AMD Bulldozer B3 Revision Is in the Works

After many were left disappointed by the performance of AMD's FX-Series processors based on the Bulldozer architecture, the chip maker is now working on a new revision of its CPUs that will carry the B3 stepping.

This information was uncovered by Hardcore-Hardware in a public AMD document entitled “BIOS and Kernel’s Developers Guide (BKDG) for AMD Family 15h Models 00h-0Fh Processors.”

The document included a table that mentioned the current stepping of AMD's Bulldozer processors, but also a new revision of the architecture that was referred to as B3.

Sadly, the report doesn't detail the changes that AMD wants to bring to its chips with the introduction of this new stepping, but users should expect the usual tweaks that deliver slightly improved performance and better energy-efficiency. 

This is not the first time that AMD is having troubles with a new processors architecture.

Shortly after the company launched it first quad-core CPUs from the Phenom line, it has been discovered that the chips suffered from a TLB (translation lookaside buffer) flaw which incurred a performance penalty of at least 10%.

These design problems required AMD to build a new chip stepping, known as B3, which arrived about four months after the initial Phenom release.

AMD launched the first FX-Series processors based on the Bulldozer architecture the last week, on October 12, but despite being eagerly awaited by many PC enthusiasts the performance of the chips has disappointed.

In most tests that were run by reviewers, AMD's flagship CPU from the FX-Series lineup, the FX-8150, lagged behind the Intel's Core i5-2500K, a few tests even showing it coming behind a last-gen Phenom II X6 1100T processor.

Right now, no information regarding the release date of the B3 stepping is available, but considering AMD's current position in the CPU market it makes sense for this revision to be placed on top of the company's priority list.

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