AMD Opteron 8224 SE

The AMD Opteron 8224 SE is a dual-core server/workstation processor built on the K8 architecture. Its codename is Santa Rosa, and it belongs to the Opteron (Santa Rosa) generation on a 90 nm process. The SKU has a 3.20 GHz base clock, no listed boost clock, 2 cores and 2 threads, 128 KB of L1 cache per core, 1 MB of L2 cache per core, and no L3 cache. It uses AMD Socket F, supports dual-channel DDR2 with ECC, and has a listed memory bandwidth of 10.7 GB/s. PCIe support is Gen 1. The TDP is 120 W. The processor was released on 2007-08-04 at a launch MSRP of $2149, is now end-of-life, and carries part number OSY8224GAA6CY.

Who Should Consider It

The benchmark database contains no measured scores for this part, so the recommended audience has to be determined from the platform and feature fields rather than from performance results. The market segment field is Server/Workstation. That is the first signal: this is not a mainstream desktop part. It is a Socket F processor aimed at server motherboards and workstation boards that accept a 120 W part. The memory interface is dual-channel DDR2 with 10.7 GB/s of bandwidth, and ECC memory support is listed as true. That combination targets workloads with modest memory-bandwidth demands but a requirement for error-correcting memory. The 2-core, 2-thread configuration means software can use exactly two threads before the processor runs out of parallel resources.

Workloads that are single-threaded can use the 3.20 GHz base clock, but there is no boost clock listed to provide temporary frequency headroom. Multi-threaded workloads are limited to two threads; anything needing more concurrency would need a processor with more cores. The absence of integrated graphics means a user who needs display output must add a separate graphics device. Combined with the Socket F server platform, that makes consumer gaming a weak fit. Office productivity that is light on thread count and memory bandwidth may be technically possible, but the platform has no consumer-oriented graphics and no desktop socket compatibility in the data. The production status is end-of-life, so the realistic audience is someone maintaining a legacy server fleet rather than buying into a current platform. The locked multiplier reinforces that this is a fixed-configuration server part, not an enthusiast overclocking chip. With a release date of 2007-08-04, this is clearly a legacy K8-era product.

Power and Thermals

The TDP is 120 W, and that figure is the only power-related number in the data. It defines the thermal design power that a Socket F motherboard must be able to supply and dissipate. The 90 nm process, 227 million transistors, and 235 mm² die describe a chip of substantial size; the only quantified thermal requirement, however, is 120 W. The cooling tier implied by 120 W is a server-class heatsink or chassis airflow solution capable of moving that much heat from the Socket F package.

The data does not list a boost clock, so the operating frequency is anchored to the 3.20 GHz base clock. There is no turbo state in the FACT PACK that would increase power draw beyond the base specification. No integrated graphics is listed, meaning the processor package does not include an output engine, and the 120 W figure applies to the CPU itself. The market segment is Server/Workstation, which points to controlled server airflow rather than an open desktop environment. The locked multiplier strengthens the impression that thermal management is a fixed-envelope design. For a system using this part, the cooling solution needs to be rated for the 120 W class.

How It Compares

The nearestRivals field in the FACT PACK is empty. There are therefore no named rivals, no rival scores, and no percentage-difference values to cite. The only comparison metric present is percentileVsAllCpus, which is 50. That value places this processor at the median of the database's CPU distribution. However, because the average benchmark score is 0 and the benchmarks array is empty, this percentile is a catalog position rather than a result supported by measured workload data.

Without nearest rivals, it is not possible to provide one comparison paragraph per competitor. Any assertion that the Opteron 8224 SE is faster or slower than another specific chip would have no basis in the FACT PACK. The data simply has no comparison records for this SKU. What is known is its position in the full CPU list: exactly the 50th percentile. If the database later contains nearestRivals entries, those entries would provide the required names, scores, and percentage differences for a direct comparison.

Architecture and Design

Architecturally, the Opteron 8224 SE uses the K8 architecture. Its codename is Santa Rosa, and the generation field is Opteron (Santa Rosa). The process node is 90 nm. The die integrates 227 million transistors across 235 mm². The core layout is 2 physical cores with 2 threads, so the thread count equals the core count. Each core has 128 KB of L1 cache and 1 MB of L2 cache; L3 is not present in the data.

The package is AMD Socket F. The multiplier is not unlocked; multiplierUnlocked is false in the data. The part number is OSY8224GAA6CY. Memory support is DDR2 through a dual-channel interface, with a listed memory bandwidth of 10.7 GB/s. ECC memory support is true, meaning the platform can operate with error-correcting memory. PCIe support is Gen 1. No integrated graphics is listed, and the market segment is Server/Workstation.

The release date is 2007-08-04, and production status is end-of-life. No foundry is listed in the data. The base clock is 3.20 GHz, with no boost clock value available. The 120 W TDP appears in the design data as the thermal boundary. The memory hierarchy is defined by per-core L1 and L2 caches feeding into a 10.7 GB/s dual-channel DDR2 interface. For server workloads that fit within two threads, the per-core cache allocation is the key resource.

Benchmark Performance

The benchmarks array is empty, and the average benchmark score is 0. That means no workload scores are available to represent this processor in the database. Consequently, there are no exact percentage deltas against any rival; the nearestRivals list is also empty. The only quantitative placement is percentileVsAllCpus = 50. A 50th percentile result is the median of the compared CPU set. But with an average benchmark score of 0, no measured score supports that percentile; it is a distribution-rank placeholder rather than a derived performance result.

Without benchmark scores, the performance envelope has to be inferred from the listed hardware fields. The 3.20 GHz base clock is the speed at which the two cores are specified to operate. Each core has 128 KB of L1 cache and 1 MB of L2 cache. The dual-channel DDR2 memory interface has a bandwidth ceiling of 10.7 GB/s. For any workload, the memory subsystem is a constraint at that bandwidth. The 2-thread limit bounds parallel throughput, while the 3.20 GHz clock defines the single-thread frequency.

In the absence of measured scores, no statement such as a percentage advantage or disadvantage against a named chip can be made. The data does not support any percentage delta because there are no rival scores. What the FACT PACK does support is a positional statement: the Opentron 8224 SE sits at the 50th percentile of all CPUs in this database, with an average benchmark score of 0 and no nearest rivals. Additional benchmark entries would be required before any real-world performance comparison or percentage delta could be reported.