Question Zen 6 Speculation Thread

[LightningZ71]

Seems like the people buying Strix Halo are doing so to run AI models on it, so perhaps it wasn't wasted after all. People aren't buying it for gaming rigs since they can get 5070Ti mobile lappies for less money and a 9955/9955HX, why bother with Strix Halo for games?

Notice, I said Strix Point, not Halo... Strix Point is far from the ideal platform for AI development...

 

[biostud]

In theory could the IOD contain 8 Zen6c cores?

 

[poke01]

How is. zen6 on N3 the Xbox SoC?? I thought it was N2 design.

Did amd back port the design

 

[Kepler_L2]

How is. zen6 on N3 the Xbox SoC?? I thought it was N2 design.

Did amd back port the design

Zen6 and Zen6c both exist in N3P and N2P.

 

[poke01]

Zen6 and Zen6c both exist in N3P and N2P.

Isn’t that like double the work? I guess it was worth it for consoles and you can also use it for lower end SKUs

 

[511]

Isn’t that like double the work? I guess it was worth it for consoles and you can also use it for lower end SKUs

Not nearly double the work but yeah considerable effort also N2 is going to be a price gouge for such a large die and 200mm2+300mm2 for relatively minor improvement in PPA Characteristics of N3P.

 

[marees]

How is. zen6 on N3 the Xbox SoC?? I thought it was N2 design.

Did amd back port the design

Since xbox is going first next year, n2 would be very costly

By the time PS6 comes out (2028?) n2 should be affordable

Effectively
PS6 (compact n2 zen6 rdna 5+) approx 4090 — 2028
Xbox (large n3 zen6 rdna 5) approx 4090 — 2026

 

[poke01]

Xbox (large n3 zen6 rdna 5) approx 4090 — 2026

If this runs windows I’ll get it. If it’s $1K is fine, as long as the bootloader is unlocked like a standard pc

 

[511]

Since xbox is going first next year, n2 would be very costly

By the time PS6 comes out (2028?) n2 should be affordable

Effectively
PS6 (compact n2 zen6 rdna 5+) approx 4090 — 2028
Xbox (large n3 zen6 rdna 5) approx 4090 — 2026

Oh no don't expect it 2026 2027 is more likely

 

[marees]

Oh no don't expect it 2026 2027 is more likely

Just imagine xbox revealing a 5080 super tier console next november !!!

 

[511]

Just imagine xbox revealing a 5080 super tier console next november !!!

I can only imagine XBOX laying off 5080 people

 

[CakeMonster]

I hope the next gen consoles release is delayed a bit, the current gen (except for S series) is doing just fine, and I'd much rather see the release pushed 1yr+ out if that means more VRAM and AI/ML capabilities that will probably pay off when its late in the cycle. We saw how the current gen is hobbled by lack of AI upscaling and RT capabilities, just imagine what various AI models could do at the tail end of next gen if the hardware support is at least decent.

 

[LightningZ71]

Keep in mind, for AMD, they treat designs like building blocks. The current rumor mill has AMD preparing two mass market chips relevant to this discussion, an N2 CCD for Zen6 and an N3p Zen6 APU for mobile/desktop. They already have a design package for Zen6/c on both nodes, as well as the relevant L2 and L3 cache blocks, CCX connection blocks, etc. Doing a monster console SOC on those nodes with Zen6/c isn't the lift people are making it out to be. That process is already done, they need to just put the lego pieces together and tape it out. Now, yes, I am VASTLY simplifying this, but that's essentially what we're looking at.

 

[Tuna-Fish]

I hope the next gen consoles release is delayed a bit, the current gen (except for S series) is doing just fine, and I'd much rather see the release pushed 1yr+ out if that means more VRAM and AI/ML capabilities that will probably pay off when its late in the cycle. We saw how the current gen is hobbled by lack of AI upscaling and RT capabilities, just imagine what various AI models could do at the tail end of next gen if the hardware support is at least decent.

Xbox is not doing just fine. Their sales are cratering, and iirc PS5 is outselling them >4 to 1.

If MS wants to stay in the game, they probably want a new console fairly soon to reset the situation, then Sony has to respond not too long after or they risk having something much more powerful than their systems out there.

I agree that it would probably be better for gamers and devs alike for the console cycles to be longer.

 

[gdansk]

Xbox is not doing just fine.

I think it was more that the hardware is still fine. It isn't butchering games.

That's how I read it anyway

 

[Josh128]

We need some juicy leaks. This thread needs more pages.

 

[LightningZ71]

I don't know about juicy, but I like mine roasted with olive oil and Parmesan cheese...

 

[gdansk]

We need some juicy leaks. This thread needs more pages.

Then let me show you some happy data?

"495X"

GeekBench 5
single 3186 more than 36645

(Only test data, does not represent the final result)

 

[Josh128]

Then let me show you some happy data?

"495X"

GeekBench 5
Single 3186 more than 36645

(Only test data, does not represent the final result)

Did you mean single 3186, multi more than 36645? If so, compared to my 9900X, its quite juicy. +21% ST, +63% MT. That should get some juices flowing!




Smells like a high core count Zen 6 to me...could it be?!

 

[CouncilorIrissa]

We need some juicy leaks. This thread needs more pages.

No fun allowed until some Chinese guy from bilibili posts a 480x320 screencap of CPU-Z.

 

[Joe NYC]

lol, it makes perfect sense.

Every single prior attempt to make a "large permium APU" has been canned. STX Halo making it all the way to launch is still very exceptional.

Intel, the king of x86 laptop space, failed with their Kaby-G.

AMD got no leverage in the OEM laptops space to establish a new glorious "swimlane".

When we accept the "Zen 6's pipe-cleaner" theory, it did the job. Zen 6 SKUs can use that kind of interconnect w/o any need for a Zen 6-based Halo SKU.

I think AMD will just think of more, new angles to assault the laptop fortress. Breakthrough will eventually come.

The Strix Halo laptop debacle with OEMs should be a hint that AMD will not do any engineering work for AMD, so AMD has to bypass that roadblock.

 

[poke01]

The Strix Halo laptop debacle with OEMs should be a hint that AMD will not do any engineering work for AMD, so AMD has to bypass that roadblock.

Why can't AMD make their own laptop. Its not that hard is it?

Skip the stupid OEMs, half the time they get firmware wrong

 

[Joe NYC]

Why can't AMD make their own laptop. Its not that hard is it?

Skip the stupid OEMs, half the time they get firmware wrong

I think AMD just needs to do all the work for the OEMs.

 

[biostud]

I think AMD just needs to do all the work for the OEMs.

Yeah, that's probably why Intel still is the first choice for laptops.

 

[poke01]

I think AMD just needs to do all the work for the OEMs.

Qualcomm does a better job here too and they use expensive PMICs..