Subarches

Funtoo Linux Sub-Architectures

This page provides an overview of Funtoo Linux sub-architectures (also called subarches,) designed for quick and easy reference. While this information is available in other places, such as Wikipedia, it often takes some time to study and cross-reference the various articles to get a good understanding of each type of sub-architecture, and this information generally isn't all collected neatly in one place. That is the purpose of this page. When possible, links to more detailed Wikipedia pages are provided. You are encouraged to help maintain this page as well as the Wikipedia articles referenced here.

64-bit AMD Processors

amd64-k8

The amd64-k8 subarch is designed to support the AMD K8-series processors, which were introduced in late 2003. They were notable as the first processors that supported the AMD64 64-bit instruction set for PC-compatible systems, which was introduced as a backwards-compatible 64-bit alternative to Intel's IA-64 architecture.

Desktop amd64-k8 CPUs include the Athlon 64, Athlon 64 FX, Athlon 64 X2, Athlon X2, Turion 64, Turion 64 X2 and Sempron series processors. Server processors were released under the Opteron brand and codenames SledgeHammer, Venus, Troy, Athens, Denmark, Italy, Egypt, Santa Ana and Santa Rosa processors. All Opterons released through late 2006 were based on the K8 microarchitecture.

amd64-k10

The amd64-k10 subarch provides support for the AMD Family 10h processors, which were released in late 2007 as a successor to the AMD K8 series processors.

Desktop amd64-k10 CPUs include AMD Phenom, AMD Phenom II and AMD Athlon II. Server CPUs include Opterons with codenames Budapest, Barcelona, Suzuka, Shanghai, Istanbul, Lisbon, and Magny-Cours. A full listing of amd64-k10 Opteron models can be found here.

amd64-bulldozer

The amd64-bulldozer subarch supports the AMD bulldozer microarchitecture CPUs, which were released from late 2011 through the first quarter of 2012 as a replacement for the K10 microarchitecture CPUs. Bulldozer CPUs use the AM3+ socket and G34 socket for server CPUs.

Desktop bulldozer CPUs include the Zambezi FX-series CPUs. Server bulldozer CPUs include Opterons with codenames Zurich (Opteron 3200-series), Valencia (Opteron 4200-series) and Interlagos (Opteron 6200 series). A complete list of Opteron models can be found here..

amd64-piledriver

The amd64-piledriver subarch supports the AMD Piledriver microarchitecture produced by AMD from mid-2012 through 2015, which is the successor to the AMD bulldozer microarchitecture. Piledriver CPUs and APUs are available that use the FM2 socket. Desktop Piledriver CPUs use the AM3+ socket. Server Piledriver CPUs use a variety of sockets, including AM3+, C32 and G34.

Desktop piledriver CPU and APUs include Vishera (FX-8350, FX-8370), Trinity A-series APUs (A6-5400K, A10-5800K) and Richland A-series APUs.

Server piledriver CPUs include Delhi (Opteron 3300-series, AM3+), Seoul (Opteron 4300-series, C32) and Abu Dhabi (Opteron 6300-series, G34). More information here.

Piledriver adds several new instructions over bulldozer, so AMD bulldozer systems cannot run amd64-piledriver-optimized stages. However, this subarch is instruction-compatible with its successor, the, so amd64-piledriver stages can run on amd64-steamroller systems, and vice versa.

amd64-steamroller

The amd64-steamroller subarch supports the AMD steamroller microarchitecture, produced from early 2014. It is the successor to the AMD Piledriver microarchitecture. Steamroller APUs are available that use the FM2+ socket and FP3 socket (mobile.)

Desktop steamroller APUs include the Kaveri A-Series APUs, such as the quad-core AMD A10-7850K APU. Steamroller APUs are also available in mobile versions. Server steamroller APUs include the Berlin APUs, which are not yet released.

Amd64-steamroller subarches are instruction-compatible with amd64-piledriver, but add new instructions over amd64-bulldozer.

amd64-jaguar

The amd64-jaguar (also called AMD Family 16h) subarch supports the AMD jaguar microarchitecture, which is targeted at low-power devices, including notebooks, tablets and small form-factor desktops and servers. It is perhaps most well-known for being the microarchitecture used for the Playstation 4 and Xbox One, which each use custom 8-core Jaguar APUs. Socketed Jaguar APUs use the AM1 socket and FT3 socket for mobile devices. G-series "system on a chip" (SoC) APUs are available for non-socketed devices such as tablets and embedded system boards.

Desktop Jaguar APUs include the Kabini A-series APUs and Temash E-series APUs, Athlon 5150 and 5350 APUs, and Sempron 2650 and 3850.

Amd64-jaguar subarches use the MOVBE instruction which is not available on amd64-bulldozer, amd64-piledriver or amd64-steamroller. They are thus not instruction-compatible with any of these subarches.