AMD Shanghai Opteron CPUs On Linux

Last quarter AMD introduced their "Shanghai" Opteron processors that join the ranks of Intel's Harpertown Xeon CPUs that are 45nm quad-core server/workstation parts. Initial reviews of these new AMD Opteron processors have been very positive, but how do these chips perform with Linux? In this article we have our hands on a few of the fastest Shanghais, the AMD Opteron 2384 clocked at 2.7GHz, as we see how well they compare to the older "Barcelona" Opteron processors.

The AMD Opteron 2384 operates at 2.7GHz, is a true 45nm quad-core processor, runs on a 1000MHz HyperTransport bus, provides 512KB of L2 cache, and offers 6MB of shared L3 cache. The Shanghai succeeds the Barcelona family, with many technologies being shared or built upon between the two generations, but the Barcelona only offered 2MB of shared L3 cache, speeds up to only 2.5GHz, and was built on a 65nm SOI process. Additionally, the memory controller found with the Shanghai CPUs now supports Registered DDR2 memory speeds up to 800MHz compared to 667MHz with the Barcelona. The Shanghai family is also ready for HyperTransport 3.0, but the first batch of Shanghai Opterons do not support this version.

Besides the Opteron 2384 there are four other Shanghai parts in the Opteron 23XX series and four in the Opteron 83XX series. The clock speeds on these Shanghai parts range from 2300 to 2700 MHz while the memory controller speed also drops from 2200MHz to 2000MHz on the slower Opterons. The Shanghais have an operating voltage of 1.35V and the current selection of Shanghai processors have an ACP rating of 75 Watts. The list price for a single AMD Opteron 2384 is just under $1,000 USD.