[McG]

Advanced Micro Devices said that its next-generation desktop processors code-named Zambezi will use socket AM3+ platforms, which will be backwards compatible with the firm's existing AM3 products. While the latter is an advantage for the platform, it may be a disadvantage for eight-core processors based on Bulldozer micro-architecture. In order for AMD’s desktop offering to fully leverage the capabilities of Bulldozer, an enhanced AM3+ socket will be introduced that supports Bulldozer and is backward-compatible with our existing AM3 CPU offerings.

Apparently, it was possible for AMD to make Bulldozer microprocessors compatible with existing AM3+ infrastructure, but in order to do that, the company would have to sacrifice certain important features of the new core. The compatibility with older microprocessors allows AMD to simplify transition to the new micro-architecture and process design since the new AM3+ platform will support inexpensive chips from day one. However, such compatibility also means that AMD Zambezi processors will only support dual-channel memory controller.

AMD Bulldozer-based processor code-named Zambezi will have up to eight cores along with a new TurboCore dynamic acceleration technology.
Thanks to the new micro-architecture the chip promises to be faster than existing AMD products.

Izvor: X-bit Labs