The New Units
The first product that is now officially for sale is the aforementioned A8-7600. This was the first cTDP part that AMD detailed last January, but again it did not go to sale for quite some time. This chip features 2 modules (4 threads) and 6 GCN Compute Cores (2 less Compute Cores than the A10-7850K). The chip is clocked on the CPU side from 3.1 GHz up to a maximum boost of 3.8 GHz. The GPU portion is clocked at 720 MHz. This combination of clocks allowed it to sit at the 65 watt TDP range, and with cTDP enabled go down to 45 watts TDP. The performance of this part was pretty impressive and interesting at the TDPs it was aimed at. The graphics portion certainly proved impressive against the competing Intel parts, and the CPU portion is at least competitive (and does not hold a user back too badly). This part is being offered at $101 US.
The second part is the A10-7800. This is a fully enabled Kaveri product with 2 modules (4 threads) and 8 GCN compute cores. The CPU portion ranges from 3.5 GHz to 3.9 GHz and it is a 65 watt TDP part. It also supports the cTDP setting which takes it down to 45 watts TDP. The GPU operates at 720 MHz and features the full complement of Compute Cores. Even when cTDP is set to 45 watts, the GPU clock speed is unaffected. For visual computing applications, this is a big win for AMD. Consider that ½ of the die space is comprised of the graphics portion, being able to decrease the TDP by downclocking the CPU only is a big win for AMD. These parts will be available for $155 US.
The final part is a bit of an odd duck. The A6-7400K is a single module (2 threads) APU with only 4 GCN compute cores. It is rated as a 65 watt TDP part with a 45 watt cTDP. The single module goes from 3.5 GHz up to 3.9 GHz. The Compute Cores do get a small clockspeed boost from the other members of the Kaveri family and run at 756 MHz. Note as well that this chip is unlocked, so it is being aimed directly at the budget enthusiast who is willing to overclock this particular APU. AMD is asking for a paltry $77 US for this part, putting it in direct competition with the Intel 20 Year Anniversary Pentium.
The 7800 and 7600 parts can support memory speeds up to 2133, but the 7400K can only support up to 1866 officially. This is not a deathblow for the part, as it still only features one module and 4 compute cores. The need for high speed memory is not as stiff as with other parts. The A6-7400K L2 cache in the working module is cut in half as compared to other members of the Kaveri lineup. Each module has 2 MB of L2, but half of this is disabled on the 7400K.
There are no new specific features to these chips. Instead we still see the same Steamroller based CPU modules, GCN compute cores, video encode and decode engines, HSA support, and the TrueAudio unit. These chips do feature the latest PCI-E 3.0 connectivity, which was sorely lacking from AMD parts until Kaveri. OpenCL support and speed is another feather in AMD’s cap with this generation of chips. AMD is really pushing this area, but we have yet to see truly full-fledged support. The same can be said for HSA. While we see some software developers leveraging OpenCL support, HSA has not had that particular breakthrough yet. 3D gaming is also another strong point for AMD over Intel. Driver and ISV support for AMD APUs is very robust as compared. While Intel is catching up there, the performance and quality from the Intel chips is not at the same level as where AMD is sitting.
Finally, we have full Mantle support for AMD’s latest APUs. AMD’s homegrown API is slowly gaining support around the industry. While it certainly cannot be described as a juggernaut, it is making some waves. Quite a few developers are playing with the technology, as it is a very interesting pre-cursor to DirectX 12. DX12 will not be available until at least the Holiday Season, 2015. Until that point, AMD’s Mantle API will be a good testing ground for IHVs (if others decide to adopt it) and ISVs (get hands on experience with a low level API). Currently there are a handful of games which support Mantle, and more are coming down the road. There are also several major game engines which support Mantle out of the box. ISV’s who license these engines have the option of enabling Mantle functionality if they so desire.
Overall this is just a fleshing out of the product line from AMD with their APUs. We have seen a pretty hefty amount of stagnation in the CPU market when it comes to big performance leaps over the past few years. Certainly Intel has kept busy with their Sandy Bridge to Ivy Bridge to Haswell updates, but the clockspeed and performance increases over the past four years simply have not matched what we had seen leading up to that point. Yes, we have more cores and more features integrated into a modern CPU/APU, but the big leaps in performance we have been used to are simply not there for the vast majority of applications.
How about 24 compute cores,
How about 24 compute cores, at least 10 of those “compute cores” CPU cores, yes based or your new x86 microarchitecture, the one your top CPU boffins are cooking up, and don’t skimp on the stacked on die RAM, stack um up high like the mondo-pancake stack at Ned’s house of sweet butter & lard! Those CPU cores need to be Full, no shared execution units, or instruction decoders, with lots of IPCs.
Yup, just pop in that new x86
Yup, just pop in that new x86 architecture. (That’s not expected to be ready for another couple years.)
Let’s add more than double the CPU compute cores. (Despite the transistor count already being nearly 2.5 billion, more than doubling bringing it close to 5+ billion, which would dramatically reduce yield and in turn dramatically increase manufacturing costs.) Their new CPU uArch will be twice as space efficient, after all. (Even though they can only do 4 jaguar cores in the same space of a single Steamroller module, SURELY their new big-core x86 chips will be able to double the core count without dramatically increasing transistor count.)
To seal the deal, add in ‘on-die stacked RAM’ (which is apparently very expensive, potentially causing even more yield issues, and therefore driving costs even higher.)
Chip design is just so easy!
Just go package on package,
Just go package on package, or put the GPU die, and the CPU die on a Mezzanine module, those CPUs, and GPUs were designed with scalability in mind years ago, just bump up the core count an enable some of the resources that were fused off. Yes a big fat module, with a 1024 bit bus, to some on mezzanine module stacked Ram, All on one big fat coherent interconnect fabric. There, if the CPU is bad, well it does not have to be, throw the GPU out with the bath water, same for the GPU. Hay it cold be 10 ARMv8 ISA based custom cores, as long as the SIMD instructions were there, hell some ARMv8 custom cores like the Apple A7/A8, or the Nvidia Denver cores, wide order superscalar designs, for rendering workloads(ray Tracing) to go along with the AMD graphics, and HSA goodness. It does not have to be x86, I’m Sure AMD has some good custom ARM designs ready to go to compete with Apple, and Nvidia. Or some Power8 based product, just license a reference design from openpower/IBM and integrate it with AMD graphics, no big x86 redesign worries there, Just some on die/on module interconnect work, AMD has some IP of its own there, or just get CAPI, tweak it and rebrand it, like Nvidia did for its NvLink, lots of IP out there besides just CPU IP/ISA that can be licensed to get to market quicker. The HPC world is going to be a big user of GPU accelerators on Mezzanine Modules, to go along with the CPUs, for speeds/bandwidth that even PCI can not handle. That HPC goodness will work its way down to the consumer market, But I need more cores, at least 10(CPU cores) to go along with the GPU, that is unless hardware ray tracing circuitry comes the market in a big way, Though I have not heard any new news concerning the PowerVR wizard GPU with the hardware ray tracing, but them Rays Need tracing, and tracing Needs CPU cores, lots of cores/threads. Chip design worries, Just look at the latest Intel E chips, Just some server SKUs that did not make the top bin, just fused of and gimped down, under a layer of really sticky thermal epoxy, just fuse and use. More cores, more cores, CPU cores that is, AMD!
This is what opteron boards /
This is what opteron boards / chips are for. You can get all this stuff today, in fact, you could get a dual socket AMD board for about the same price as a mid-range i7.
I’ll take a custom ARMv8 ISA
I’ll take a custom ARMv8 ISA chip with 24 cores, and some AMD graphics, in a portable workstation form factor, 7 or more IPC custom wide order superscalar cores, and plenty of SIMD/Neon goodness, to go along with the Firepro! Now AMD get some Dedicated Ray Tracing going on your Pro Graphics SKUs, and all those cores will not be necessary! Do they have Opteron based portable workstation SKUs, at rock bottom prices, hell AMD I am waiting for your Custom ARMv8 designs, Apple has got its Cyclone, soon to be replaced with a newer chip, and Nvidia has its Denver custom cores. I do not need any reference design ARM 3 IPC cores, give me 7 IPCs and some SIMD extended instructions. Hell make a Xeon Pi competitor(pricewise at least) with 96 custom ARM cores, and wider SIMD, and other Ops for Tracing them Rays, and keep your eyes open to what Imagination is doing with the PowerVR wizard, and get some Hardware Ray Tracing going on your Pro GPUs. And for sure look into getting your GPUs intimate with some Power8, on a Mezzanine module with stacked Ram for pillows, and an 1024 bit bus tying it all together, don’t let the green team get ahead, with a Power8 hammer drop, its only a license away, just like ARM stuff.
P.S. AMD get your gaming console APUs with some beefed up GPU cores on a discrete PCI card, and start the whole home gaming/computing cluster market going, and Fill those slots with complete gaming platform/s for some real low latency gaming, and tell the motherboard CPU to kiss off and take care of some house keeping chores, screw the consoles get the Clusters! Now that’s some HSA goodness on a PCI card, and Nvidia is heading that direction too!
I was expecting to see a
I was expecting to see a Pentium or a Celeron to compare with 7400K. I think this processor is in fact the most interesting between these two. 7800 we already know more or less what it can or it can’t do.
Thanks for the review.
On its own, the current and
On its own, the current and previous gen AMD APUs are ok. Unless these perform to at least the level of a GTX650, HD 7770/90, or its R7s, you’re still better off getting a discrete graphics card for a proper, budget gaming PC.
The 7600 seems like an
The 7600 seems like an absolute, super cheap gaming powerhouse for people who play on their TV`s @ 720p or dont bother with new 3xA games @ 1080p.
Happy with the Core i7 4790K
Happy with the Core i7 4790K drawing 88 watts.
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Looks weak…my 4 year old
Looks weak…my 4 year old GPU is still better.