So over the last little while a decent amount of info on AMD's 2020 APU has slipped out onto the web. The first piece of info was that the IGP is listed as being Vega family gfx IP in drivers, not Navi. More recently however we've seen support for LPDDR4X. Being able to use 4266mhz DRAM would be a huge boon to IGP performance, but raises some interesting questions. Most interesting of all it seems that the IGP will feature up to 20CU, and it is possible that it will feature up to 8 Zen2 cores. At least Hans de Vries seems to think so. It also seems that the IGP isn't just straight reused IP, but is a mixmash of old and new, containing some IP newer than what is present in current Navi discrete cards.
Certainly a pretty big uplift over 8-11 CU with 2400-3200mhz DDR4.
Unless there is memory on package the high clock memory support won't change much, it's too hard and expensive to aquire IRL.
Adam Bailey
>on package Its LPDDR4X, it'd be soldered to a motherboard in a laptop.
Oliver Wood
There won’t be 20 CUs, anandtech forumites are retarded.
Jace Cooper
I don't think a guy who is every bit David Kanter's equal could qualify as a retard, user.
Kayden Roberts
Noice.
I have my doubts about 8 Zen2 cores and a 20CU Vega fitting in a 15W TDP though, even at 7nm. Seems really odd they wouldn't go with RDNA.
Still, a 14-15 incher with a 35W cooler would make this a decent mid ranger. With 7nm costs however, this could find itself competing with Intel+nvida gtx 1650 laptops by the time it comes out which could be a hard sell.
Jeremiah Miller
If anything all of the main mobile SKUs will be heavily cut down. Raven Ridge and Picasso only ever saw top binned SKUs with 10 active CU instead of the full 11. Renoir might have something like 10-16CU active for the top end mobile parts in their normal 15-25w cTDP range. Its interesting because it might mean that AMD will offer a halo SKU like they're doing with the 3950X.
Jacob Cruz
I'm holding off on upgrading my 2700x, but maybe this time they'll shit out a 6/8 cores with an IGPU, since a chiplet is 8 cores.
Sebastian Anderson
Well, power package was never my concern. I don't think Laptops are the target for these processors, to be honest.
Jack Reyes
Renoir is a monolithic design, not a chiplet. Infinity fabric links off die take way too much power to be used in mobile anyway.
Nathaniel Watson
Oh, ok, I thought we were talking future 3400G or something. I don't give a fuck about laptops, so that may be why.
Matthew Lee
Bruh, laptops are the primary target for all APUs.
The desktop SKUs are just repurposed mobile dies, there is no difference between them except clock binning.
Ayden Adams
Laptops are garbage. Most of the time users end up putting them on a desk. The only time it becomes useful is when the go on vacation, but now we've got mobile phones, that can pretty much do the same things. My bro's workplace is plagued by laptops. For some reason higher ups decided they should pay extra for worse hardware, that will stay on a desk forever.
Connor Powell
Thats a cool opinion, but it has nothing to do with the fact that APUs are primarily aimed at mobile.
Justin Nelson
>8 cores >20 CU AutismedTV, is that you? Go back to your containment hole.
Jacob Sanders
I bought a laptop once. Overheating peace of shit, didn't last a year. And it cost me a good 50% extra over a desktop equivalent that wouldn't have died. Never again.
Bentley Stewart
Hans De Vries is a respected engineer and analyst, an actual industry analyst, hes not AdoredTV. Try again, kid.
Matthew Jackson
I don't see how those specs are unachievable considering how small 7nm zen core dies are.
Evan Sullivan
If I had a nickle for every time I saw a retarded “analyst” getting blown the fuck out by me or some other rando tech enthusiast, I’d be rich. 8 cores is true, though. 20 CUs - fuck no, use your head.
Jace Campbell
>this literal sperg retard thinks he knows more than Hans de Vries LMAO you've never blown the fuck out of anything, autist. Use your head, retard. lol
Grayson Campbell
Yeah, what a dumbass...
Nicholas Russell
Oh they're achievable alright, the problem is whether they make any sense or not. Feeding 20 CUs even from DDR5 would be a problem, and Renoir will still be on DDR4.
Eli Wood
Then add to that sharing that DDR4 with 8 CPU cores...
Anthony Bailey
Current APUs are up to 11CU, and only have official support for 2933mhz DDR4, pretty much every laptop configuration is 8 or 10CU with just 2400mhz RAM. Renoir being shown here is outfitted with 4266mhz LPDDR4X which is providing over 60% more bandwidth than basic 2400mhz DDR4.
Don't be such a retard, user. Its pretty simple.
Justin Lewis
As for DDR5, entry level memory for the spec is 5500mt/s. That means at a minimum a dual channel system with DDR5 would have 88gb/s bandwidth. Both Samsung and SK Hynix have already demonstrated 6400mt/s and 6500mt/s DDR5 as well, the latter would provide 104gb/s system memory bandwidth.
If we can skirt by 11CU with 2933mt/s(46.9gb/s) DDR4, then 20CU with 88-104gb/s wouldn't even remotely be a problem.
Grayson Richardson
Don't 8 core zen 2 parts have their memory write bandwidth gimped by the I/O die? Won't that affect the GPU too unless it's a fairly dramatic re-design? WIll the I/O die even exist? If not, it's not gonna be a cheap chip.
Ryan Harris
These aren't chiplets, its one monolithic die. Its probably under 200mm2. Hardly that expensive to produce.
Blake Mitchell
just give me an 8 core apu already
Easton Ramirez
Assuming this has any truth to it. Is there any way to put high bandwidth memory in the APU?
Aaron Bailey
Do you mean actual HBM? You'd need to have the specific PHY and memory controller for it, and if that was going to be on package you'd probably want to forgo a standard DDR4 PHY/IMC because it'd waste a lot of die space. But then you'd be stuck with chip with stupid high base price from the HBM stack and interposer.
LPDDR4X will be enough to provide a very substantial performance uplift while keeping cost and power very low. DDR5 will be plenty after that.
Ian Walker
For reference 2400 DDR4 - 38.4 GB/s 3200 DDR4 - 51.2 GB/s 4266 LPDDR4X shown in OP -68.25 GB/s Min spec 5500 DDR5 -88 GB/s Max official spec 6400 DDR5 - 102.4GB/s Potential mature 7500 DDR5 - 120 GB/s New HBM2e at 3.2Gbps per pin - 410GB/s and up to 16GB density
Low cost HBM with half the pinout is still absent from the market and afaik still required an interposer
Liam Cook
>4266 LPDDR4X shown in OP -68.25 GB/s 2x LPDDR4X is very expensive tho, usually comes in single sticks
Ryan Nelson
The HBM controller can be on the HBM stack as the bottom layer. They could have both but then you'd have power consumption for both
AMD said 250mmsq on 7nm was 2x the cost of 250mmsq on 14nm. If it's really 8 cores then it'll be expensive
Jason Kelly
>sticks user. Price is based on width and density, and some of them are pretty damn cheap. 6GB of LPDDR4X is about $16. Two appropriate stacks totaling $30 for a system builder is very little. No different from cheap SO-DIMMs or DIMMs.
Owen Roberts
AMDs new APU is still vega. Now we are stuck with GCN for another 10 years since this apu is going in the next gen consoles.
