Sunday, September 18th 2011
AMD's Bulldozer 8.4GHz+ OC Achievement: Cooled to Near-Absolute Zero
AMD's Bulldozer 8.4 GHz+ OC Achievement: Cooled to Near-Absolute Zero
TechPowerUp recently brought you news on AMDs fantastic overclocking achievement with their new processors. Now we can tell you how it was done: cherry-picking the chips and slapping on some water cooling isn't quite enough. AMDs new processors can operate at much lower temperatures without displaying the "cold bug" - where it just gives up and goes home - and performance scales very well at super-low temperatures. The problem is that the cold affects lots of things such as timing, but more importantly, power circuits, which stop switching and just fry everything in sight - surely one to avoid. AMD senior manager of social media, Simon Solotko explains in detail how it was all done, using both liquid helium and liquid nitrogen to make the poor processor really cold. The new processor had these great qualities, according to Solotko:
Source:
The Register
TechPowerUp recently brought you news on AMDs fantastic overclocking achievement with their new processors. Now we can tell you how it was done: cherry-picking the chips and slapping on some water cooling isn't quite enough. AMDs new processors can operate at much lower temperatures without displaying the "cold bug" - where it just gives up and goes home - and performance scales very well at super-low temperatures. The problem is that the cold affects lots of things such as timing, but more importantly, power circuits, which stop switching and just fry everything in sight - surely one to avoid. AMD senior manager of social media, Simon Solotko explains in detail how it was all done, using both liquid helium and liquid nitrogen to make the poor processor really cold. The new processor had these great qualities, according to Solotko:
It was able to take a lot of voltage, extremely low temperatures, extremely high frequencies," he said. "It was very durable under extreme overclocking. So that was awesome. So it worked well, it scaled well, it responded to cold well - all the right variables.This overclock is an impressive feat and it will be interesting to see if Intel can match it.
116 Comments on AMD's Bulldozer 8.4GHz+ OC Achievement: Cooled to Near-Absolute Zero
8.4GHz on LN2 is a world record for LN2 - which means these chips might well also break records on other cooling.
these could become the fastest clocking chips on water and air as well, if this holds as a constant (and its not just a freak chip)
i just want people to be aware that there is implications that these chips could be the best overclockers in the market on non extreme cooling as well, and if they are - well thats newsworthy.
Because some other CPU that beat a record also did?
Kindly note that I did not say that they didn't SET a World Record. I said that there was no previous Guinness World Record. AMD set up this as a *new* record category. So all this "RECORD BREAKERS" is a bit misrepresentative. OK, so they SET the "first world record" in one run, and then they "BROKE that said record 10 minutes later" etc.
Read again the thread and my posts. I did not say it was not true. I am saying it is sloppy or inaccurate or disingenuous PR and journalism. All that video material might have got you hot but to me I am pretty close to absolute zero. It doesn't get me excited.
You might 50cc motorcycle racing. I don't.
I might like Monster Trucks. You don't. Well actually, I don't either, but the point is, my interest in CPU technology is different to yours. Personally, I am more interested in POWER as in performance, or LOW POWER as in it can operate on just two electrodes in a gnat's piss.
Anyway, enough of hair-splitting.
Great news: able to keep a CPU stable without frying itself at 8+ GHz
Bad news: no benchmarks to demonstrate ability for that overclocked CPU to be able to complete any benchmark or even a level of minesweeper
++++
In other news, there is a discussion about unshielded 8GHz+ frequencies on the PC. With these (relatively) high voltages and currents there is a measurable about of electromagnetic noise/radiation being created compared to a regular PC. What is the level of electromagnetic radiation being given off? Above 8GHz is X Band Radiation. X Band is used for radar detectors, Air traffic control... etc.
Remember how a mobile phone can cause interference with your PC and speakers? Creating 8GHz radiation can cause all sorts of legal issues, and requires formal licensing if unshielded. You aren't going to crash an aeroplane through Air traffic interference, but just like "CB radio" or "Band G and Band A wifi" it is a grey legal area until it is sorted.
free advice: if you dont know how to behave you should stay out of posting BS.
unless liquid helium is somehow different to nitrogen? ( search you tube for people drinking it / pouring it over there skin)
(yes i know its colder)
EDIT:
according to this guy hes even stuck his hand in liquid helium briefly.
answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110126102947AA9HsZG
its actually more dangerous to ware gloves with liquid nitrogen as it will stay on them and freeze them to your hands.
hasylab.desy.de/e78/e1380/e3132
www.lindegas.hu/hu/images/2471-15683.pdf
Standard safety precautions: gloves and goggles... to avoid any splashes. Since it boils at such a low temperature, a splash tends to be "more exciting" that just - say - splashing water. However, since the quantities usually handled are relatively small, and the space they are used in are relatively large, the risks are just direct contact with these super low temperatures and the "burns" they might cause.
Remember "wafting" your hand over a supercooled metal object without gloves isnt clever. Your skin could stick to it! Just like holding a frozen pipe in winter, but worse.
After you asked your question, I googled and saw some nasty burns/accidents with liquid He. But not necessarily more or worse than liquid N. Of course, it all depends on quantities.
Of course, personally, i think pre-binning for something like this is not really important(and expected), but it does show that not all chips are able to do this, which does raise question to just how important, or not, events like this are. At least AMD isn't claiming that all chips can do this, but they DID SAY "expect higher clocks soon".
if a technological record such as this only means "hype" to you, then maybe you could just leave it alone. i for one think it's awesome that a cpu is running at nearly 8.4ghz. we are pretty close to a 10ghz cpu now, and i think that alone is something worth mentioning.you don't have to go. you don't have to stay. you don't have to eat crap.
ok
he wasn't TELLING you to do anything, so calm down. the point is as mine above, we think this alone is cool - so if all you want to do is drag on it, you don't HAVE to do that here. you don't HAVE to try and ruin this for people who like it.
However, AMD did show CPUs running @ 3 GHz.
So, now we got one CPU @ 8.4 GHz. Going by the past, this may very well be the only chip that ever does that, and many are a bit hesitant to expect much from AMD, as they have in the past made promises, just to fail to deliver.
I don't think anyone really wants to ruin anyone else's fun, but it will be quite disappointing for many if they set their expectations to high, so many are quick to quash any ideas that seem overly excited.
AMD can only blame itself for customer reactions, after all.