AMD has finally released its much anticipated CPU based on what it calls its "Bulldozer" architecture. AMD gave the FX 8150, the most powerful version of the Bulldozer architecture, for reviewers to evaluate. One of the best reviews that I have seen was done by one of my favorite online hardware review websites Overclock3d.net. Throughout both the written and video review there was a large amount of disappointment with AMD. The upcoming Bulldozer architecture has been talked about for a long time by hardware and PC game fans and the expectations were extremely high. AMD did not "beat" Intel in the long raging CPU war that PC gamers have been cheering on according to this review or some of the others I have seen. The normal progression of the CPU wars between AMD and Intel and the video graphics card wars between AMD and Nvidia have followed a predictable pattern. One company introduces a product followed by the other company responding with a better performing product. The back and forth between hardware companies have filled websites and blogs with articles and kept consumers buying bigger and faster components for their gaming PC. It is completely possible that AMD has just introduced a product that is a failure. Intel may have finally won the war of the game PC CPU. But I think another possibility is that the game has changed and the old ways of keeping score just don't apply anymore. I am not a "fan" of any one company trying to make excuses or an insider in the technology business with sources at the highest levels. I am approaching my conclusion from my own use of technology today.
I like playing computer games. I like building my own computers. I started by shopping for my second computer based on the requirements of the games I played. I later starting upgrading simple things like memory or a video card. I finally reached a point where I built my my last several computers from scratch. I don't use the latest or greatest parts but I build something that works well with the games I play and that I can afford. I read a lot of reviews about computer parts and how well software works with different combinations of parts. There is a lot of hype about parts driven by both the manufacturers and also the reviewers. I have stopped buying parts for at least two years now. There hasn't been anything compelling enough for me to pull out a couple of hundred dollars for an upgrade part or several hundred dollars for a brand new system. My price point for parts is capped at about two hundred and fifty dollars for a CPU or a video card and no more than twelve hundred dollars, including tax, for a complete system. A "real" gamer would just consider my a cheapskate. My current "fast" computer is "way out of date." I have missed the last two generations of video cards. I still have an ATI (now bought by AMD) 4870 video card. I run XP Pro with 2 Gigabytes of RAM with an Intel Core 2 Duo 8500. I bought most of the components (like the video card) when they were being replaced by something newer and better in a manufacturer's line up of products. I would consider myself a budget gamer. The reason that I haven't upgraded recently is the same reason that I think that AMD is going in a different direction rather than just failing to put out a competing part. AMD is following the tend towards value and what is practical which is what I have had to do with my limited budget.
The reason that I haven't upgraded at all in the last two years is that I really don't need to. Most of the games still being released today I have no trouble playing. Why is that? If you have noticed there hasn't been any new gaming consoles released in years and there are still games being developed for these "old" platforms. More and more games are written for a stable and profitable console market first and ported to a PC version later. The original Xbox 360 was released in 2005 and the first PlayStation 3 in 2006! (dates from Wikipedia) There are still games written for the PC or have higher hardware requirements due to higher visual settings on the PC version. For the games that are out there that would melt my old machine they require ridiculous hardware set ups. If you need to run two six hundred dollar video cards with a five hundred to a thousand dollar CPU to enjoy all the eye candy you either own a crazy fast machine or you own a "test" system used for reviews written on computer hardware websites. AMD decided to get off the game hardware roller coaster just like I did. The FX 8150 looks more like a "boring" server CPU to me than a gamer CPU. Let's face it, even your "mid level" gamer CPU would have been the envy of a system administrator setting up a server for small company only a few years ago. I think AMD has not only decided to get off the high performance gamer CPU roller coaster but made a business decision to start merging their gamer/"enthusiast" market with their small business/server market offerings. The FX 8150 has 8 CPU cores! That might just be the perfect configuration for both "extreme" (but still budget) gamers and small businesses moving toward virtualizing their servers on an inexpensive multi-core platform. There was a time not too long ago when the enthusiast market would actually buy a CPU and motherboard from the business/server side of the hardware market to make an "extreme" gamer PC. AMD does not want to alienate its PC gamer customers, but the trend in computing right now is in mobile devices and small businesses rebuilding their old "XP" infrastructure. They are chasing the small business/server market with the FX 8150 and the mobile/small form factor market with offerings like their APUs that I saw them promoting at Comic-Con. Gamers in the near future are going to have to choose between the new CPU with an integrated video graphics chip like AMD's APU or they are going to have to convert a multi-core server into a gaming machine. Bulldozer is not a disappointment or a failure from AMD's perspective. It is their attempt to follow a trend in computing that has potential for real growth. The trend that today's gaming machines are on is not sustainable. One thousand watt power supplies? Computer cases the size of a trailer? A thousand dollars or more in multiple video card set ups? A CPU that can heat your home? AMD picked a target from their competitor Intel that they thought was reasonable to emulate performance wise. As the Overclock3d.net review stated they chose the Core i5-2500K which has been recommended as a good overall value CPU by other reviewers of hardware. There will have to be more benchmarks and reviews to see if this is just a failed part release but if this is truly a path that AMD is on it might just serve them well in an economy more concerned about price and value than about raw performance in a benchmarking showdown in a hardware review on the web.
Will I buy the FX 8150? Well, initially no. I will wait for more reviews and benchmarks to see how it compares to my current system and what it can potentially do for me. Because of the initial disappointment by reviewers the price might go down to a level that I can't pass up. Compared to what I am running now, if the part goes down in price why not? Currently I run virtual machines to test different Linux distributions that I am learning about. The eight cores would do me a world of good. With a modern operating system like Windows 7 and a lot of RAM I might be able to simulate a small network to study for some certifications. With a reasonable video card I might be able to play some of those games that would melt my old machine. The new trend in computing is toward what is practical and what is a a good value. Bulldozer even sounds like a more practical "vehicle." Give it some time and with some serious study we will know for sure if it is a disappointment or the trend the whole industry will be following. The initial disappointment based on old expectations of what makes a good computer may be unfair. I am due for a new computer and if Intel offers a better product that is what I'll be buying. I am just willing to give AMD a thorough hearing before I declare Bulldozer a disappointment. I'll vote with my purchase and I'll keep you posted on what I decided.
