More Details on the Atom Z3000 Processor Architecture
While I already discussed most of what has changed in the new Silvermont architecture powering the Atom Z3000 line, a recap and shortened version of the data is necessary to continue. First, the new Atom is built on the same 22nm process used on the top end Haswell Core-series processors and brings with it some significant advantages having been tuned for efficiency. One of Intel’s strongest areas is in process technology and no other company is really on par with them in this area. By leveraging that, Intel can take designs and architectures much further than competing companies that must make compromises to fit in similar power envelopes.
The new Atom processors are quad-core, quad-thread designs with out-of-order architectures, the first in the history of Atom. HyperThreading was left out in favor of the OOO design and Intel told me that the tradeoff for OOO in die space and complexity was paid for by the removal of HT. HyperThreading has always been a good feature, but the advantages of native quad-core (compared to dual-core with HyperThreading) have been pointed out numerous times in performance testing. Intel Burst Technology allows the SoCs to clock higher on the CPU or GPU blocks when power and thermal headroom is available and allows the Atom Z3000 to address a wider range of product ranges.
Bay Trail can support either low power DDR3-1067 (in dual 64-bit channels) or DDR3L-RS at 1333 MHz (in single channel) which allows them to create the different SKU options covered previously in this article which allows for greater product flexibility and implementation options.
Perhaps nearly as important as the move to an OOO x86 design is the transition to Intel HD Graphics and video architecture, away from the PowerVR designs that Atom has used in the past. With Haswell we saw a big change in the way Intel was focusing on the GPU portion of their processors and though Bay Trail implementations are based on the Ivy Bridge version of Intel HD Graphics, the improvements should be immediately noticeable. The Atom Z3000 series will include 4 Execution Units (EUs) as well as support for dynamic frequencies (up to 667 MHz), media encode and decode acceleration and resolutions up to 2560×1600. For comparison, both Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge HD graphics solutions include 16 EUs, running at higher clocks.
Intel did confirm for me that there was a graphics cache on the SoC as well but left other details out. It is not a shared cache apparently (between CPU and GPU) so you aren't going to see the potential performance and heterogeneous benefits, and the size of said cache remains a mystery as well.
Also important is support for InstantGo, or what was previously known as Microsoft Connected Standby. This is the technology that allows the system to get background updates under very low power states so that your data is always refreshed and ready when you open the laptop or wake up the tablet. Without support for this the ~3 week standby claim would not be possible.
Click to Enlarge
This newer, more detailed block diagram of Bay Trail / Atom Z3000 SoCs details all of the interconnects between hardware components. The Silvermont System Agent is the device that is responsible for memory controller utilization, graphics memory access, display controllers and interfacing with the switching fabric responsible for the connectivity features.
The CPU modules each feature two processing cores and 1MB of shared L2 cache and allow those two cores to easily and efficiently share data between threads. It does mean that inter-module communications have to be made through the system agent which has been completely re-built for this architecture. Intel claims that it is very high bandwidth but wouldn’t go into exact details only telling me that it had “more than enough” to handle all the I/O it is responsible for.
Silvermont’s primary switching fabric that connects things like GPIO, storage, USB and audio to the processor uses a QoS (quality of service) protocol to maintain a balance of performance and power efficiency. Just as you might see it integrated on your home router, QoS basically means that some kind of logic is applied to data I/O requests and balanced so that higher priority requests are met leaving less important ones to halt until space is made in the cycle.
Obviously Intel has included support for nearly all the industry standard interconnects for tablets and portable devices like GPIO, I2C and even is able to embed support for USB 3.0 as well. Storage performance will be something worth testing and evaluating though as the eMMC interconnect will likely be the primary option for storage media.
Bay Trail integrates quite a bit of media capability into the SoC starting with a high-performance and power optimized HD H.264 encoder that will be utilized for movie recording more than video conversion. This encoder is implemented completely in hardware and likely shares quite a bit with the desktop QuickSync technology, though on a lower scale. Video decode acceleration is also included in hardware for H.264, VC1, VP8 and quite a more.
Intel has support for HDCP 1.4 and 2.1 for protected content which is important for the playback of premium services even though it likely aggravates some openness proponents.
Atom Z3000 can also support multiple displays though we are somewhat bandwidth limited on the resolutions. A single display can be powered at 2560×1440 60 Hz with 24-bit color though eDP 1.3 is the most power efficient option.
Bay Trail integrates Intel Display Power Saving Technology (DPST) version 6.0 that combines backlight reduction with image enhancements to lower the power required for a high quality user experience. Though a specific panel type is required Intel can provide what they call an “equivalent” image quality by adjusting input pixel statistics for bright images while keeping power to the LCD down.
The imaging sensor on Bay Trail has the ability to capture 1080p60 video with a fully programmable processor capable of 275 Mpps (millions of pixels per second). Features like video stabilization (digital), burst photo mode, low light noise reduction and more.
What is the clock speed of
What is the clock speed of the z3770 you are testing?
How could let Intel not talk about TDP… is it that bad?
It’s not great. The Z3770
It's not great. The Z3770 bursts up to 2.4 GHz with a base clock of 1.8 GHz.
Given that all the reviewers
Given that all the reviewers are benching and testing what is top of the line Atom Z3770 (with dual channel mem and turbo of 2.4Ghz), it is reasonable to expect that the current OEMs using the Clovertrail Z2760 in pricey tablets/hybrids would utilize the new top line Baytrail in similar pricey products?
Another thing to consider is how well or not well Intel has supported the current Atom lineup with buggy crash prone drivers that has ticked off a large number of owners for the past few years.
To top it off, Intel claims that the new Atoms will be found in low priced tablets by the end of the year and if so, those Atoms will be very low spec low clock single channel CPUs.
As you say, the proof of viability of Intel’s new Atoms will be in the price of their product pudding.
And eat healthy food that
And eat healthy food that will make you fit and fine.
Many nutritionists believe that the best time to eat food is when a person feels hungry since
this is arguably the body’s natural way of signaling that our
energy supply needs replenishment. The cardinal sin committed by many endurance athletes is complete disregard of strength training for fear of slowing
them down by adding muscle.
Would be nice to see this on
Would be nice to see this on say a low power server system, perfect for File/Media Storage/Streaming as an option to a 35W TDP CPU.
maybe get rid of the h.264
maybe get rid of the h.264 encoder/decoder and make the GPU even smaller?
Poor AMD it looks like they
Poor AMD it looks like they have lost this round already. 🙁 Well if we look at the bright side, it at least appears that their new chips seem to be producing decent performance numbers in graphic intense applications.
This is a stunning upgrade
This is a stunning upgrade from clovertrail .. Intel has finally arrived in this space.
interesting to see the higher
interesting to see the higher 3dmark performance on android!?
also, ST performance on cinebench looks equivalent to a A64 3000+ from 2003, but obviously 4x cores and the power efficiency can justify the 10 years difference.
Considering that this isn’t a
Considering that this isn’t a desktop chip and has much lower power consumption, I think your comparison is a bit ridiculous.
U can’t really compare a 2003
U can’t really compare a 2003 desktop cpu with this
Architectures have changed and in 20003 u still
Had ddr ram now it’s ddr 3.
Besides I have compared a core u duo 1.8 ghz cpu with this this baytrail and the baytrail seems
To do Everything faster
Is it possible to do a NAS
Is it possible to do a NAS benchmark for the CPU?
I currently use a DIY NAS and it can easily max out a gigabit connection, but it is using a a CPU (AMD APU) that pulls 65 watts. Handling NAS loads and media streaming, and VPN access does not put high load on the CPU.
I don’t like premade NAS devices because there are many that cost $1000 with no hard drives and still perform worse than a $550 NAS including 6TB of storage.
It would be awesome if this CPU can work well in a low powered and near silent NAS build
What he said. I am also very
What he said. I am also very interested in the prospect of this technology being used in this way
What kind of test would you
What kind of test would you like? How could I get a benchmark that is relavant?
Isn’t the temash HP laptop
Isn’t the temash HP laptop based on HDD? Did you change the Temash to a SSD to compare against BayTrail?
Also, how about PCMark / Vantage results for comparison?
Thanks.
untill i dont know die size
untill i dont know die size of this Atom and its max TDP I cannot apreciate it. Intel avoided to give those numbers, so something is strange.
lets consider that in this moment AMD Jaguar A4-5000 get a die schrink at 22 nm . Then will beat hard the ass of Intel in power, graphics, performance and whatever you want.
Beat Intel?really?better hope
Beat Intel?really?better hope Intel doesn’t offer this with 3.5 w.if Intel does I’m pretty sure they could up GPU frequency.at 3.5 they would beat and in all but heavy gaming .nobody do hardcore gaming on tablet.
Are your benchmarks using a
Are your benchmarks using a single core, or all available cores? This is very important, as you directly compare to AMD’s competing Temash 1250, which is only a dual core part. You also fail to specify that it’s dual core in the spec breakdown, though you give Clovertrail that privelege.
Not getting my tinfoil hat out or anything, and my point is moot if the benchmark only tests a single core, but you should probably highlight (and bold, and underline) core counts as they play a huge role in benchmark results if multithreaded…
Sorry, I should revise my
Sorry, I should revise my comment to say this is only based on reading the first page – though the points are still valid for that page.
Wow, apologies. I meant the
Wow, apologies. I meant the first page with benchmarks (SiSoft Sandra). On a roll tonight..
Aw, this was an incredibly
Aw, this was an incredibly nice post. Finding the time and actual effort to generate a superb article… but what can I say… I hesitate a lot and don’t manage to get anything done.