30925 Rev. 3.04 February 2004 Builder’s Guide for AMD Opteron™ Processor-
Based Servers and Workstations
Appendix B FAQs 53
plan is for IT managers to seamlessly move to 64-bit applications that benefit their business
while continuing to leverage their investment in 32-bit software and personnel. Additionally,
the HyperTransport™ technology interface addresses the high memory and I/O bandwidth
needs we believe will be required for future personal computers, workstations, and servers.
Q: What kind of performance does the AMD Opteron processor deliver?
A: Validated by independent industry-standard benchmark organizations, the world’s highest
performing 2P and 4P industry standard servers are powered by AMD Opteron processors.
On many industry-standard server and workstation benchmarks, the AMD Opteron processor
Model 146 powers the world’s highest performing 1P servers and workstations.
Q: What specific applications can benefit from the performance of the AMD Opteron processor?
A: Many applications will run faster on the AMD Opteron processor due to its doubled-data
paths. Current 32-bit processors have a 4-GByte memory addressing cap. The 40-bit physical
and 48-bit virtual addressing of the AMD Opteron processor remove that limitation,
permitting up to 1 Terabyte (Tbyte) of physical memory space and 256 Tbytes of virtual
memory addressing space. E-commerce applications, ERP, CRM, and other highly
transactional database applications can benefit from the AMD Opteron processor’s larger
cache, and big workload features that make manipulating larger data sets faster. Other large
data set applications that can benefit from the AMD Opteron processor include CAD and
DCC type applications, as well as financial and scientific modeling applications.
Q: Where is the AMD Opteron processor manufactured?
A: AMD Opteron processors are manufactured at Fab 30 in Dresden, Germany
Q: Is the AMD Opteron processor manufactured on 0.13 micron technology?
A: Yes, AMD Opteron processors are manufactured on 130 nm (.13 micron) SOI (silicon-on-
insulator) process technology.
Q: Where are EMI guidelines for motherboards located?
A: The EMI guidelines for AMD Opteron processors can be found in the AMD Athlon™ 64 FX
and AMD Opteron™ Processors Motherboard Design Guide, order# 25180.
Q: Does the AMD Opteron processor incorporate a thermal shutdown feature?
A: Yes. Please see the AMD Opteron™ Processor Data Sheet, order# 23932 and the
AMD Athlon™ 64 FX and AMD Opteron™ Processors Motherboard Design Guide, order#
25180 for how to connect the pins.
B.2 Validated Server Program FAQs Q: What is the Validated Server Program?
A: The Validated Server Program (VSP) is a collaboration between AMD and Celestica that
combines AMD’s world-class silicon technologies with Celestica’s world-class electronic
manufacturing services. The VSP design undergoes a validation that tests compatibility and