Replies to post #78554 on Advanced Micro Devices Inc (AMD)

[chipguy]

Passing it (= booting) means that the processor is roughly OK, and can proceed to more in debt test.

Freudian slip of the first order when talking about K8L. :-P

[wbmw]

Re: The very fact that both Intel and AMD announced that their processor booted Window means that both companies consider it to be an accomplishment.

Intel's announcement wasn't so much about booting Windows. It was about booting 4 operating systems within days of receiving first silicon. So yes in this case it speaks a lot to the health of first silicon, and says that the validation process may now begin in full. It really shouldn't take longer than 9 more months at this point, unless the validation process misses something major and requires a new stepping within weeks of the production ramp. But that kind of incident could happen to anyone. At least Intel's demo shows that a Q3 launch is possible.

AMD showed a booted Windows 3 months after announced tapeout, and one would have thought that by then, they would be able to show a bit more than just the Task Manager screen. ANYTHING would have been better. At most, they demonstrated that Barcelona silicon in December was capable of at least running some simple scripts on all threads for a duration of ~3 seconds. At most, it suggests a Q3 launch is possible. In light of Intel's progress on their 45nm design, would this really get you excited?