New desktop version of Carrizo for FM2+

[Insert_Nickname]

Well, who'd have thought that in October 2018? AMD apparently sneaked in a desktop version of Carrizo:

https://www.techpowerup.com/248944/amd-quietly-releases-new-a8-7680-carrizo-apu-for-socket-fm2

4M/4T Excavator @ 3.5 with 3.8GHz turbo. The really interesting bit is the IGP which at 1029MHz should be faster then every other FM2+ APU available. All this at a 45W TDP (Yeah, seems a bit optimistic).

Complete with DDR3 support, so it's essentially an FM2+ version of BR. As the FM2+ platform should be cheaper then AM4, it seems a decent Celeron competitor for the budget segment.

Thoughts?

 

[SpaceBeer]

They are releasing new CPU for dead socket? Intel, is that you?

 

[VirtualLarry]

Weird, but kind of interesting. Probably BR in FM2+. Probably not selling in AM4 due to Raven Ridge.

 

[SPBHM]

X4 845 with the IGP enabled,

weird timing.

 

[NostaSeronx]

A8-7680 and A6-7480 are the two new chips. They aren't Carrizo, but Bristol Ridge. Bristol Ridge retained all the functionality of Carrizo. Same die, different masks.

A8-7680 = A10-9700
A6-7480 = A6-9500

It appears to be aimed at China. Since, DDR3 is still relevant in China as DDR4 just started:
https://www.anandtech.com/show/1245...tors-starts-to-sell-ddr4-memory-chips-modules
https://www.anandtech.com/show/1268...-spreading-its-wings-two-more-dram-fabs-ready

A8-7680 which is 399 Chinese Yuan equals 57.46 USD. (So, far cn rumors are horrifying... yuan could be 299+ as well for 43 USD in conversion)

 

[ao_ika_red]

Once 200GE went global, nobody in their right mind want to buy BR APU. That's probably why AMD decided to put leftover BR die onto FM2+ socket which would be a reasonable upgrade from A8-7600 with minimum cost. But I heard this "last hurrah" APUs are OEM only, so we probably won't see them in retail package.

 

[naukkis]

I read from somewhere(the Stilt?) that FM2+ didn't support needed voltage rails for Carrizo IGP and for that reason Carrizo APUs didn't exists for FM2. If that was indeed true they needed to do new revision of FM2+ for it.

 

[ao_ika_red]

I read from somewhere(the Stilt?) that FM2+ didn't support needed voltage rails for Carrizo IGP and for that reason Carrizo APUs didn't exists for FM2. If that was indeed true they needed to do new revision of FM2+ for it.

Well, according to Gigabyte and other vendors, all you have to do is flashing new BIOS version.

It's odd though, that all of non-A68H chipsets are excluded from this "new" APUs.

 

[DrMrLordX]

How bizarre. Is this chip fabbed on 28nm like every other BR chip?

I totally would have bought one of these in 2016.

 

[Bubbleawsome]

It is 28nm yeah

 

[Insert_Nickname]

Once 200GE went global, nobody in their right mind want to buy BR APU. That's probably why AMD decided to put leftover BD die onto FM2+ socket which would be a reasonable upgrade from A8-7600 with minimum cost. But I heard this "last hurrah" APUs are OEM only, so we probably won't see them in retail package.

Actually, here in Denmark they've started popping up at various retailers in both tray (AD7680ACABMPK) and box (AD7680ACABBOX) packaging. So they'll be available in some form in retail. I can't imagine AMD selling a lot of them however. They'd make sense as an upgrade on FM2+ boards, but since they seem to require an A68 mainboard, they don't seem to be aimed at that.

It is properbly more a question of that someone discovered a stack of CZ/BR dies somewhere, and went "Hey boss. What are we doing with these?".

They -do- have one thing going for them. Since they're officially Carrizo on FM2+, they'll run Windows 7. That could make sense in a business environment, since newer Intel sockets wont.

 

[Abwx]

.

Thoughts?

• MMX instructions
• Extensions to MMX
• SSE / Streaming SIMD Extensions
• SSE2 / Streaming SIMD Extensions 2
• SSE3 / Streaming SIMD Extensions 3
• SSSE3 / Supplemental Streaming SIMD Extensions 3
• SSE4 / SSE4.1 + SSE4.2 / Streaming SIMD Extensions 4
• SSE4a
• AES / Advanced Encryption Standard instructions
• AVX / Advanced Vector Extensions
• AVX2 / Advanced Vector Extensions 2.0
• BMI / BMI1 + BMI2 / Bit Manipulation instructions
• F16C / 16-bit Floating-Point conversion instructions
• FMA3 / 3-operand Fused Multiply-Add instructions
• FMA4 / 4-operand Fused Multiply-Add instructions
• TBM / Trailing Bit Manipulation instructions
• XOP / eXtended Operations instructions
• AMD64 / AMD 64-bit technology
• AMD-V / AMD Virtualization technology
• EVP / Enhanced Virus Protection

 

[chrisjames61]

Why only A68 mainboard, Why not A88?

 

[Abwx]

Because A68H (not A68..) is the most recent and that it s likely the only one still manufactured for legacy support, A88 as well as Kaveri seems to be no more produced if we are to look at those APUs prices, so Carrizo can perfectly fit as legacy FM2+ APU support, moreover due its ISA being the most extended of all AMD APUs..

 

[ao_ika_red]

Actually, here in Denmark they've started popping up at various retailers in both tray (AD7680ACABMPK) and box (AD7680ACABBOX) packaging. So they'll be available in some form in retail. I can't imagine AMD selling a lot of them however. They'd make sense as an upgrade on FM2+ boards, but since they seem to require an A68 mainboard, they don't seem to be aimed at that.

It is properbly more a question of that someone discovered a stack of CZ/BR dies somewhere, and went "Hey boss. What are we doing with these?".

They -do- have one thing going for them. Since they're officially Carrizo on FM2+, they'll run Windows 7. That could make sense in a business environment, since newer Intel sockets wont.

That's interesting.

If it follows 200GE's distribution schedule, I will see it at my local marketplace around end of November.

 

[hojnikb]

Why only A68 mainboard, Why not A88?

Probably because A68 have voltage regulation required for Carrizo dies with iGPU.

 

[Abwx]

More likely that the GPU power plane is connected to the CPU power plane within the socket, also the A68H is a different chipset than the A68(M), the former was released quite late in the plateform lifecycle with a few things updated.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_AMD_chipsets

 

[ET]

If I understand correctly, the A88X is also practically the same chipset. I therefore assume that it's not (only) the age of the chipset that matters but the fact that A68H is the only one still being sold. This suggests that this isn't meant for the upgrade market but for new purchases.

AMD said when Zen was released that it's planning to keep AM3+ on the market for the far east. It's possible that it wound down that production and is now fulfilling that need with FM2+ Bristol Ridge.

 

[The Stilt]

I read from somewhere(the Stilt?) that FM2+ didn't support needed voltage rails for Carrizo IGP and for that reason Carrizo APUs didn't exists for FM2. If that was indeed true they needed to do new revision of FM2+ for it.

If they indeed support Carrizo APUs, then power efficiency has been sacrificed even further (the nominal IGP VddMin < than NB VddMin).
Carrizo is a three plane design, whereas FM2+ only supports two planes.

However, AMD has effectively returned back to two plane designs since (Raven).

 

[Hi-Fi Man]

If they indeed support Carrizo APUs, then power efficiency has been sacrificed even further (the nominal IGP VddMin < than NB VddMin).
Carrizo is a three plane design, whereas FM2+ only supports two planes.

However, AMD has effectively returned back to two plane designs since (Raven).

The same thing was true for AM2+ CPUs in AM2 boards I believe.

As an aside; I would really like to see A88X support.

 

[ET]

Carrizo is a three plane design, whereas FM2+ only supports two planes.

However, AMD has effectively returned back to two plane designs since (Raven).

Isn't AM4 two plane, so Bristol Ridge is also two plane? That would make it a good fit. (I may be completely wrong. Feel free to correct me.)

 

[NostaSeronx]

Carrizo is triple plane, but could also be dual plane. CPU&NB can be loaded on a rail with GPU on another. Bristol and Stoney forced dual plane.

Raven is a single plane design: Vdd, Vddnb, Vddgfx are all on a single rail.

 

[amd6502]

The same thing was true for AM2+ CPUs in AM2 boards I believe.

As an aside; I would really like to see A88X support.

Why did we never see an A68 mITX? Some of the MSI mATX almost fit in some mITX cases; one was off by like 3mm or so and only after shaving off a small part of the left of a coolermaster 110 elite case did it fit.

If I understand correctly, the A88X is also practically the same chipset. I therefore assume that it's not (only) the age of the chipset that matters but the fact that A68H is the only one still being sold. This suggests that this isn't meant for the upgrade market but for new purchases.

I'd agree; primarily new diy and oem ddr3 builds, although there will be a few upgraders from 2c/2t (A6 and below) as well.

If this experiment proves there is demand, would there be much of a chance that BR could be used for a successor? Is it like Carrizo and also DDR3 capable?

If yes, would Stoney be possible for AM1? (that platform really got neglected and never even got a Puma/Carrizo-L update ---maybe for reasons such you guys are discussing).

 

[The Stilt]

Isn't AM4 two plane, so Bristol Ridge is also two plane? That would make it a good fit. (I may be completely wrong. Feel free to correct me.)

Yes, AM4 uses two main planes.
However, Carrizo was originally designed for three planes (VDDCR_CPU, VDDCR_NB and VDDCR_GFX).

The VDDCR_NB is pretty much constant and stays at ~ 1.000V+.
Meanwhile the VDDCR_GFX goes down to 0.800V at low performance states.
Since you cannot reduce VDDCR_NB that low, you are running the GPU at higher voltages it would actually require (GFX Vmin = NB Vmin). Likewise when the GPU enters higher performance states, you are essentially overvolting the NB.

Thats why Carrizo was designed to use three planes.

 

[Abwx]

If yes, would Stoney be possible for AM1? (that platform really got neglected and never even got a Puma/Carrizo-L update ---maybe for reasons such you guys are discussing).

Carrizo-L is just Kabini/Beema in disguise, besides no Stoney Ridge can match an Athlon 5350/5370 in Cinebench FI, there were no follow on because it was cancelled due to some despicable anti competitive practices that were the Intel s contra revenues that targeted specifically this segment and CPU.

Also the two APUs i mentinoned are Kabini branded because some features are disabled, among others the security ARM CPU, otherwise they are manufactured by GF and show comparable perf/watt than Carrizo-L at 15W TDP under Prime 95.(12W@2GHz in Cinebench...)