Items tagged with zen 2
There have been some rumblings in recent months about USB connectivity problems with AMD Ryzen processors in combination with 500 series chipset-based motherboards. To be more specific, the problem seems to stem from USB 2.0 ports that act erratically when PCIe 4.0 is enabled on the motherboard and a PCIe 4-enabled device is installed -- like a GPU, for example. Given that many enthusiasts are rocking new GPUs like the Radeon RX 6800 or GeForce RTX 30 Series, which are PCIe 4.0-enabled, this can certainly be a problem. Users are experiencing problems where low-speed devices like mice, keyboards, and headsets are dropping out periodically, without any rhyme or reason, when attached to a USB...
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The latest generation game consoles from Microsoft and Sony lean heavily on PC hardware, and that includes the core components—both sport a custom system-on-chip by AMD comprised of Zen 2 CPU cores paired with RDNA 2 GPU cores, to enable ray-traced visuals and gameplay at up to 4K. There are some key differences, though, between the custom chips and their PC brethren. Some of those differences are visible in a set of detailed die shots of the PlayStation 5's SoC. Let's talk about the core specifications before getting to the die shots. The PS5 is an impressive console kit featuring an 8-core Zen 2 CPU sporting a variable clock speed up to 3.5GHz. On the graphics side, 36 compute units based...
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Earlier this year at CES, two competing mobile processor families were announced. AMD is looking to grab headlines with its 7nm Zen 3-based Ryzen 5000 family, while Intel is aiming for gaming dominance with its 11th generation Tiger Lake-H35 series. Both are sure to deliver strong performance gains over their predecessors, but Intel is planting its flag in the ground already with respect to single-threaded performance. Intel's single-threaded performance has always been strong, even though it has been hobbled in the past by the 14nm process node. However, Intel is cranking things to the max with the 10nm Tiger Lake-H35 processors, which are more performant versions of...
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Count yourself lucky if you managed to snag an Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, or PlayStation 5 console over the recent holiday stretch. Technically, both Microsoft and Sony released their newest generation systems to retail in November, but actually buying one was often an exercise in futility. There just was not enough supply to meet demand. Seems like an easy problem to fix, right? In theory, sure—just make more consoles. But the reality is a bit more complicated. At one point, Microsoft even approached AMD for help with the situation. The Xbox Series X/S and PS5 both run on custom AMD hardware. At the heart of each system is a system-on-chip (SoC) that combines eight Zen 2 CPU cores with...
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AMD has rolled out a new generation of Ryzen Embedded processors, its V2000 series, which are based on the company's 7-nanometer Zen 2 CPU architecture. Yes, Zen 2 was recently usurped in the architectural hierarchy by Zen 3 on the desktop and soon in the server sector as well, but it is not unusual for the embedded category to be a step behind other higher-powered categories. Even so, the jump to Zen 2 is a beneficial one for embedded applications. AMD is offering its V2000 series with up to eight cores and seven GPU compute units, which the company says delivers twice the multi-threaded performance per watt. These chips also improve single-threaded CPU performance by up to 30 percent, and deliver...
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To say that AMD has been doing well in the x86 processor market since introducing its original Zen architecture in 2017 is quite the understatement. From the start, AMD has shown excellent performance across the board compared to Intel along with a particularly strong focus on multi-threaded applications. And new numbers from Mercury Research suggests that AMD's overall market share has hit highs that the copay hasn't seen since way back in 2007. According to Mercury Research, AMD saw a 4.1 share point increase during Q3 2020, taking it to 22.4 percent for the overall x86 market. This also represented a 6.3 share point increase from the same period in 2019. AMD saw increases in desktop,...
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Yesterday, we brought you news about the upcoming Ryzen 5000 family of APUs that will find their way into laptops starting early next year. What we also learned is that despite the fact that AMD has taken steps to align its APU and CPU family with the 5000 Series branding, things are still going to be a bit complicated going forward. While we initially thought that the Ryzen 5000 family was only going to include processors with Zen 3 architecture, it seems as though AMD will be sneaking in Zen 2-based processors as well. We only detailed the Ryzen 5 5600U yesterday (Zen 3/Cezanne), but now we've got a full rundown of six processors that include a mixture of Zen 3/Cezanne and...
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The developer responsible for the popular DRAM Calculator for Ryzen utility is getting ready to release another software package for AMD's processors, this one called ClockTuner for Ryzen (CTR). Set to go live tomorrow, September 29 at noon ET, the nifty follow-up utility will enable finer grain control over certain Ryzen CPUs, for potentially higher overclocks and better performance. Part of the appeal of the upcoming CTR utility is that it auto-tunes performance and power configurations in Windows environments (you need .NET installed). This means less experienced users will potentially be able to benefit, without having to get their hands too dirty fiddling with settings they may not fully...
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Intel officially launched its 11th generation Tiger Lake architecture earlier this month, and an army of OEM partners announced that they will be launching new laptops featuring Core i3, Core i5, and Core i7 processors based on this design. However, unlike rival AMD, Intel didn’t announce any new 8-core/16-thread SKUs during its virtual event, leaving many to wonder how the company would compete when it comes to deeply multi-threaded applications. Well, even though Intel didn’t announce 8-core SKUs during its online event, they are in the works… we all just simply missed it. Tom’s Hardware was the first to notice that Intel’s Boyd...
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AMD launched its mobile Ryzen 4000 series to much fanfare and excitement, because the prospect of leveraging Zen 2 in a laptop form factor is indeed enticing. But here we are months later and the available options are still comparatively limited. What's going on? There seems to be a lingering supply issue of some sort, with HP reportedly cancelling customer orders for some models. At least that seems to be the case for some of the ultrathin and light laptop options, powered by AMD's Rzyen 4000 U-series. These chips are basically mobile APUs, packing between four and eight cores (and up to 16 threads), 6MB to 12MB of L3 cache, and up to eight graphics cores based on AMD's Vega GPU architecture....
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We've been looking forward to this day ever since we first got our hands on a trio of high-powered gaming notebooks powered by AMD's Ryzen 4000 processors. We already know the Renoir-based CPUs could deliver excellent performance at an attractive price in higher power envelopes where the Ryzen 7 4900HS and Ryzen 7 4800H reside. But how would AMD's lowest-power chips, like the Ryzen 5 4600U and Ryzen 7 4700U handle their constrained thermal budgets? And could AMD's typical budget-conscious pricing keep system costs low? Lenovo's ThinkPad X13 Gen 1 notebook will answer those questions for us today. To date, the thin and light segment has been dominated by Intel's offerings. AMD seems poised to...
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AMD’s Ryzen 3000 Zen 2 family of processor have been on the market for well over a year at this point, which means that we learned just about everything there is to know related to their inner workings. With this in mind, Yuri Bubliy (aka 1USMUS), the mastermind behind the DRAM Calculator for Ryzen, is set to release a new utility for Ryzen 3000 CPUs that allows the end-user to extract even more performance, while also improving power efficiency. The utility is called the ClockTuner for Ryzen (CTR) and seems like it would be likened to the Holy Grail for PC enthusiasts. At its heart, CTR is able to work at the CCX (Core Complex) level, where it is possible to undervolt each individually....
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Over the weekend we reported that the launch of the value priced A520 motherboards from AMD was coming soon. These boards are now finally out, boasting great options for I/O and bandwidth for all users and promising support for the future “Zen 3” architecture while also supporting current third-generation Ryzen processors. AMD's products are priced well across the entire spectrum, and they are continuing this trend with the A520 series of motherboards. According to AMD’s slide (see below), the A520 chipset is nestled squarely between the A320 series and the B550 series. With the A520, the general purpose PCIe lane gets bumped up to PCIe 3.0, providing more bandwidth over...
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Building a Ryzen system right now either requires a pricey motherboard based on the flagship X570 chipset, the recently released B550, or sticking with previous-generation mid-range chipsets like the B450. Help for budget builders with severely limited funds is on the way though, in the form of the as-yet unannounced AMD A520 chipset, at least according to some online listings. It seems that boards from ASUS and ASRock have gone on sale ahead of any announcement of the chipset from AMD or from either of these board manufacturers, however. Right now, Newegg is selling ASUS's Prime A520M-K motherboard for $75.99. This board is apparently compatible with Zen 2 and current consumer APUs...
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Earlier this week, we reported on AMD's new family of Renoir desktop processors, which included consumer-oriented Ryzen 4000G/GE and business-oriented Ryzen Pro 4000 SKUs. The new processors are based on AMD's 7nm Zen 2 architecture and are very closely related to the Ryzen 4000 laptop processors that launched earlier this year at CES. Today we're getting a little bit more info on the Ryzen Pro 4000 family courtesy of a leaked pricing chart. The Ryzen Pro 3 4350G, Ryzen 5 Pro 4650G, and Ryzen 7 Pro 4750G are priced at $149, $209, and $309 respectively. It should be noted that AMD is charging the same price for the 65-watt "G" and 35-watt "GE" SKUs of its new Ryzen Pro 4000 processors....
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Today is a big day for AMD, as the company looks to spread the reach of its powerful 7nm Zen 2 processor architecture to additional segments. We’ve seen Zen 2 make waves in the server (EPYC 7xx2), HEDT workstation (Threadripper 3000/Threadripper Pro 3000), consumer desktop (Ryzen 3000), and the laptop (Ryzen 4000) markets over the past year. The latest extensions of the Zen 2 family are Ryzen 4000 processors targeting the consumer desktop market. Although it may be a little confusing, since AMD already has the Zen 2-based Ryzen 3000 family to handle desktop duties, but those processors don’t have integrated graphics cores. This puts them at a disadvantage to Intel processors, which...
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AMD's Ryzen 3000 family has long provided gamers with excellent single- and multi-threaded performance at reasonable prices compared to its Intel Core-based competition. Couple that with relatively low TDPs thanks to its 7nm process node, the Zen 2 processors have been quite popular. The value factor is once again in play on the Ryzen 7 3700X, which is an 8-core/16-thread processor aimed at the heart of the mainstream gaming market. When we previously visited a deal on this processor, it hit a low $259, but was only accessible to those that had a Micro Center location close by. Today's deal, however, is available to anyone courtesy of Newegg. AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 8-Core CPU With Assassin's...
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AMD is getting ready to unveil a handful of Ryzen Threadripper Pro processors based on its Zen 2 CPU architecture, assuming a recently leaked slide is accurate. The slide highlights four different models, including the Threadripper Pro 3995WX, Threadripper Pro 3975WX, Threadripper Pro 3955WX, and Threadripper Pro 3945WX. What would be the point? In a separate slide, AMD breaks down the target audiences for its Threadripper and Threadripper Pro processors. It shows the regular Threadripper lineup being aimed at enthusiast gamers, streamers, and editors, while the Threadripper Pro series has professional studio users, designers, engineers, and data scientists in its sights. Here is a look at the...
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We've seen references to the incoming Ryzen 7 4700G over the past few months, and it's reported to be an 8-core/16-thread processor with 8 Vega GPU cores onboard and a TDP of 65 watts. Early specs also suggested a base clock of 3.6GHz and a boost frequency of 4.4GHz. The processor has once again been spotted in the wild, this time via the CPU-Z Validator. In this case, the Ryzen 7 4700G is seen with an all-core overclock of 4.765GHz. That's not bad at all for a Zen 2-based APU based on AMD's 7nm process node. This performance was also allegedly obtained using air cooling. Although the Ryzen 4700G includes the "added baggage" of an integrated Radeon Vega GPU, it is said to offer performance comparable...
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Last month, AMD made the 3rd Generation Ryzen 3000XT series processors official after weeks of leaks and speculation. In case you missed the original announcement, Ryzen 3000XT series processors are tweaked versions of the original 3000X series products, but with higher clocks and the ability to maintain turbo frequencies longer, to boost overall performance. The “XT” branding, which is being used for the first time on a Ryzen processor, is a call-back to AMD’s top-end GPU components. The 3000XT line-up consists of three processors – the Ryzen 5 3600XT, the Ryzen 7 3800XT, and the Ryzen 9 3900XT. At their core, these three processors are nearly identical to their respective...
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AMD maintains a whole bunch of different Ryzen processor lines, spread out across both mobile and desktop. As it applies to the latter, we are still waiting for AMD to officially launch its Ryzen 4000 Pro series combining Zen 2 CPU cores with enhanced Vega graphics. They are basically APUs, a term AMD does not use anymore. While we wait, a fresh leak has seemingly revealed the specifications and pricing for several models. The Ryzen 4000 designation is a little confusing, because AMD's latest-generation desktop processors based on Zen 2 comprise the Ryzen 3000 series. This is my one pet peeve with AMD's resurgence—it's processors are excellent, but the inconsistent model labeling across...
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Then it comes to HEDT processors available on the market right now, there's the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3990X; and then there's everybody else. The processor's claim to fame is that it's based on AMD's versatile 7nm Zen 2 architecture, decked out with 64 physical cores and 128 threads for multi-threaded domination. While we would expect that anyone that could plunk down nearly $4,000 for a Threadripper 3990X would be using it for high-end rendering, editing, or computational modeling work, one redditor has found a rather innovative way to use the processor in Windows 10. Kenny_Stryker in the PC Master Race subreddit used software that allows you to specify a workload for each individual core/thread,...
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