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As the saying goes, 'If at first you don't succeed, get your stuff together and roll out another hotfix already, it's 2012!' Maybe the saying doesn't go exactly like that, but it should if you're talking about the combination of Microsoft Windows and AMD's Bulldozer line. After pushing out a Bulldozer-boosting hotfix in mid-December, the Redmond software giant pulled it offline a few days later at the request of AMD, which called the patch "incomplete." Now it's back and it has the full blessing of the Santa Clara chip maker.
"Currently, the CPU scheduling techniques used by Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 are not optimized for the module architecture of the AMD Opteron 6200 and 4200 Series processors," AMD said in a blog post. "This means that certain multi-threaded workloads will not be optimally distributed between cores, which can result in decreased system performance.
"Microsoft has just posted a hotfix for Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 documented in KB2645595 that enlightens the OS kernel to the AMD Opteron 6200 and 4200 Series topology so that the kernel can do a better job of scheduling threads to the processor cores. This patch leverages work that AMD and Microsoft have done cooperatively for future versions of the Windows kernel, and can be applied as desired by users running Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1."
The patches also apply to Windows 7, not just Windows Server 2008 R2. According to AMD, after applying the update, your OS will be 'enlightened' to the ways of Opteron 6200 and 4200 Series topology, allowing the kernel to do a better job of scheduling threads to the processor cores. It's not likely to affect legacy applications too much, but could give a boost to workloads that are moderately threaded, such as virtualization, database, or transactional environments, AMD says.
Links to patches:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2646060
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2645594
Comments are closed on this article
SnuffThePunkz
January 12, 2012 at 9:14am
You need to go to the url that the person who wrote out the article meant to link to but didn't. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2646060
You then need to click the "View and request hotfix downloads", select your version, provide an email address and they send you a link to it...
Or click here,
http://hotfixv4.microsoft.com/Windows%207/Windows%20Server2008%20R2%20SP1/sp2/Fix391262/7600/free/441280_intl_x64_zip.exe
If there are two patches, I haven't found the second, but the article refers to it.
bautrey
January 12, 2012 at 10:23am
On your URL, it asks for the username and password. I got the email but it didn't provide anything.
SnuffThePunkz
January 12, 2012 at 11:08am
Did for me as well, clicked it a second time not using my download manager, and it downloaded. No idea why.
sdunnin
January 12, 2012 at 8:38am
Once again, another MS Hotfix article with no links to the actual update code / files....
limitbreaker
January 12, 2012 at 7:03am
Very good news for the bulldozing people, maybe i'll pick up a FX- 8170 if they actually release it now :-)
mgalletly
January 12, 2012 at 5:57am
I can't find the actual download link for either version at the KB page, but I need the x64 version
SnuffThePunkz
January 11, 2012 at 3:33pm
The url for the first link directs you to the second link. Just a fyi.
Hoping this helps out, my FX-4110 has been wanting to spread it's legs.
gordonung
January 11, 2012 at 6:16pm
We are indeed working on benchmarking it again as well as Intel's new Core i7-3820 too...
sc123
February 24, 2012 at 7:08pm
Gordon, what's the word on those benchmarks? Any improvement? I have a FX-6100 and I hesitate to apply the hotfixes if there isn't an improvement.
aferrara50
January 11, 2012 at 6:36pm
3820 should be great for someone that wants to build a 4 way sli gaming rig and has no need for a hexacore. Looking forward to that review. I love my 3960X, but it'll be nice to know that I can build another x79 rig for lans on the cheap
