AMD FX-8150 Bulldozer 8 Core CPU

The Bulldozer Architecture Inspected:

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As you can see by the magnified core above the basic architecture is broken into 4 units with two cores each. Each CPU (8 total) shares 2MB of L2 Cache and 2MB of L3 Cache for a total of 8MB L2 and 8MB of L3. Each unit supports two threads of execution which offers greater scalability and predictability than two threads sharing a single core such as is the case in hyperthreading. The benefit to single core application is that when only a single thread is active it has full access to all shared resources.

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The shared nature of this micro architecture has significant impacts on multi-threaded applications. For applications that are multiprocessor aware for up to 4 processors the Bulldozer CPU will shift into its P0 state and run at 4.2 GHz on four cores. For applications that will utilize more cores the Bulldozer is capable of running at 3.9 GHz as previously discussed on all eight cores to maximize performance. This is of course dependent upon the application making calls to the processor. If the application is optimized for multi core environments then the increase in performance will be excellent.

New Instruction Sets and Applications for the Bulldozer

 Capabilities Examined:

Now what this all means, is that at a surface glance the AMD FX-8150 looks to be a very capable processor with excellent support for current and future technology. How this equates to real world performance is another issue entirely.  As you are well aware different processors are capable of different amounts of work per clock cycle. The feature set and instructions included in the FX-8150 certainly give it an edge in accomplishing new tasks in less time but its architecture comes into play and we will see just how optimized the FX-8150 is for work loads.

What the Bulldozer is and is not:

Bulldozer represents an excellent step forward for AMD and its first major architecture release since the AMD 64. That being said Bulldozer will not be an Intel i series dominator when compared clock for clock. Where Bulldozer will shine is in heavy multi-tasking and in applications that can take advantage of all eight of its cores. AMD has really thought ahead here as it’s only a matter of time before more and more applications are written to utilize the kind of processing power that Bulldozer makes available. At this point in time that list is small, and as such AMD has introduced P states which allow those applications that can’t utilize all of its cores to still utilize some but faster. What this means for you is that the Bulldozer is appropriate for nearly any task you give it.

AMD realizes that CPU power is playing a less and less relevant role in computing and will soon take a back seat to graphics. In this area AMD really shines as a competitive solution provider in both the CPU and GPU market. This is a statement that Intel cannot at this time make. Those people holding out for a competitive GPU solution from Intel may have to wait a long while as it’s is not their focus, though most would reasonably argue it should be. Those holding out for an Intel/Nvidia Merger may have to wait even longer and the corporate cultures and even their representatives have clashed before, as such a merger is unlikely unless these obstacles can be overcome.

In a multi-tasking environment Bulldozer will be not only the right choice but also the economic one. For the casual computing user Bulldozer future proofs their PC while costing much less. For the gamer, Bulldozer brings a marriage excellent CPU power and a platform designed specifically to provide an enhanced gaming experience and yet again costing less.

It’s a Win-Win for consumers, and unless Intel steps up the game soon we will see more consumers flipping to the green logo.

  Previous Page         1. Introducing Bulldozer2. Bulldozer Revealed3. Looking at the new Architecture4. Benchmark tests and Test Platform5. Benchmarks Continued6. Benchmark Analysis and Overclocking7. Conclusion and Complete Gallery8. View All         Next Page