AMD Opteron 8218 (F3)

The AMD Opteron 8218 (F3) is a dual-core server/workstation processor from the K8 architecture family, carrying the Santa Rosa codename. It runs at a fixed 2.60 GHz base clock with no boost capability, draws a 95W TDP, and occupies the 50th percentile in the database, meaning it sits exactly at the median of all recorded CPUs. The benchmark suite for this part is empty, and its average benchmark score is recorded as zero, so its standing rests on its specification sheet rather than measured test results. It was released on 2006-08-14 and is now end-of-life.

How It Compares

The nearestRivals field for this processor is empty, so there are no direct rival names, scores, or delta percentages to report. The only comparative data point is the percentileVsAllCpus value of 50, which places the Opteron 8218 at the exact midpoint of the entire CPU database. This means that half of all recorded processors are slower and half are faster, based on the database's aggregate ranking. Because there are no rivals listed, the comparison must be drawn from its own architectural profile: a 2-core, 2-thread K8 design with a 2.60 GHz fixed clock, 128 KB of L1 and 1 MB of L2 per core, and no L3 cache. In the context of its 2006 release window, this was a mid-tier server part, but the database's 50th percentile reflects its standing across all CPUs ever recorded, not just its contemporaries. The lack of rival data means no percentage deltas can be calculated, and no head-to-head performance claims can be made. The empty nearestRivals field could indicate that the part is end-of-life and rarely benchmarked, or that its combination of Socket F, K8 architecture, and fixed clock has no direct peers in the database. Either way, the part's position is defined by its own specifications and its median percentile ranking, not by comparison to any named competitor.

Power and Thermals

The Opteron 8218 has a TDP of 95W. This is a moderate power draw for a server processor, and it implies a specific cooling tier: a standard server-grade air cooler with adequate chassis airflow will suffice. No liquid cooling or exotic thermal solution is required. The 90nm process node, with 227 million transistors on a 235 mm² die, is the underlying factor in this thermal profile. A 95W TDP for a dual-core part means the heat density is low enough that passive heatsinks in well-ventilated server racks can handle it, though active cooling is safer in constrained spaces. Because there is no boost clock, the processor always operates at its 2.60 GHz base frequency, so power draw and heat output are steady and predictable. There are no thermal spikes from turbo or boost behavior. The locked multiplier (multiplierUnlocked is false) means the chip cannot be overclocked, so the thermal envelope is fixed at the factory specification. For system builders, this simplifies cooling design: a cooler rated for the 95W class is the correct choice, and the absence of boost means no headroom is needed for transient power excursions. The 235 mm² die size is relatively large for a 90nm dual-core part, which contributes to the thermal characteristics, but the official 95W TDP remains the binding constraint for any cooling solution.

Who Should Consider It

This processor is a server/workstation part that is now end-of-life. The data shows 2 cores and 2 threads with no simultaneous multithreading, so it is not a candidate for modern high-thread-count workloads. For gaming, the lack of a boost clock, the dual-core design, and the absence of integrated graphics make it unsuitable for any contemporary title; the 2.60 GHz fixed clock and 2-thread limit will bottleneck any modern game engine. For creation workloads such as video rendering, 3D compositing, or software compilation, the 2-thread ceiling will severely limit throughput. The realistic use case is legacy server infrastructure: single-threaded database queries, lightweight web serving, or embedded controller tasks that run on a fixed clock and do not require parallel scaling. The ECC memory support and dual-channel DDR2 interface with 10.7 GB/s of bandwidth make it viable for memory-reliability-sensitive applications where data integrity matters more than raw throughput. Organizations maintaining older Socket F platforms may use it as a drop-in replacement for failed units, given its end-of-life status and fixed specifications. The locked multiplier means no overclocking headroom, so it is not for enthusiasts. It is for administrators who need a known, stable, predictable part in a legacy server. The 50th percentile ranking reinforces that this is a middle-of-the-road part, not a high-performance option.

FAQ

Q: What socket does the AMD Opteron 8218 use?

A: It uses the AMD Socket F.

Q: What is the TDP of this processor?

A: The TDP is 95W.

Q: Does it support ECC memory?

A: Yes, ECC memory is supported.

Q: What is the process node and transistor count?

A: The process node is 90 nm, and the chip contains 227 million transistors.

Q: How much cache does each core have?

A: Each core has 128 KB of L1 cache and 1 MB of L2 cache; there is no L3 cache.

Q: What is the launch MSRP?

A: The launch MSRP is $2149.

Benchmark Performance

The benchmark data for the Opteron 8218 is empty. The avgBenchmarkScore field is 0, and the benchmarks array contains no entries. This means there are no measured scores to analyze against rivals, and the nearestRivals list is empty, so no delta percentages exist. The only positional data is the percentileVsAllCpus value of 50, which places it at the exact median of all CPUs in the database. This percentile is a relative ranking, not a score; it indicates that half of all recorded processors are slower and half are faster, based on the aggregate benchmark methodology used by the database. Without individual benchmark results, the performance assessment must rely on architectural facts: a 2.60 GHz fixed clock, 2 cores, 2 threads, and a dual-channel DDR2 memory bus with 10.7 GB/s bandwidth. These figures suggest a processor designed for consistent, predictable throughput rather than peak performance. The lack of a boost clock means it cannot exceed 2.60 GHz under any load, so it will not adapt to short bursts of demand. In a benchmark context, this part would likely score well on latency-sensitive single-threaded tests but poorly on any multi-threaded test that scales beyond two threads. The 10.7 GB/s memory bandwidth is a fixed figure tied to the dual-channel DDR2 interface; in a server context, this bandwidth is shared across both cores, so a single-threaded workload has access to the full 10.7 GB/s, while a two-thread workload splits it. This is a modest figure by modern standards, but for the 2006 era it was appropriate for the target market. The ECC support adds a reliability layer that does not directly affect benchmark scores but is critical for long-running server workloads. The 50th percentile ranking is the only quantitative signal available, and it places this chip squarely in the middle of the database's population — neither a standout nor a laggard. Because there are no rivals, no percentage-based comparisons can be made, and the performance story is entirely qualitative.

Single-Thread vs Multi-Thread Behavior

The Opteron 8218 is a 2-core, 2-thread processor with no SMT, so each core handles exactly one thread. This makes it a pure single-threaded performer at the core level. The base clock of 2.60 GHz is the only clock speed available — there is no boost clock field, so the chip runs at a constant frequency. For single-threaded workloads, the performance is determined by the K8 architecture and the 2.60 GHz clock. The L1 cache is 128 KB per core and L2 is 1 MB per core, with no L3 cache at all. This cache hierarchy means that working sets that fit within 1 MB per core will see fast access, while larger datasets will fall back to the DDR2 memory bus. The dual-channel memory bus provides 10.7 GB/s of bandwidth, which is shared between the two cores. In multi-threaded scenarios, the chip can run two threads simultaneously, but there is no additional parallelism beyond that. A workload with four or more threads will see only two executing at a time, with the rest queued. This split means the processor is best suited for tasks that are inherently single-threaded or that can be cleanly divided into exactly two parallel paths. For office productivity, single-threaded performance at 2.60 GHz is adequate for basic document editing and spreadsheet work from the era, but modern software with multi-threaded overhead will not benefit. The 50th percentile ranking reflects this balanced but unremarkable position: it is not a high-end part, but it is not the slowest either. The absence of a boost clock and the locked multiplier mean that the single-thread performance is fixed and cannot be improved through overclocking or turbo behavior. This makes the chip a predictable, if limited, choice for single-threaded server tasks, where a constant clock speed is often more valuable than peak performance that cannot be sustained.