest that bulldozer will not do well?

bucketface · Oct 4, 2011

inferKNOX said:
Bulldozers are sounding more and more like they're going to fail to compete against the Intel 2x00K CPUs...

How so? They should be close (within 10%) to the 2x00K CPUs, but we'll have to wait just a bit more for the reviews to know for sure.

inferKNOX · Oct 4, 2011

Not this bit of news on it's own, but this news, coupled with the delays, lack of proper benchmarks, no real raving about how great the new architecture is by AMD (as one would expect), etc.
The signs (AMD refraining from much hype) just seem to point towards disappointment.

MikeMurphy · Oct 4, 2011

10% is no slouch.

IIRC piledriver is to be used in the fusion setups. Exciting stuff.

caleb · Oct 4, 2011

AMD has so much leet and fast stuff. Where do I buy ?

Over_Lord · Oct 4, 2011

FIrst lets get Bulldozer to friggin release already.

ice_v · Oct 4, 2011

thunderising said:
FIrst lets get Bulldozer to friggin release already.

Totaly agree...

And enough with the frickin slides/graphs already! I get that at AMD they sure know how to use powerpoint, but damn...I think that they might actualy beat the world record in number of slides of a product before that product actually hits the market (imho)

NC37 · Oct 4, 2011

Well, that disappoints. PD was really looking to be so much more when it was previewed months ago. But now its looking to be just another stopgap like BD. Just trying to survive while Intel remains in the lead. Bit embarrassing they are even admitting its only a 10% improvement.

Glad it seems it won't be using an entirely new socket, but instead of "FX Next" lets have an "FX Now".

More and more their APUs seem to be looking a lot more interesting than these lines. Can't wait to see the 2nd and the 3rd gen APUs.

naoan · Oct 4, 2011

Whether this is disappointing news or reason to festive remain to be seen until credible BD benchmark out imo.

Jegergrim · Oct 4, 2011

This doesn't seem like a big enough incremental increase to compete with Ivy Bridge..

Completely Bonkers · Oct 4, 2011

Why this marketing PR for next CPU when existing commitment isnt in the market? Perhaps it is so that people will make a positive commitment to AMD Socket AM3+ today knowing that they can upgrade later?

IMO it would have been better for AMD to make a COMMITMENT-OR-YOUR-MONEY-BACK guarantee to stick with AM3+ for the next 2 or 3 CPU generations, and state this fact alone, rather than trying to tease with Piledriver. After all, if Piledriver is more than a year away but can only achieve 10% then it is failed Moores law and demonstrates that the existing architecture is at a dead end, just like Netburst.

But BOTH Intel and AMD are guilty of NOT sticking to sockets and changing them much too frequently. The best sockets were Socket 7 that were compatible with both Intel and AMD, and s775 that lasted a few generations of Intel CPUs. But s1366? That didnt last long. Neither did AM2. Complete disaster. And that's why I worry about AMD3+. Is it really going to last longer than Bulldozer? Yes, now we know it will. It will last until Piledriver to gain 10%. Meh.

bucketface · Oct 4, 2011

Completely Bonkers said:
After all, if Piledriver is more than a year away but can only achieve 10% then it is failed Moores law and demonstrates that the existing architecture is at a dead end, just like Netburst.

how so? it's just an incremental update, a few tweaks here and there and a couple of new instructions. if it actually averages 10% perf increase across the board it's nothing to complain about.

Dent1 · Oct 4, 2011

inferKNOX said:
Bulldozers are sounding more and more like they're going to fail to compete against the Intel 2x00K CPUs...

Jegergrim said:
This doesn't seem like a big enough incremental increase to compete with Ivy Bridge..

But nobody knows how well Bulldozer OR Piledriver performs against Sandy Bridge or Ivy Bridge - There are no benchmarks!

sy5tem · Oct 4, 2011

what i really wanna see is a graph of the cpu they plan to market in 56 years! yes! please !!! i like SCI-FI AMD!

naoan · Oct 4, 2011

Who are you people bitching to? the slide is not even officially come from AMD.

zx679 · Oct 4, 2011

Firstly, just wait one week. The benchmarks will be out by then.

Secondly, the most important thing is performance per dollar. Most people aren't willing to pay huge premiums for the fastest CPU or GPU. If the price is right people will buy it. If AMD has competitive products in the mainstream pricing segments then they will do just fine. That is, after all, why AMD is still in business. The only real uncertainty is whether AMD will be able to compete with Intel's enthusiast products so they can make bozos like us happy.

a111087 · Oct 4, 2011

caleb said:
AMD has so much leet and fast stuff. Where do I buy ?

lol, you just made my day :roll:

Disruptor4 · Oct 4, 2011

inferKNOX said:
Not this bit of news on it's own, but this news, coupled with the delays, lack of proper benchmarks, no real raving about how great the new architecture is by AMD (as one would expect), etc.
The signs (AMD refraining from much hype) just seem to point towards disappointment.

I'm sorry but where did AMD OFFICIALLY state that there were delays? They never mentioned OFFICIALLY when a release date would occur. These were all rumours/made up by the media.
Benchmarks CAN'T be released until NDA is up either.
I can understand the frustration but maybe stop and think about all of this and wait for official news not from "trusted unnamed sources".
I am waiting to see BD in action as much as everyone else to see as to whether I go BD or SB. The one thing I love about the idea of going BD is the fact I could just sell off my BD processor next year and get a PD and drop it in.

Let's just wait and see before jumping to conclusions yeah?

LAN_deRf_HA · Oct 4, 2011

I think this sort of thing could contribute to disappointing initial sales. Just like that errata bug news for 2011. Seems like none of the new platforms intro'd this year have had a good start but at least 1155 is on sale now. If I upgrade I won't be doing it until ddr4 chips and boards hit as at least then BD, 2011, and pci-e 3.0 should be all sorted out. Things seem to be too influx right now to be worth investing in.

Yellow&Nerdy? · Oct 4, 2011

Well, this is going to be less than a year from Bulldozer, so can't expect that much to happen, since it's just been tweaked with the same architecture and manufacturing process. I'm afraid though that these are going to get clearly outperformed by Ivy Bridge, which is also coming in around Q2 2012. Not good for consumers that want a good old price war to get us cheaper chips. But these in a Fusion APU paired with a 7xxx-series GPU would be pure awesome.

naoan · Oct 4, 2011

Yellow&Nerdy? said:
I'm afraid though that these are going to get clearly outperformed by Ivy Bridge, which is also coming in around Q2 2012.

How do you know? got any credible source regarding BD/PD performance?

hyype · Oct 4, 2011

Wow..

This is just a piss take now, they release graph after graph after graph suggesting the idea that the new bulldozer architecture is going to be amazing, yet we are yet to see a single proper benchmark..

Now they say their even newer range is going to be faster than the range that hasn't even been released, by 10%!! 10% doesn't mean jack shit if we don't know the performance of bulldozer!

I am really hopeful about the new bulldozer range and I really hope it proves to be the game changer but at the moment, im doubtful.

TheoneandonlyMrK · Oct 4, 2011

sy5tem said:
what i really wanna see is a graph of the cpu they plan to market in 56 years! yes! please !!! i like SCI-FI AMD!

im startink to think your lookin at it mate with BD :rockout:

System Name	RBMK-1000
Processor	AMD Ryzen 7 5700G
Motherboard	ASUS ROG Strix B450-E Gaming
Cooling	DeepCool Gammax L240 V2
Memory	2x 8GB G.Skill Sniper X
Video Card(s)	Palit GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER GameRock
Storage	Western Digital Black NVMe 512GB
Display(s)	BenQ 1440p 60 Hz 27-inch
Case	Corsair Carbide 100R
Audio Device(s)	ASUS SupremeFX S1220A
Power Supply	Cooler Master MWE Gold 650W
Mouse	ASUS ROG Strix Impact
Keyboard	Gamdias Hermes E2
Software	Windows 11 Pro

System Name	inferKNIGHT
Processor	Intel Core i5-4590
Motherboard	MSI Z97i Gaming AC
Cooling	Corsair H100i
Memory	2 x 4GB DDR3-1866 Crucial Ballistix Tactical Tracer (R/G)
Video Card(s)	ASUS GTX 970 STRIX 3.5GB (+0.5GB? o.O)
Storage	1 x 256GB Cricial M550, 1 x 2TB Samsung 7200.12
Display(s)	Samsung SyncMaster T260
Case	Corsair Obsidian 250D
Power Supply	Corsair RM750
Software	Windows 8.1.1 pro x64

System Name	Gaming temp// HTPC
Processor	AMD A6 5400k // A4 5300
Motherboard	ASRock FM2A75 PRO4// ASRock FM2A55M-DGS
Cooling	Xigmatek HDT-D1284 // stock phenom II HSF
Memory	4GB 1600mhz corsair vengeance // 4GB 1600mhz corsair vengeance low profile
Storage	64gb sandisk pulse SSD and 500gb HDD // 500gb HDD
Display(s)	acer 22" 1680x1050
Power Supply	Seasonic G-450 // Corsair CXM 430W

Processor	5800x3d
Motherboard	Asus B550 Gaming-F
Cooling	Ek 240 Aio
Memory	Gskill Trident Neo 4000 18-22-22-42 @3800 fclk 1900
Video Card(s)	2080ti
Storage	1 TB Nvme
Power Supply	Seasonic 750w
Software	Win 11

System Name	inferKNIGHT
Processor	Intel Core i5-4590
Motherboard	MSI Z97i Gaming AC
Cooling	Corsair H100i
Memory	2 x 4GB DDR3-1866 Crucial Ballistix Tactical Tracer (R/G)
Video Card(s)	ASUS GTX 970 STRIX 3.5GB (+0.5GB? o.O)
Storage	1 x 256GB Cricial M550, 1 x 2TB Samsung 7200.12
Display(s)	Samsung SyncMaster T260
Case	Corsair Obsidian 250D
Power Supply	Corsair RM750
Software	Windows 8.1.1 pro x64

AMD Piledriver to Boost Performance by 10%, Feature New Instruction Set

btarunr

Editor & Senior Moderator

inferKNOX

bear jesus

New Member

bucketface

inferKNOX

MikeMurphy

caleb

Over_Lord

News Editor

ice_v

NC37

naoan

New Member

Jegergrim

Completely Bonkers

New Member

bucketface

Dent1

sy5tem

naoan

New Member

zx679

New Member

a111087

Disruptor4

LAN_deRf_HA

Yellow&Nerdy?

naoan

New Member

hyype

New Member

TheoneandonlyMrK

System Name	HAL
Processor	Core i5 2500K
Motherboard	Asus P8P67 Pro Rev3.1
Cooling	stock
Memory	2x4GB Kingston 1600Mhz Blu
Video Card(s)	Asus 560Ti DirectCuII TOP
Storage	Kingston 120 3K SSD,WD Black WD1502FAEX
Display(s)	LG 1440x900
Case	Chieftec Mesh Midi
Audio Device(s)	onboard
Power Supply	Corsair TX750V2
Software	w8

System Name	BAH! - - tHE ECo FReAK
Processor	Athlon II X4 620 @ 1.15V
Motherboard	ASUS 785G EVO
Cooling	Stock
Memory	Corsair Titanium 4GB DDR3 1600MHz C9
Video Card(s)	Sapphire HD5850 @ 1.049v
Storage	Seagate 7200.12 500GB
Display(s)	BenQ G2220HD
Case	Cooler Master Elite 334
Audio Device(s)	Onboard
Power Supply	Corsair VX550W
Software	Windows 7 Ultimate x64

System Name	ICE
Processor	AMD 1090t
Motherboard	Asus Sabertooth 990FX
Cooling	Thermaltake MaxORB EX
Memory	G.Skill RipjawsX 2x4Gb DDR3@1866
Video Card(s)	GIGABYTE GTX670 OC
Storage	SSD 128Gb Samsung 840 pro + 2x500Gb sata HDD
Display(s)	Samsung 2233RZ@120Hz
Case	CM Storm Enforcer
Power Supply	Corsair AX760 80Platinum
Software	Win 7 - 64 bit

System Name	Lailalo
Processor	Ryzen 9 5900X Boosts to 4.95Ghz
Motherboard	Asus TUF Gaming X570-Plus (WIFI
Cooling	Noctua
Memory	32GB DDR4 3200 Corsair Vengeance
Video Card(s)	XFX 7900XT 20GB
Storage	Samsung 970 Pro Plus 1TB, Crucial 1TB MX500 SSD, Segate 3TB
Display(s)	LG Ultrawide 29in @ 2560x1080
Case	Coolermaster Storm Sniper
Power Supply	XPG 1000W
Mouse	G602
Keyboard	G510s
Software	Windows 10 Pro / Windows 10 Home

Processor	Mysterious Engineering Prototype
Motherboard	Intel 865
Cooling	Custom block made in workshop
Memory	Corsair XMS 2GB
Video Card(s)	FireGL X3-256
Display(s)	1600x1200 SyncMaster x 2 = 3200x1200
Software	Windows 2003

System Name	My baby
Processor	Athlon II X4 620 @ 3.5GHz, 1.45v, NB @ 2700Mhz, HT @ 2700Mhz - 24hr prime95 stable
Motherboard	Asus M4A785TD-V EVO
Cooling	Sonic Tower Rev 2 with 120mm Akasa attached, Akasa @ Front, Xilence Red Wing 120mm @ Rear
Memory	8 GB G.Skills 1600Mhz
Video Card(s)	ATI ASUS Crossfire 5850
Storage	Crucial MX100 SATA 2.5 SSD
Display(s)	Lenovo ThinkVision 27" (LEN P27h-10)
Case	Antec VSK 2000 Black Tower Case
Audio Device(s)	Onkyo TX-SR309 Receiver, 2x Kef Cresta 1, 1x Kef Center 20c
Power Supply	OCZ StealthXstream II 600w, 4x12v/18A, 80% efficiency.
Software	Windows 10 Professional 64-bit

System Name	Custom DIY
Processor	Intel i7 2600K @ 4.8 Turbo 1.4v
Motherboard	Asus P8Z68-V Pro 8801
Cooling	XSPC RS240 + 120mm Rad/fan
Memory	Corsair 1866 Vangence 9-10-9-27-2T
Video Card(s)	2X EVGA GTX570 SLI
Storage	OCZ Revodrive 110GB + 2x1TB seagate
Display(s)	ASUS MT276HE
Case	CoolerMaster Sniper
Audio Device(s)	X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Professional Series
Power Supply	ANTEC TP-750 Blue 750Watts
Software	win7 64
Benchmark Scores	http://3dmark.com/3dm11/1347866

System Name	Babiecakes-SS
Processor	Phenom II X4 970 BE @ 4.1GHz
Motherboard	ASUS Crosshair Formula V
Cooling	Swiftech Apogee XT rev. 2, MCW82, 2X Noctua NF-P12
Memory	8 GB Corsair Vengeance @ 1726Mhz
Video Card(s)	Firestream 9350 2GB
Storage	1TB Cavair Green, 500GB Seagate Barracuda
Display(s)	Samsung 2053BW LCD
Case	SilverstoneTJ09-BW
Power Supply	Antec Truepower Quattro 850W
Software	Windows 7 Professional 64-bit

Processor	Intel Q9400
Motherboard	asus p5q-pro
Cooling	Ultra120
Memory	6GB ddr2
Video Card(s)	NVS 290
Storage	3TB + 1.5TB
Display(s)	Samsung F2380
Case	Silverstone Fortress FT02B
Audio Device(s)	Creative X-Fi
Power Supply	750W PC P&C
Software	win 7 ultimate 64bit

System Name	Uh, my build?
Processor	Intel Core i7 3770k 3.5GHz (3.9GHz turbo)
Motherboard	Gigabyte Z77X-UD5H (F8 BIOS)
Cooling	Coolermaster Hyper 212 Evo
Memory	G.Skill 8GB DDR3 1600MHz CL9
Video Card(s)	Gigabyte Radeon HD7970 3GB 1GHz Core/5.5GHz Memory
Storage	SanDisk Extreme Pro 960GB & 2TB WD Black & 1TB WD Green
Display(s)	1x Samsung 23" Syncmaster P2350 1x LG 23"
Case	Coolermaster HAF X
Audio Device(s)	Onboard now since store didn't RMA properly
Power Supply	Corsair HX 850W
Software	Win 10 Pro 64bit
Benchmark Scores	3DMark 11 - P8456 - http://3dmark.com/3dm11/3372758

System Name	RyzenGtEvo/ Asus strix scar II
Processor	Amd R5 5900X/ Intel 8750H
Motherboard	Crosshair hero8 impact/Asus
Cooling	360EK extreme rad+ 360$EK slim all push, cpu ek suprim Gpu full cover all EK
Memory	Corsair Vengeance Rgb pro 3600cas14 16Gb in four sticks./16Gb/16GB
Video Card(s)	Powercolour RX7900XT Reference/Rtx 2060
Storage	Silicon power 2TB nvme/8Tb external/1Tb samsung Evo nvme 2Tb sata ssd/1Tb nvme
Display(s)	Samsung UAE28"850R 4k freesync.dell shiter
Case	Lianli 011 dynamic/strix scar2
Audio Device(s)	Xfi creative 7.1 on board ,Yamaha dts av setup, corsair void pro headset
Power Supply	corsair 1200Hxi/Asus stock
Mouse	Roccat Kova/ Logitech G wireless
Keyboard	Roccat Aimo 120
VR HMD	Oculus rift
Software	Win 10 Pro
Benchmark Scores	8726 vega 3dmark timespy/ laptop Timespy 6506

System Name	Obelisc
Processor	i7 3770k @ 4.8 GHz
Motherboard	Asus P8Z77-V
Cooling	H110
Memory	16GB(4x4) @ 2400 MHz 9-11-11-31
Video Card(s)	GTX 780 Ti
Storage	850 EVO 1TB, 2x 5TB Toshiba
Case	T81
Audio Device(s)	X-Fi Titanium HD
Power Supply	EVGA 850 T2 80+ TITANIUM
Software	Win10 64bit

System Name	Just A Gaming Rig.
Processor	AMD FX-8320 @4.1GHz, 1.268V
Motherboard	ASUS M5A97 Evo R2.0
Cooling	Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo
Memory	8 GB Crucial Ballistix Sport 1600MHz
Video Card(s)	Club 3D R9 280X 3GB royalQueen, @1115/1615MHz
Storage	OS+Often used stuff: Kingston SSDNow V300 120GB, Mass storage: WD Blue 1TB
Case	Zalman Z3 Plus
Audio Device(s)	Integrated
Power Supply	Corsair CX600M
Software	Windows 8.1 64-bit