Re: I suggest you take a look at how data is moved between CPUs on Intel's FSB. One CPU can not ring up another CPU and move data. It must go at least to the NB as there are no CPU to CPU bus states, only idle, CPU to NB and NB to CPU. There is an arbitration done with the NB deciding who "wins" access to the FSB.
You present a fallacious argument. The CPU in an Intel system only needs a NB as a medium to transfer data. It doesn't store anything or do anything with the NB itself. Traffic goes CPU->NB->Memory. I understand your point that there absolutely has to be NB in the middle, but I disagree with your representation that CPU->NB and NB->CPU is at all relevant.
As far as Opteron goes, data may be located in local or remote memory. Best case, you have CPU->memory and worst case, you have CPU->CPU->CPU->memory. In the first case, you could argue "gluelessness", but in the other, there is definitely glue, even though the glue just happens to be integrated into the CPU.
Re: As to Opterons not being able to "string" the CPUs to make a computer system, they can do just that and only need other chips to translate HTT to other types of I/O.
This misses the point. The point is that these "other chips to translate HTT to other types of I/O" are completely necessary to make a computer system. Without I/O, you can't even load a program. Memory is a volatile storage unit, and Opteron by itself cannot function without a non-volatile storage. So there is necessary "glue" that needs to be in an Opteron system to provide this kind of capability. This "glue" may be less complex than a fully functional North Bridge, but that isn't the point.
Re: The BIOS can be placed on a DIMM as well.
That's a laughable way to make your argument, Pete. No one does this.
Re: And many A64 systems could be made to work with just one SB. It can have a GPU, NICs, IDEs, SATAs, USBs, sound, firewire, PS/2 and no memory controller and still be a complete computer even by your standards.
Sure it will work, but will an 8-socket server scale in performance with just this? Of course not. It isn't a viable solution.
