In Day 12 of this series, we will be talking about AMD Opteron Processor Numbering. Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) has various versions of the Opteron family that are meant for server use. When assessing AMD processors, it is very helpful to understand what the model numbers mean.
Recent AMD Opteron processors are identified by a four digit model number in the format ZYXX, where the Z digit indicates the product series:
• 1000 Series = 1-socket servers
• 2000 Series = Up to 2-socket servers and workstations
• 4000 Series = Up to 2-socket servers
• 6000 Series = High performance 2 and 4-socket servers
• 8000 Series = Up to 8-socket servers and workstations
The Y digit differentiates products within a series. For example:
• Z2XX = Dual-Core
• Z3XX = Quad-Core
• Z4XX = Six-Core
• First generation AMD Opteron 6000 series processors are denoted by 61XX
The XX digits indicate a change in product features within the series (for example, in the 8200 series of dual-core processors, we have models 8214, 8216, 8218, and so on), and are not a measure of performance. It is also possible to have a two digit product suffix after the XX model number, as follows:
• No suffix– indicates a standard power AMD Opteron processor.
• SE – Performance optimized, high-powered
• HE– Low-power
• EE– Lowest power AMD Opteron processor.
For example, an Opteron 6180 SE would be a 6000 series, twelve-core, performance optimized processor; an Opteron 8439 SE would be an 8000 series, six-core, performance optimized processor, while an Opteron 2419 EE would be a 2000 series, six-core, energy efficient processor. For mission critical database servers, I would recommend that you select SE suffix processor, if it is available for your server model. The reason that it is not always available in every server model is due to its higher electrical power requirements.
I talked about my current recommended AMD processors in the Day 9 post for this series.
Recent Opteron AMD releases, plus planned releases, are summarized in Figure 1. Since 2010, the Magny-Cours processor has been AMD’s best-performing model.
| Year | Process | Model Families | Code Name |
| 2006 | 90nm | 1200,2200,8200 | Santa Ana, Santa Rosa |
| 2007-8 | 65nm | 1300,2300,8300 | Budapest, Barcelona |
| 2009 | 45nm | 2400,8400 | Shanghai, Istanbul |
| 2010 | 45nm | 4100, 6100 | Lisbon, Magny-Cours |
| 2011 | 32nm | ?? | Interlagos, Valencia |
Figure 1: Recent and Upcoming AMD Opteron Releases
