AMD Releases New Opterons

Advanced Micro Devices Inc. will add an extra kick to its 64-bit Opteron processor line on Monday morning, releasing three new processors with support for PC3200 memory.

The Opteron 148, 248 and 848 run at 2.2 GHz, according to AMD. The Opteron 248, designed for one- and two-way servers, is available now. The 148 and 848 chips, intended for single-processor workstation and eight-way servers, respectively, will be released in December.

The chips are AMDs first to qualify for PC3200 memory, also known as DDR-400. AMDs Opteron family contains an integrated memory controller; AMD did not revise the design of the memory controller, but said that previous versions hadnt been tested with or qualified for PC3200 memory.

Due to the limited module size of PC3200 memory, however, the modules will probably only be used with the single-processor Opteron 148, an AMD representative said. Modules in 1GB and 2GB sizes will be released next year, and will be more suited for servers, she said. Although DDR-2 memory will make its first appearance next year, AMD wont be designing Opterons around DDR-2 for release in 2004, she said.

The AMD Opteron processor Model 848 will be priced at $3199 in 1,000-unit quantities. The Model 248 and 148 chips are priced at $913 and $733 in 1,000-unit quantities, respectively.