There has never been such a buzz over a processor like that of Advanced Micro Devices Inc.'s Operton. Our judges accepted the reasons for the buzz and added some buzz of their own when they bestowed the Bronze Award to the Next Generation AMD Operton Processor in the Performance and Tuning category of SearchSQLServer.com's Products of the Year 2006.

Speed is what everyone is talking about, said one judge. "Also, [it has] the dual core, which offers better performance than the hyperthreaded offering from Intel."

In addition, Operton has a larger L1 cache and better price per performance than Intel, the judge said. The processor is said to improve system efficiency and application performance for computers running multi-threaded applications and environments.

It runs the existing installed base of 32-bit applications and operating systems while providing a 64-bit-capable migration path. The first step in migrating is usually to move from a 32-bit to 64-bit version of Windows Server 2003. Doing this, users can run 32-bit applications, including SQL Server, and get immediate benefits from having a 64-bit operating system. The next step is to migrate to 64-bit SQL Server 2005, which provides the added benefit of full 64-bit memory addressing.

The processor is the only x86 server processor planned to be upgradeable from dual-core to quad-core and designed to help customers migrate to quad-core when the time is right for them.

"It seems to be the processor of choice wherever I go," said the judge.

The AMD Opteron Model 8218 costs $2,149 in 1,000-unit quantities, and the Model 2218 costs $873 in 1,000-unit quantities. The Model 1218 costs $749 in 1,000-unit quantities.

SearchSQLServer.com