Intel Skeptic About AMD’s Plans to Release Microprocessors with Three Cores
@ 2007/10/10The rather unique triple-core microprocessor by Advanced Micro Devices due in early 2008 is nothing else but a way to increase the amount of working processors based on the new micro-architecture and featuring so-called “native” quad-core implementation, claims chief technology officer from Intel Corp.
Or they would have to lower their Quad prices a bit more to make AMD's tri-core prices unattractive, depending on how AMD prices these.
If one of the four cores is faulty, AMD has a choice, throw the die a way or have it work with three cores and sell it (albiet at a lower price). Which do you think they would choose, get nothing for a die with 3 working core or lose less by selling a tricore CPU? It's not a good idea nor is it a bad idea, it is simply a means to improve yields from the wafer and improve the revenue per wafer.
If there is a negative to be taken with this -- it means that AMD's quad-monolithic yields are not all that great, and there is enough defective quad core die that they are comfortable releasing a defective quad as a tri core. Nonetheless, AMD could mask out a tri-core die natively and get the die size down -- but that would be a complete redesign as the L3 cache, cores, IMC everything would need a completely new layout. Not really ecomonical, but possible......
It will remain to be seen if this was really a good idea or not, since AMD will be selling a 283 mm^2 die for much less than they could get with a fully functional 4 cores on the die... if they create such a demand that exceeds their 'fail rate to tri core', then they could actually be shooting themselves in the foot by now intentionally disabling a good core just to satiate tricore demand.