IT managers like to buy for today but plan for tomorrow. AMD says its new server and workstation processors are ready to oblige: Not only do the Next-Generation Opteron CPUs support up-to-date technologies such as ECC DDR-2 memory and hardware-assisted virtualization, but the dual-core chips will be supplanted by quad-core processors that are electrical-, thermal-, and socket-compatible, drop-in upgrades. AMD says it's completed the tape-out or design of the four-core Opterons and expects to ship them in mid-2007.

Like their predecessors, Next-Generation Opterons offer simultaneous 32- and 64-bit x86 computing with Direct Connect Architecture that moves the memory controller onto the CPU to reduce front-side-bus bottlenecks, as well as a 1GHz HyperTransport bus. While the 1-way 1000 Series CPUs use AMD's recently introduced Socket AM2, the 2-way 2000 and 4- or 8-way 8000 Series use a new Socket F with an HTX connector that provides an extensible system bus for other processor and hardware providers to tap via AMD's Torrenza initiative. AMD adds that Sockets AM2 and F are the only sockets for SMP planned over a seven-year period.

The 90-nanometer-process Opterons' AMD-V technology delivers a virtualization-optimized memory controller and silicon features to help a hypervisor support guest operating systems. All feature 64K+64K of Level 1 and 1MB of Level 2 cache with 12 integer and 17 floating-point pipelines.

The model 1210 (1.8GHz), 1212 (2.0GHz), 1214 (2.2GHz), 1216 (2.4GHz) and 1218 (2.6GHz) Opterons have a maximum power draw of 103 watts, while the 2000 and 8000 Series ceiling is 95 watts. Models 2210, 2212, 2214, 2216, 2218, 8212, 8214, 8216, and 8218 have the same clock speeds as 1000 Series CPUs with the same last two model numbers, as do 2.0GHz, 2.2GHz, and 2.4GHz 2000 HE and 8000 HE parts that require just 68 watts. The first 3.0GHz models 1220, 2220, and 8220 bear an SE suffix because of their higher power requirements (up to 125 watts).