AMD bringing "Quad-father" to desktops

Athlon 64 manufacturer to introduce dual-socket, dual-core-capable desktop platform.

AMD is preparing to give game enthusiasts an offer they can't refuse. AMD announced a new 4x4 desktop gaming platform today during its analyst briefing.

Nicknamed the "Quad-father," AMD's new 4x4 platform will support two dual-core processors on a single motherboard for a total of four processing cores. The platform will feature AMD's Direct Connect architecture, which gives each processor a direct line to system memory and enables efficient CPU-to-CPU communication.

Talking to GameSpot, AMD vice president of marketing Patrick Moorhead acknowledged that today's "multiprocessor workstation boards are not enthusiast-friendly." The 4x4 platform will make it easier for enthusiasts to put together Athlon 64 X2 and FX-based multiprocessor systems by supporting the new AM2 socket and unbuffered memory commonly used in desktop systems as opposed to buffered, ECC memory used in workstations.

AMD expects the first 4x4 systems to ship in the second half of this year.

74 Comments

  • PowergamerBD

    Posted Nov 6, 2006 7:31 pm PT

    Cool dude! But I just hope its got enough speed to stand up against the Intel Core 2 Extreme

  • alpha_company

    Posted Nov 4, 2006 6:08 am PT

    Woohoo! DuH!

  • koobeeny

    Posted Nov 3, 2006 4:55 pm PT

    This isn't going to do much. How many apps out there right now are going to be able to utilize this?

  • Amanology

    Posted Nov 3, 2006 3:08 am PT

    I was thinking about an AMD Athlon X2, but my plan totally changed after the Intel C2D release.

  • darthballs31

    Posted Nov 2, 2006 3:39 pm PT

    lol rofl to phantom's post

  • pkdorx3

    Posted Nov 2, 2006 2:24 pm PT

    I think is sweet cause it give you the option on when to upgrade for the second dual core, (and will this platform be compatible with the AMD Quad core CPUs when they come out? If not its probably better to just wait a little longer for the actual quad cores. Imagine quad cores x2!!!!!) not that the power is needed unless you do video editing, animation, Drafting or any type of power hogging task like that. Eventually games will take advantage of this power but not on the immediate future developers are still trying out dual cores, but some how i thing that for game developers the move from dual core to quad and beyond will be much more transparent and faster then evolving form single CPUs all together.

    Not that any PC enthusiast needs a reason to upgrade other then the latest hitting the market any ways. I think that it might be overkill for a little while. I like to call my self an enthusiast but I'll just wait for the AMD quad cores before moving on to this very appropriately name platform "Quad Father" may it help AMD make Intel sleep with the fishes ( I personally don't want in tell dead just humbled, other wise no competition). Then I can have 2 Quad cores when I chose to upgrade. I can Imagine Vista Ultimate + 2 DX 10 GPUs +2 Quad Core CPUs+ 4GB RAM (2 per CPU) I'am already drooling!!!

    As for Loser mike claiming that PC are more powerful then Consoles......... thats muddy waters. Cause PCs are a kind of jack of all trades and Consoles well are Specially designed for games (I guess now for multimedia and all kinds of good stuff) but their heart remains in the gaming area. They are optimized for better handling of graphics from the ground up. Eventually PCs will be able to surpass the new next gen consoles (specially the Xbox 360 Cause its pretty much based on current technology with 3 Intel CPUs But its GPU although its a ATI still was designed and optimize with console gaming in mind). The PS3 on the other hand is pretty much new technology from the ground up (minus the GPU but then again just like the ATI for the 360 its been optimized) The CPU on the PS3 its a Cell and there is pretty much next to nothing on the current PC market that can take on that. Even with all this new multi cores its they are still no Cell processor. The architecture behind them is completely different. A very important thing is that PC games developers have to keep in mind the not so old/not so new hardware when developing games for PC taking special care not to set the bar to high (as to alienate a Big portion of their market) And not to low (as to make the game not appealing enough). Consoles are a established platform that remains static which cuts out a lot of development head aches at the price of no upgrade ability but then that whet Sony, MS & Nintendo are there for.

  • Phantom_2003

    Posted Nov 2, 2006 12:03 pm PT

    at this rate, how long it will it be until computers can make games look so real that when our parents tell us to go outside, we'll say, "But i thought i already was!"

  • ssj4_2004

    Posted Jun 5, 2006 11:34 am PT

    ebonyflame
    If any single rich women Gamespot users are looking for a nice, hard working guy to spoil, call me.
    ------
    Hell, call both of us.

  • comthitnuong

    Posted Jun 4, 2006 9:29 am PT

    awsome

  • GhostStalkerX1

    Posted Jun 2, 2006 7:21 pm PT

    Hey u wanna throw money away for something you dont need go ahead i wont stop you, Ill tell you your stupid but i wont stop you.

  • FuguNabe

    Posted Jun 2, 2006 4:09 pm PT

    WOW... count me in

  • LordGamer0001

    Posted Jun 2, 2006 3:14 pm PT

    yeah. more gaming hardware.

  • Nuron_V

    Posted Jun 2, 2006 12:43 pm PT

    This strikes me as being somewhat of a PR product than a long term future direction. The prize of the first quad core desktop goes to AMD, whats that? Our CPUs are out performed by Intels for the foreseeable future? But look FOUR cores.

    Don't get me wrong i love AMD but this and K8L aren't going to get me spending my pennies. I'll wait till K9 (woof woof)

    Anyone who goes for a quad core, quad gpu rig isn't going to be worried about the heat and power usage (lets face it your not going to go for a pair of 65W processors are you).

  • jaefrmbk2k

    Posted Jun 2, 2006 12:21 pm PT

    rite naow i'm keepin' mah eyes peeld for any & all pc tech advances. then, in Q4 2008 i cop whatever's the flyest. if this dual socket, dual core thing is still poppin' then i'm a'coppin'. thass it. ain't nothin' 2 it but 2 do it. iss only muney ladies

  • pwnr

    Posted Jun 2, 2006 11:37 am PT

    So what that's still gonna cost like $3000.

    I'm not gettin that.

  • gt4freak1985

    Posted Jun 2, 2006 11:06 am PT

    now that is sexy, but exspensive as hell, looking at a $300 motherboard, and two $1000 fx 60 to be top of the line, that is too exspensive, hell i am on socket 754 athlon 3000 and its still pimp, i got a pcixpress set up on this tooo!

  • -Helios-

    Posted Jun 2, 2006 10:45 am PT

    The more techno-competition I hear about in the news, the further I crawl into my N64 and Gameboy hole.

    It doesn't matter how beautiful our PC games are going to look-- we are still using W, S, A, and D for the same damn things that we did 15 years ago.

    C'mon guys.

  • Disgaeamad

    Posted Jun 2, 2006 10:10 am PT

    Very interesting, this is most likely going to be bought by me. AMD are smart when it comes to these things.

  • glued2thescreen

    Posted Jun 2, 2006 9:57 am PT

    ::shrugs:: i suppose it'd be making some sort of segway into the mainstream market, but i'm sitting here working on my apple g5 and its a quad core, and to be honest, it does make a difference in performance for system hogs, but to be technically correct, the only people that benefit from that kind of power are people that are running their own game server and do some sort of digital image creation/editing, and animation. All the same though, it's like owning the newest, fastest car, and no matter what the cost, people will buy it, because its bigger. Never a need for justification of purchase for a 12k dollar set up if your a real enthusiast. hehe ^_^

  • madgamer2000

    Posted Jun 2, 2006 9:11 am PT

    man will this be expensive. traditionally dual socket mobos are like 400$ or more, and 2 FX processors would be $2,000, then 2 gigs of ram for each and all your other parts etc, and you end up with a pc that could be no cheaper than like 4 grand. that said, it is cool tech, and I look forward to seeing the performance that it brings.

  • robybaggio

    Posted Jun 2, 2006 7:31 am PT

    Development has already started for 8 cores and soon after 16 cores.

    Is it worth getting this? Really depends on your budget. If its not feasible or you're stretching your budget you should wait till Q2 2007 is my advice.

  • shizwill03

    Posted Jun 2, 2006 6:22 am PT

    DAYUM.

    MMM.

    --Drools--

    .....TAKE THAT SONY!!!

  • chrisdojo

    Posted Jun 2, 2006 6:10 am PT

    would be a sweet system....but with the prices of their new chips they just released, this won't be cheap.

  • AmmonMoley

    Posted Jun 2, 2006 6:05 am PT

    For those thinking that you can run multiple games/apps at once with this new proc... consider the actual capacity of the board itself. I mean, there is a limit as to how much the HDD's on the system can access the system's core AND memory. There is a point where the components are not going to keep up with the mobo and procs that are coming out. I say, let's get an operating system and apps that can handle dual cores first... then, once we've found out how to keep the blasted systems cool, let's focus on adding more processors to the mix.

  • skinnypete91

    Posted Jun 2, 2006 5:43 am PT

    AWESOME!!!.... but expensive methinks

  • stanleyCG1_2

    Posted Jun 2, 2006 5:15 am PT

    sounds awsome...but only for rich people!!

  • TVR_Fan

    Posted Jun 2, 2006 3:41 am PT

    I might aswell just buy this motherboard, while just buying one CPU for it at first. And then buy a 2nd CPU at a later date.

    But there goes me setting a £3k budget on my next PC.

  • dechamp

    Posted Jun 2, 2006 12:47 am PT

    I don't know about gaming but it'll make a sweet CGI workstation (though I wouldn't be able to resist playing games on it ). I can't imagine it'd cost as much as the current dual socket Opteron mobo's (which are around the £350 level).

  • daze9900

    Posted Jun 1, 2006 9:52 pm PT

    lol first einstein write a letter to the president saying he can design a bomb ; now AMD found a way to create fires in your home. Good work; lol let applications take advantage of two processor let alone four. Next thing microsoft gonna tell you with four processor the can track your date four times as fast. And where are the games that are taking advantage of this? I love pc gaming; but point and click rpgs are boring and how many WWII games gonna come out; very disgraceful to the veterans. If you need to spend more than a G jus to play world of warcraft you either have a serious job and need to not be playing games or you should have got a console and would be much cheaper.

  • BounceDK

    Posted Jun 1, 2006 9:38 pm PT

    Did someone mention overkill? Yeah thought so

  • agmsd

    Posted Jun 1, 2006 9:06 pm PT

    Was this the AMD used to be stroked to death by intel every now and then... I guess the table has turned around for them... Gooooo for it AMD...

  • rbarahona

    Posted Jun 1, 2006 8:12 pm PT

    The specs are awesome and the PC will have a lot of power!!! However I think that it will also be very expensive...

  • hrah

    Posted Jun 1, 2006 8:07 pm PT

    [This message was deleted at the request of a moderator or administrator]

  • alberto2045

    Posted Jun 1, 2006 6:02 pm PT

    now i have 2 decide between the PS3 or this thing

  • Wandering_Youth

    Posted Jun 1, 2006 5:15 pm PT

    Hmm, a Quad CPU system. I wonder what the real specs will be for those processors because I would really like to see it first. It's all about details, I say.

    For now, I'll just stick with AMD 64 Athlon X2 +4200 until in the far future it becomes totatlly obsolete and when this Quad system goes down in price then maybe I'll get it.

  • puhhehehee

    Posted Jun 1, 2006 5:05 pm PT

    let see when i bought amd64 fx-55 when it first came out, i paid nearly $1000. so wonder how much this will cost...

  • premanna

    Posted Jun 1, 2006 4:28 pm PT

    cool

  • ebonyflame

    Posted Jun 1, 2006 3:12 pm PT

    If any single rich women Gamespot users are looking for a nice, hard working guy to spoil, call me.

  • Igwababa

    Posted Jun 1, 2006 3:08 pm PT

    Yeah Im good with keeping that 5 grand in my pocket stay there, this is cool but wont be affordable for many years to come for now you better hope that rich uncle dies pretty soon

  • Fusekazuki

    Posted Jun 1, 2006 2:48 pm PT

    Very nice but worthless until software is made to truly support the functions.

  • maximo1

    Posted Jun 1, 2006 2:12 pm PT

    LoserMike,
    I agree that this system would beat any console, but the price would easily be between $5,000-10,000 for that system (most likely closer to the $10,000 mark).

  • nohabs

    Posted Jun 1, 2006 2:10 pm PT

    I hear the cash register ringing

  • mr_montoya85

    Posted Jun 1, 2006 2:09 pm PT

    HELL YEAH I LOVE U AMD!!!!! FINALLY MORE THAN 1 CPU IN A MOTHERBOARD!!!! CANT WAIT FOR 4 OR 5 CPU'S IN ONE MOTHERBOARD!!!!!

  • stingerhs

    Posted Jun 1, 2006 1:27 pm PT

    sweet. and with more multithreading games heading this way, this is going to really help out with performance. now we just have to wait for Intel to make a similar announcement....

  • Autolycus

    Posted Jun 1, 2006 1:24 pm PT

    only for rendering would you need 4 processors. however, a lot of cheap 3d software doesnt even support multicore techonology(such as bryce 3d, and the ones you can pick up @ your local software store). However AMD NON opteron chips still have to pass through processor one on the dual core...so its a moot point...

  • JLCrogue

    Posted Jun 1, 2006 1:23 pm PT

    Mmmmm... don't disrespect the Quadfather or he'll have you wacked! lol

    Anyway, this sounds awesome, but I'll have to wait before I get one of those.

  • hindug

    Posted Jun 1, 2006 1:23 pm PT

    Reread the article.

    It's a *DUAL* Processor system, with 2 cores. Not 4 CPUs.

    Just like a Dual-Core Proc is not the same as a Dual CPU system, a Dual-Dual Cores is not the same as a Quad Proc box.

  • hindug

    Posted Jun 1, 2006 1:19 pm PT

    I doubt the prices will be outrageous, considering you can put together a dual proc, dual core opteron for ~$1.5k.

    You guys are right; gaming won't really take advantage of the horse power. My current P4 2.8 Ghz machine plays games just fine.

    However, I do a lot of 3d animation, and dual-core x dual-proc gives me a woodrow wilson the size of texas.

  • smiley17O

    Posted Jun 1, 2006 1:18 pm PT

    i know this wont take pentium out for good but its a step

  • GhostStalkerX1

    Posted Jun 1, 2006 1:18 pm PT

    Ohh by the way good luck with your light bill if you get one of those Quad CPU systems.

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