AMD will launch AM4 platform in March 2016 says industry source

[NTMBK]

If Bristol Ridge is based on Carrizo that means it also has a DDR3 memory controller.

I am wondering if this DDR3 memory controller also has a GDDR5 mode like Kaveri:

http://www.anandtech.com/show/7702/...nce-quadchannel-memory-interface-gddr5-option

If so, maybe there is a chance we could have some APU-only boards with soldered on GDDR5.

No.

 

[The Stilt]

If Bristol Ridge is based on Carrizo that means it also has a DDR3 memory controller.

I am wondering if this DDR3 memory controller also has a GDDR5 mode like Kaveri:

http://www.anandtech.com/show/7702/...nce-quadchannel-memory-interface-gddr5-option

If so, maybe there is a chance we could have some APU-only boards with soldered on GDDR5.

The GDDR5 controller was removed when AMD moved to DDR3 / DDR4 hybrid controlled in Carrizo.

GDDR5 functionality never left the labs. The biggest issue at the time was the fact that GDDR5 was only available in 4Gb modules. In clamshell configuration you could only have 4GB (8x 4Gb) of memory in total for the whole system. Now days 8Gb ICs are available, but you would still be limited to 8GB (8x 8Gb). That would be enough for most of the APU users, but it would raise the price of the platform to the skies.

 

[Phynaz]

Huh.

Funny, I remember Athlon 64 X2 CPU's clobbering Pentium 4's in performance while also being considerably cheaper.

Your posts seem bitter it's not 2005 anymore.

 

[monstercameron]

The GDDR5 controller was removed when AMD moved to DDR3 / DDR4 hybrid controlled in Carrizo.

GDDR5 functionality never left the labs. The biggest issue at the time was the fact that GDDR5 was only available in 4Gb modules. In clamshell configuration you could only have 4GB (8x 4Gb) of memory in total for the whole system. Now days 8Gb ICs are available, but you would still be limited to 8GB (8x 8Gb). That would be enough for most of the APU users, but it would raise the price of the platform to the skies.

Do you have any information on the cost of gddr5 vs. Ddr3/4 ics?

 

[PPB]

Indeed it does. However the situation isn´t nearly as bad as on the older APUs without the color compression. FAR from optimal still thou.

We still have to see what IMC tech is behind Zen. The XV train has sailed and a 2400mhz tops for that IMC wont be as crippling as the growing tendency to ship prebuilts just like mobile devices with just 1 RAM stick.

 

[The Stilt]

Do you have any information on the cost of gddr5 vs. Ddr3/4 ics?

For Hynix parts a 4Gb GDDR5 IC costs 3.98€ each while a 4Gb DDR3 2133 IC costs 1.42€ each.

Hynix doesn´t have higher density GDDR5 available (Samsung has), but I would expect the relative difference to be even greater than for these 4Gb parts.

 

[MiddleOfTheRoad]

Your posts seem bitter it's not 2005 anymore.

Just proving a point. To think that AMD would suddenly charge a massive premium if they managed to again achieve the performance crown over Intel.... Which they've never done so in their 45 year history with consumer CPU's. Even AMD's most expensive chips -- were historically half the price of Intel extreme editions.

 

[BigDaveX]

Just proving a point. To think that AMD would suddenly charge a massive premium if they managed to again achieve the performance crown over Intel.... Which they've never done so in their 45 year history with consumer CPU's. Even AMD's most expensive chips -- were historically half the price of Intel extreme editions.

Uh, no they weren't. Back in 2005 the FX-60 was technically cheaper than its Extreme Edition counterpart (which everyone already knew was a sucky deal, as it actually performed worse than the Pentium D 840 due to Windows XP's complete inability to cope with a 2C/4T chip), but we're only talking around $799-$849 compared to $999. And that's before you get into the fact that they only introduced cheaper models of the X2 line because Intel actually undercut them with the Pentium D 820!

 

[ShintaiDK]

Just proving a point. To think that AMD would suddenly charge a massive premium if they managed to again achieve the performance crown over Intel.... Which they've never done so in their 45 year history with consumer CPU's.

You got a really bad memory.

 

[mrmt]

Just proving a point. To think that AMD would suddenly charge a massive premium if they managed to again achieve the performance crown over Intel.... Which they've never done so in their 45 year history with consumer CPU's. Even AMD's most expensive chips -- were historically half the price of Intel extreme editions.

You really don't remember, do you?

 

[Magic Carpet]

Even AMD's most expensive chips -- were historically half the price of Intel extreme editions.

Can you remind me the most expensive consumer AMD/Intel parts of the 2000-2015 era?

My quick search revealed this:

AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+ @ 1001 USD.

Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9775 @ $1499 USD.

Suddenly, 5960X doesn't seem that expensive anymore.

 

[cbn]

For AM4, I wonder if we will also have boards without the promontory chipset?

 

[cbn]

Do you have any information on the cost of gddr5 vs. Ddr3/4 ics?

For Hynix parts a 4Gb GDDR5 IC costs 3.98€ each while a 4Gb DDR3 2133 IC costs 1.42€ each.

Hynix doesn´t have higher density GDDR5 available (Samsung has), but I would expect the relative difference to be even greater than for these 4Gb parts.

Micron does have a 8Gb GDDR5 in production ( MT51J256M32HF-60):

https://www.micron.com/products/dram/gddr5/gddr5-part-catalog#/

And two more 8Gb GDDR5 that are sampling.

So competition to Samsung does exist.

Also I am noticing that even relatively inexpensive video cards (R7 360, etc) come with 2GB GDDR5 now, when in the past cards with the same GPU and stream processor count (R7 260) came with 1GB GDDR5 standard.

Therefore I suspect the 8Gb (1GB) GDDR5 is indeed more affordable than the 4Gb (512MB) GDDR5.

 

[BigDaveX]

For AM4, I wonder if we will also have boards without the promontory chipset?

I'd imagine there'll be some at the lower end, though probably a small portion overall of the market.

One thing that concerns me is the implication in these diagrams that Socket AM4 is only going to have 8 PCIe lanes for graphics, which is really going to hurt if AMD wants to aim Zen at gamers... though I suppose it's possible that AM4 has support for 16 PCIe lanes, but Bristol Ridge's on-board controller can only operate half of them.

 

[ShintaiDK]

For AM4, I wonder if we will also have boards without the promontory chipset?

I dont see the purpose.

 

[BigDaveX]

I dont see the purpose.

Might be useful for Mini-ITX motherboards, they don't usually have too many more ports than an AM4 SoC could drive without an external chipset.

 

[ShintaiDK]

For AM4, I wonder if we will also have boards without the promontory chipset?

The 2 GP CPU links are also Summit Ridge only now.

 

[ShintaiDK]

One thing that concerns me is the implication in these diagrams that Socket AM4 is only going to have 8 PCIe lanes for graphics, which is really going to hurt if AMD wants to aim Zen at gamers... though I suppose it's possible that AM4 has support for 16 PCIe lanes, but Bristol Ridge's on-board controller can only operate half of them.

Summit Ridge will have x16.

 

[ShintaiDK]

Might be useful for Mini-ITX motherboards, they don't usually have too many more ports than an AM4 SoC could drive without an external chipset.

It would have to be a NUC type (With SATA). Else its crippled to death.

 

[cbn]

Nvm.

 

[cbn]

It would have to be a NUC type (With SATA). Else its crippled to death.

Instead of using the PCIe 3.0 x 4 for the promontory chipset, couldn't they use that for M.2 Ultra?

 

[ShintaiDK]

Instead of using the PCIe 3.0 x 4 for the promontory chipset, couldn't they use that for M.2 Ultra?

Its not an actual PCIe 3.0 x4. Just like DMI 3.0 isn't. Its modified.

 

[MiddleOfTheRoad]

You really don't remember, do you?

Fine, name one AMD chip that actually had a higher official retail price than the Intel Extreme Edition it competed against back in the day.

Exactly, crickets.

My memory is fine. AMD always has undercut them by a minimum of $100 and usually by at least $300. Even when they were the performance leaders.

 

[Techhog]

You got a really bad memory.

Go on...

 

[ShintaiDK]

Fine, name one AMD chip that actually had a higher official retail price than the Intel Extreme Edition it competed against back in the day.

Exactly, crickets.

My memory is fine. AMD always has undercut them by a minimum of $100 and usually by at least $300. Even when they were the performance leaders.

EE 999$
X2 4800 1001$
FX 57 1031$

And it was even worse in the lower range. AMD took all the money they could and then some. AMD is funny enough like any other company, despite what some fanboys dream about.

Or as one of the now new AMD employees wrote back then:

The X2 line will range from expensive to painfully expensive to root-canal-without-anesthetic expensive. Unlike Intel, AMD will not initially be offering a relatively cheap dual-core processor that steps on the toes of its current single-core offerings in the meaty part of the market.

But in your eyes I am sure the FX9590 at 800$ launch price (880$ on newegg) was a bargain too.