The AMD Opteron 8356 (B3) CPU, part of the Barcelona generation, was engineered on a 65 nm manufacturing process, a node that represented the cutting edge for server processors in its era but also imposed certain thermal and frequency constraints. This quad-core design, featuring four threads, operated at a base clock of 2.30 GHz and was housed in the specialized AMD Socket Fr2, targeting the demanding server and workstation market segment. With a launch price of $1,514 upon its release in April 2008, this processor was positioned for businesses requiring robust computational density in multi-socket configurations. The shared 2 MB of L3 cache was a notable architectural advancement for AMD at the time, aiming to improve data efficiency between the cores. Its 95W TDP reflected a balance between performance and power consumption for a data center environment. Enthusiasts investigating this era of hardware will recognize the Opteron 8356 as a key player in AMD's multi-core server strategy, competing directly with Intel's Xeon offerings in the late 2000s.
Regarding benchmark performance, concrete contemporary data for the AMD Opteron 8356 (B3) CPU is scarce, necessitating an investigation based on its architectural context and specifications. In its prime, this processor's performance would have been defined by its native quad-core design, a step forward from previous dual-core models, offering improved throughput for parallelized server workloads. The shared L3 cache and integrated memory controller were designed to reduce latency, which would have benefited database and virtualization tasks common in its market segment. Without specific scores, we can infer its real-world performance was suitable for the era's file servers, web hosting, and entry-level computational clusters. However, the 2.3 GHz clock speed and 65 nm process likely limited its single-threaded performance compared to later generations. For hardware historians, this chip's value lies in its role in the competitive server landscape, rather than in raw, measurable speed against modern standards.
For build recommendations today, the AMD Opteron 8356 (B3) is squarely a component for legacy system maintenance, specific retro computing projects, or as a collectible for hardware enthusiasts. Constructing a new system around this processor would require sourcing a compatible Socket Fr2 motherboard, which are now obsolete and only found on the secondary market, alongside registered DDR2 memory. Its utility in a modern context is extremely limited, as even low-end contemporary processors vastly outperform it in both power efficiency and computational throughput. A period-accurate build might involve creating a vintage server replica or a benchmark testing platform to compare architectural evolution. The investigation into this CPU concludes that its primary value is historical, marking a specific point in AMD's journey in server processor design. It serves as a tangible piece of computing history rather than a viable foundation for a current performance-oriented system.