Apple in advanced discussions to adopt AMD chips

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cbn

cbn

Lifer
Mar 27, 2009
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http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/10/04/16/apple_in_advanced_discussions_to_adopt_amd_chips.html

Apple Insider said:
At the same time, while AMD has historically trailed Intel's performance and efficiency in CPUs, particularly in the mobile computing space, the company's acquisition of ATI gives it far more powerful GPU technology than Intel currently has.

Both companies are rushing to fuse CPU and GPU cores into a SoC-style part for notebooks (similar to the design used by ARM SoCs in embedded applications such as the iPhone and iPad), as Intel has already done in the latest generation of MacBook Pros, pairing its integrated graphics with the Arrandale Core i5 or i7 processor.

AMD could offer very competitive options for Apple's future notebooks, particularly given the Mac maker's focus on graphics performance and its related GPU technologies, including Grand Central Dispatch and OpenCL.

If AMD can deliver 80% of the CPU performance of Intel at 60% of the cost, and add significantly better GPU performance and sophistication, it would not be surprising to see Apple working to adopt the company's parts broadly across its Mac lineup within the next year or two.
Click to expand...
 
F

faxon

Platinum Member
May 23, 2008
2,109
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this could be a major victory for AMD if this comes to pass. inside 2 generations that could be 100% guaranteed market share for AMD, and apple is also know for paying extra for specific binning rights. this could be an extremely lucrative agreement for AMD if so. it would also lead to being cheaper to build AMD based macbooks, since they would no longer need the NV discrete card to get the graphics performance they want, and historically AMD has also charged less for their CPUs
 
ViRGE

ViRGE

Elite Member, Moderator Emeritus
Oct 9, 1999
31,516
167
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Computer Bottleneck said:
What do you think about this upcoming "Bobcat" AMD chip?
Click to expand...
The last time I checked, Bobcat was a <10W part designed to compete with Intel's Atom. Apple's current product lineup doesn't use Atom in any capacity, so I would be surprised if Bobcat was a consideration for Apple.

As for this rumor, I have a hard time believing it's about CPUs. GPUs would make more sense. The bulk of Apple's product line is composed of laptops and laptop-like computers - the MacBook series and MacMini are straight-up laptops, and even the iMac is a built more like a laptop than a desktop. The only real desktop Apple has is the Mac Pro, which uses workstation parts.

So given what Apple shoots for, I would be surprised to see any AMD chips in an Apple computer given that AMD can't meet Intel on power consumption (e.g. there are no 65W dual-core Phenom IIs) nor are they competitive on a performance/watt basis in the mobile space. Apple cares far too much about power to go with AMD parts if the current disparity holds.
 
T

tommo123

Platinum Member
Sep 25, 2005
2,617
48
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well, if they do sign up for some AMD chips then it could indicate a decent move by AMD in the months/year to come i guess (seeing as how everyone poo-pood Apples intel move in 2k6 i think before we all knew about conroe). might be down to a node shrink/?
 
F

Fox5

Diamond Member
Jan 31, 2005
5,957
7
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This might be a clue that fusion is going to be a really good mobile product. Right now, Apple includes nvidia graphics on all its pcs because of how crap intel graphics are (and lack of opencl), amd fusion cpus would make a convincing cost savings, especially if the cpu portion is competitive.

Plus crossfire is being extended to work well with asymmetric processing, so the decent fusion IGP plus a discrete laptop card could still work out to be higher performance than alternatives.
 
frostedflakes

frostedflakes

Diamond Member
Mar 1, 2005
7,925
1
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Apocalypse23 said:
Does this mean that Apple will ditch Intel if it decides to partner with AMD?
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AMD probably doesn't even have the manufacturing capacity to meet the kind of demand Apple has for CPUs, so no. Assuming this even happens, it won't be an exclusive partnership. The AMD CPUs would probably only be used in a handful products. Llano would probably be a pretty nice CPU for some of their laptop products, for example.
 
G

grimpr

Golden Member
Aug 21, 2007
1,095
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Glofo puts the pedal to the metal.

"GlobalFoundries Fab 1 in Dresden, Germany, is undergoing several major changes, including integration of separate modules into an integrated facility. With a steep 32 nm MPU ramp underway that includes high-k/metal gate technology, the fab is also now running foundry wafers for non-AMD customers. Dresden general manager Udo Nothelfer said 250 new tools will be installed this year.

Udo Nothelfer, general manager of Fab 1 in Dresden, Germany, and his GlobalFoundries Inc. (Sunnyvale, Calif.) colleagues have a lot on their plate this year. The Dresden fab complex is doubling its capacity, from 30,000 to 60,000 wpm. It is transitioning from being a dedicated MPU fab, owned by Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD, Sunnyvale, Calif.), to being a foundry with multiple customers. And the Dresden fab is moving to a fast ramp of a high-k/metal gate process at 32/28 nm design rules."

http://www.semiconductor.net/article/print/453306-Dresden_Fab_Transformation_Underway.php
 
M

Martimus

Diamond Member
Apr 24, 2007
4,490
157
106
ViRGE said:
The last time I checked, Bobcat was a <10W part designed to compete with Intel's Atom. Apple's current product lineup doesn't use Atom in any capacity, so I would be surprised if Bobcat was a consideration for Apple.

As for this rumor, I have a hard time believing it's about CPUs. GPUs would make more sense. The bulk of Apple's product line is composed of laptops and laptop-like computers - the MacBook series and MacMini are straight-up laptops, and even the iMac is a built more like a laptop than a desktop. The only real desktop Apple has is the Mac Pro, which uses workstation parts.

So given what Apple shoots for, I would be surprised to see any AMD chips in an Apple computer given that AMD can't meet Intel on power consumption (e.g. there are no 65W dual-core Phenom IIs) nor are they competitive on a performance/watt basis in the mobile space. Apple cares far too much about power to go with AMD parts if the current disparity holds.
Click to expand...

Llano has a max TDP of 59W for the high end units, and 30W for the mainstream units. 20W for the low end units. This is likely a deal for those (considering what the article is talking about).
http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/cpu/di...lans_to_Initiate_Production_in_Late_2010.html
 
Cogman

Cogman

Lifer
Sep 19, 2000
10,286
147
106
If this is true, then it is great news for AMD. Nothing could be better for them then getting a deal like this with a major notebook manufacturer.

Of course, the only reason for Apple to ditch intel for AMD is if they want non-craptacular video cards for their laptops.
 
BD231

BD231

Lifer
Feb 26, 2001
10,568
138
106
Cogman said:
If this is true, then it is great news for AMD. Nothing could be better for them then getting a deal like this with a major notebook manufacturer
Of course, the only reason for Apple to ditch intel for AMD is if they want non-craptacular video cards for their laptops.
Click to expand...

Dell didn't really do much for them upon adoption ...

... but as far as I can tell you could put a steaming pile of sh*t inside a macbook and sell it for one thousand.
 
S

soccerballtux

Lifer
Dec 30, 2004
12,553
2
76
BD231 said:
Dell didn't really do much for them upon adoption ...

... but as far as I can tell you could put a steaming pile of sh*t inside a macbook and sell it for one thousand.
Click to expand...

Dell also wasn't able to move their entire lineup to AMD. They would if AMD had the warehouse capacity but AMD just can't operate like that.
 
ViRGE

ViRGE

Elite Member, Moderator Emeritus
Oct 9, 1999
31,516
167
106
soccerballtux said:
Dell also wasn't able to move their entire lineup to AMD. They would if AMD had the warehouse capacity but AMD just can't operate like that.
Click to expand...
Dell is still much bigger than Apple in terms of the number of computers sold, IIRC. AMD doesn't have a ton of capacity, but Apple only moves what? 2-3mil laptops per quarter?
 
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