Datasheet

Sun Microsystems, Inc.
• Provide digital content creation capabilities, such as computer-aided design (CAD), computer-aided manufacturing
(CAM), and computer-aided engineering (CAE), digital music production and video editing, and real-time media
streaming solutions.
• Require maximum performance for rendering of realistic and cinematic scenes for use in computer generated cinema,
next generation computer games, and various digital and real time video processing applications.
Compatibility with the x86 architecture makes the x64 computing platform the first 64-bit platform designed to run mainstream PC
applications while offering world-class performance at an affordable price. This technology is suitable for solutions ranging from con-
sumer PCs to high performance clusters. The flexibility and scalability offered by x64 computing provides organizations with
enhanced investment protection as this single architecture addresses a broad range of current and future capability and perfor-
mance requirements.
Breaking Away with the AMD Direct Connect Architecture
There is more to the exceptional performance of Sun Fire x64 systems than simply a processor and instruction set. The use of the
AMD Direct Connect Architecture offers enterprises a superior x64 platform over traditional x86 Northbridge/Southbridge designs.
Instead of a system bus which shares bandwidth among all motherboard components, the AMD Direct Connect Architecture directly
connects the processors, memory controller, and I/O to the CPU to enable overall system performance and efficiency. Directly con-
nected CPUs provide more linear, symmetrical multiprocessing. A memory controller directly connected to a CPU optimizes memory
performance, while directly connected I/O provides more balanced throughput and performance. Dual-core processors extend the
benefits of the AMD Direct Connect Architecture by connecting two CPU cores to each other on one die to reduce latencies between
cores.
HyperTransport Technology
HyperTransport technology is the high speed, high performance, point-to-point link employed by the AMD Direct Connect Architec-
ture to provide a scalable direct connection between processors, I/O subsystems, and other chipsets. It connects the I/O to the pro-
cessors at a rate of 8 GB/second aggregate bandwidth per link. These capabilities enable HyperTransport technology to help reduce
the number of buses in a system, which in turn can help reduce system bottlenecks and enable today’s faster microprocessors to use
system memory more efficiently.
HyperTransport technology:
• Helps increase overall system performance by removing I /O bottlenecks typically found in Front Side Bus (FSB)
architectures and efficiently integrating with legacy buses, increasing bandwidth and speed, and reducing processor
latency.
• Provides up to 8 GB/second bandwidth per link at 16x16 bits, 1 GHz operation, providing sufficient bandwidth for
supporting new interconnects, such as PCI-Express.
Memory Interface
In traditional x86 Northbridge/Southbridge architectures, processors share a memory controller and are not directly connected to
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