Processors - Page 88

AMD has been kicking some serious ass in the CPU world in the last couple of years leaving Intel lagging behind, until now. Intel has just announced its new Cascade Lake-powered Xeon CPUs with up to 48 cores of performance.

Intel is launching the new Xeon E-2100 processor and it comes with up to 48 cores and can be used in dual CPU configurations for 96 cores of huge performance for HPC/AI workloads. Intel is including 12 DDR4 channels for mass amounts of RAM, with 24 DIMMs on dual CPU motherboards supporting up to 3TB of RAM.

You can even configure the new Xeon CPUs with Intel Optane memory, filling 24 DIMMs of this would allow for 12TB of system memory which is just ridiculous. 96 threads of CPU power with 12TB of RAM is just... incredible. Intel is still using its 14nm process for the new Cascade Lake-based Xeon processors, while AMD is about to hit 7nm with its upcoming EPYC 'Rome' CPUs.

Update: Intel emailed me overnight, pointing me to a tweet where they said: "Media reports published today that Intel is ending work on the 10nm process are untrue. We are making good progress on 10nm. Yields are improving consistent with the timeline we shared during our last earnings report".

Intel has been having troubles with its new 10nm process node for years and years now, and in the days after the launch of the Core i9-9900K, a new report has surfaced saying that Intel has killed off its 10nm process.

SemiAccurate is reporting that they have just learned "Intel just pulled the plug on their struggling 10nm process". The full story requires a professional level subscription to the website, but Charlie does tease us with "The knifing of 10nm shows that Intel is finally willing to do the right things for the right reasons even if it costs them some short term pain, it is the first adult decision we have seen from the company in several years. Let us walk through the reasons why it is a good thing, from cost to timetables to competitiveness to management changes to potential product roadmaps. It is not a clean, easy or pithy story to pull a sound bite from but it is interesting".

AMD is expected to ramp up its fight against Intel in 2019 and beyond with the next-gen Zen 2 CPU architecture, with a fresh rumor regarding IPC improvements from Bits and Chips on Twitter.

They tweeted that the IPC improvement between the first-gen Zen+ and upcoming Zen 2 architecture, with a 13% average increase in IPC performance in "scientific tasks" with "no gaming data" provided right now. AMD would have early samples of 7nm-based Zen 2 processors right now, with data intensive applications being tested and these CPUs not being ready for gaming it makes sense for no gaming data right now.

AMD enjoyed an IPC improvement of 3% between the Zen and Zen+ refresh, but the new Zen 2 architecture takes things to the next level... so too does the 7nm process node that AMD is making the new Zen 2 chips on.

The price of AMD's current Ryzen 7 2700X continues to get slightly cheaper with Amazon listings at $290-$295, while Intel's upcoming Core i9-9900K sits up at a huge $530... 83% more expensive. It was only yesterday that I wrote it was 66% more expensive, but now that the 2700X has dropped in price slightly, the headline has changed.

You can't buy the Ryzen 7 2700X until October 31 as it's out of stock at that price, but even Microcenter is offering the 2700X for $280. Considering the Core i5-8600K is $260, the Ryzen 7 2700X is offering some insane value for money at $290. Newegg has Intel's upcoming Core i9-9900K listed for an even more expensive $580... which is ridiculous.

AMD's current Ryzen 7 2700X at $290 (or so) means you can buy the CPU and a motherboard, and even some RAM for the cost of the 9900K. Sure, the 9900K might be the "best gaming CPU" but how many gamers really care about that when you're getting far better value for money from AMD? If you're buying a gaming machine and don't care about the cost then the Core i9-9900K is what you're going to buy, nothing will change your mind.

Intel is in the middle of a gigantic misfire in its marketing for the Core i9-9900K, something you can read about here - but what about the mainstream Core i5-9600K? This is going to be a processor that will be long debated, as it's a 6C/6T design that has some great overclocking headroom.

Chinese video streaming site bilibili has both stock and overclocked CPU performance from the upcoming Core i5-9600K under various benchmarks, with some interesting results. The Core i5-9600K is a 6C/6T processor with 9MB of L3 cache, and clock speeds that reach 4.6GHz boost under 1-core CPU loads. Intel's upcoming Core i5-9600K rocks a TDP of 95W and a retail price of $262.

Here's the rest of the CPU clock speeds:

I'm sure you've probably been reading the drama from Intel's who-knows-WTF-they're-doing benchmark data that was completed (paid job from Intel) by Principled Technologies.

PT provided benchmarks between Intel's new Core i9-9900K processor and ran them against a few of AMD's best CPUs in the form of Ryzen Threadripper 2990WX, Ryzen Threadripper 2950X and the 8C/16T competing chip against the 9900K in the form of the Ryzen 7 2700X.

But what happened is that PT's data was beyond ridiculous, with the company disabling half of the Ryzen 7 2700X processor cores, destroying the memory controller with a bad RAM configuration (ridiculous timings, which drags performance down on Ryzen) and more. But the data PT provided gave Intel the marketing bragging rights of the Core i9-9900K "being up to 50 percent faster than 2700X at gaming".

Intel unveiled its next-gen 9th generation CPUs barely over 24 hours ago, in a release that includes the new Core i9-9900K and Core i9-9980XE processors as well as the new 28C/56T beast in the Xeon W-3175W processor.

But... the company contracted out the benchmarks of its new CPUs to a company called Principled Technologies, which created a white paper comparing the performance of the Core i9-9900K, Core i7-8700K, and a bunch of AMD processors including the high-end Ryzen Threadripper 2990WX, 2950X, and Ryzen 7 2700X processors.

The bad thing here is that Intel is showing the AMD processors in a really bad light, where it is downright playing consumers and the world for a fool. There are multiple issues with what Intel is trying to hustle here, where it has run the Ryzen systems without XMP enabled for starters... but it gets worse from there:

AMD ripped up the multi-threaded CPU game with the original Threadripper 1950X and its 16C/32T of CPU power, but Team Red took it to the next level with Threadripper 2990WX by offering a huge 32C/64T and now Intel has finally caught up, but not beaten AMD.

Intel unveiled its new Xeon W-3175X processor, the new 28C/56T chip based on the Skylake-X architecture. The new 28C/56T beast has a base CPU clock of 3.1GHz and boost clock of 4.3GHz, while it has a whopping 255W TDP, and a huge 6-channel DDR4 support, among a plethora of features and supported technologies.

Intel is offering up to 68 PCIe 3.0 lanes on the server-class motherboards (Xeon W-3175X won't work on X299 motherboards). There is 512GB DDR4 support on the new Intel Xeon W-3175X, which is strange since there are 12 x DIMMs on the supported motherboards.

Intel has finally unveiled the new 9th gen Core CPUs with the first processors off the new 9th gen series rank including the Core i9-9900K, Core i7-9700K, and Core i5-9600K. All of the 9th gen CPUs will work on current 300-series motherboards, as well as the new Z390 motherboards coming soon.

Intel is using a Solder Thermal Interface Material (STIM) on the new 9900K, something that should make some people happy with integrated USB 3.1 gen 2 and integrated Intel Wireless-AC connectivity. We also have up to 40 PCIe 3.0 lanes on tap, with Intel Optane memory and Optane SSD support a given, as well as Thunderbolt 3.

The new Core i9-9900K marks the very first time Intel has introduced an 8C/16T processor in the mainstream desktop market, with the CPU having a base clock of 3.6GHz and boost clock of 5GHz when in single/dual operation. Intel has the 4-core boost at 4.8GHz while 6/8-core CPU boost reaches 4.7GHz. Intel is keeping the TDP of the Core i9-9900K at 95W.

Intel has hosted its event in New York City to unveil their new 9th generation Core range of processors, with the introduction of the new 9th Gen Core and Core X-series CPUs.

The new flagship Core i9-9980XE is a beast, offering 18C/36T of CPU power with a base CPU clock of 3GHz and boost of up to 4.5GHz. There's a whopping 24.75MB of L3 cache on it, with a huge 68 PCIe 3.0 lanes and 165W TDP. Intel is pricing the new Core i9-9980XE at $1979, and it'll be available in the coming months. The company unveiled a full stack of Core X-series processors, ranging from 18C/36T down to an 8C/16T processor.

Under the flagship Core i9-9980XE we have five more Core i9 processors with the 9960X, 9940X, 9920X, 9900X, and 9820X. The last CPU in the Core X-series of processors is the Core i7-9800X. There's a lot of Xs here, especially when you consider its the Core i9-9980XE X-series CPU. X marks the spot, I guess.

Intel is expected to unveil its next-gen Core i9-9900K flagship processor really soon, with multiple teases of Z390 motherboards from the likes of ASUS, ASRock, GIGABYTE, MSI and more and now we're seeing the 9900K pricing for real.

According to an early listing on Amazon, the new Core i9-9900K will cost $499 and offer 8C/16T at up to 5GHz. The lower-end Core i5-9600K will be a 6C/6T processor at up to 4.6GHz with a price of $263. You should be able to buy the new Core i9-9900K processor on October 19, which isn't too far away from now.

This price could change and I definitely expect it to, so we could see Intel have an MSRP of $499 on the Core i9-9900K and that price could change rapidly with there not being much stock of the CPU. The Amazon listing has been pulled, while the Core i5-9600K listing on Amazon remains.

Intel is expected to unveil its first ever 8C/16T processor this month, with the Core i9-9900K looking like it'll be the best CPU for gaming ever made. But you can't make a great CPU without some awesome packaging, right?!

A new listing on Amazon shows off some never-before-seen packaging for an Intel Core i9 processor with a very small '9th gen' at the top, and the listing itself showing 8C/16T at up to 5GHz. We can also see it has Hyper-Threading technology enabled (hence the 16-threaded part), 16MB of cache and of course it has the ability to be overclocked since it's a K-series processor.

The box, if real, looks ridiculously good and could give AMD a run for their money with the awesome packaging for the second-gen Ryzen Threadripper CPUs. The listing has the purported Core i9-9900K costing $580, which is a stark difference to the rumored price of $480 from my post on the 9900K yesterday.

AMD has absolutely dominated the HEDT market with the introduction of its second-gen Ryzen Threadripper 2990WX, offering a massive 32C/64T in a time when then market leader Intel could only reach 28C/56T. Right now, AMD is the king of multi-threaded CPUs and Intel can't match it, and even with next-gen X599 it won't get there.

The latest rumor on the new X599 chipset is that Intel's new push into HEDT will be split into two: X599 for the ultimate in HEDT, while there could be a new Z399 chipset that is definitely going to be confused with X399 from AMD. At this point if Intel do this, their CPU marketing department needs a slap across the wrist. We can't have the introduction of a new Z399 chipset when AMD has almost come out of nowhere with its dominance with Ryzen, and have their X399 chipset in motherboards right now.

Z399 is being introduced with the 'X' removed in place of a 'Z' as Intel is not branding this as "extreme" like the higher-end LGA3647 chipset, with Z399 reportedly being a new LGA2066 platform. TPU thinks Intel could release new 22/24-core CPUs on the Z399 platform while X599 is used to power next-gen 24/26/28-core CPUs under the Skylake-X processor family. Intel's next-gen 28C/56T processor on X599 will be their flagship CPU, competing directly against AMD's Ryzen Threadripper 2990WX which sports 32C/64T on the X399 chipset.

AMD is preparing its third-gen Ryzen CPU family that will be a true next-gen Zen 2 CPU core, with the original Zen architecture powering both the Ryzen 1000 and Ryzen 2000 series processors. According to a forum post on HardOCP by '_mockingbird', Radeon Technologies Group has "just received its first Zen 2 sample (to optimize for) and it's really impressive".

RTG is a weird place for the very first Zen 2 CPU engineering sample to go, but the posted said in a reply "Zen team brought the processor over so that the RTG teams can make changes to the video card's drivers that make them work better with the processor". This is good news for gamers as it would hopefully mean AMD is keen to see just how their next-gen Zen 2 architecture is holding up with gaming on a prototype Ryzen 3000 series CPU.

The test rig was using a custom motherboard with an AMD logo on it, with the HardOCP forum member saying the "Zen team is being awfully secretive, that's for sure". I'm not surprised given it's an unreleased CPU. The poster added: "It crashes all the time. Some of the tests have to be run multiple times because they crashed before finishing". This isn't uncommon: the first prototype of a new processor, with a heavily tuned architecture, on a totally new 7nm node process... crashes happen.

Intel is expected to unveil its new Core i9-9900K processor in less than two weeks time, with some "accidental" listed prices hitting Silicon Lottery. We're looking at a much more expensive 9th generation CPU series from Intel, but as usual the prices were removed - yet this is the internet, we all know whatever is posted is forever.

Well, it looks like we're looking at around $480 for the upcoming Core i9-9900K processor... a price hike of around $100 over the Core i7-8700K. Remember the new 9900K is an 8C/16T chip while the current-gen 8700K is a 6C/12T processor. The new 9th gen Core i7-9700K should debut at $370, which is the same price as the 8700K (but it is an 8C/8T chip with HyperThreading disabled). The upcoming Core i5-9600K is a 6C/6T chip (also with HT disabled) and should debut at around $250.

Intel's new Core i9-9900K will rock a base clock of 3.6GHz and boost clock of 5GHz (in single- and dual-core tasks). Intel should be listing the 4-core boost as 4.8GHz, while the higher-end 6- and 8-core boost is a huge 4.7GHz. This should really put the boot into AMD's neck... yet AMD's Ryzen sales are out of this world right now and Intel needs everything it can just to fight a battle that two years ago, it thought it didn't need to fight. 10nm is a mess, and now the Core i9-9900K has to take things to the next level for Intel to take the spotlight away from AMD... temporarily.

AMD has had a stellar two years since the hype and then real launch of Ryzen early last year, and now a new report from DigiTimes teases that Team Red could secure a huge chunk of CPU market with the site saying AMD could claw up to 30% of the CPU market by Q4 2018.

DigiTimes' source said: "AMD has drastically changed its foundry strategy, loosening ties with Globalfoundries and contracting TSMC to fabricate its GPUs, server and PC processors on 7nm process. The policy change has sent AMD share prices rallying all the way since mid-2018 amid market expectations for better chip yield rates and performances as well as normal shipments to customers".

AMD is in a perfect position right now because Intel has been struggling for YEARS now trying to get its 10nm node off the ground, something that was meant to happen in 2015 and won't be happening until this time in 2019. DigiTimes report continues, saying that motherboard partners in ASUS, GIGABYTE and MSI "have ramped up production and shipments of devices fitted with AMD processors, driving up the chipmaker's share of the desktop processor market to over 20% in the third quarter. The company is very likely to see the figure further rebound to the level of 30% again".

Intel must be in full panic mode with all-systems-go right now, first their 10nm node production is in shambles - expected in 2015, delayed through to late-2019, their CEO recently left in a tornado of drama, and AMD has been kicking their ass up and down the street with Ryzen, Threadripper, and EPYC.

This doesn't mean that Intel's current flock of 14nm++ CPUs are not in high demand, because they are - so much so that Intel is having to ramp up 14nm production just to keep up. Furthermore, Intel is having to do this because the new 9000-series led by the flagship Core i9-9900K are right around the corner, so Intel is ramping production of its 14nm CPUs at their new facility in Vietnam.

Intel is expected to unveil their new Core i9-9900K, Core i7-9700K, and Core i5-9600K (as well as others) next month. The company has said: "In order to ensure a continuous supply of the Intel Processors listed in the "Products Affected" Table below, Intel will be adding an additional manufacturing site for Test/Finished Goods. The new site is located in Vietnam. The new manufacturing site has been certified equivalent (form, fit, function, and reliability) for the affected products and technologies of this change".

EK Water Blocks has just announced its new high-performance water blocks for both AMD and Intel sockets, with the new Velocity CPU water block coming in 14 different versions. RGBs are in the mix, but EK is also offering minimalistic bare copper cold plates as well, so you won't need all that RGB bling if you want a slick, clean look.

EK chose the Velocity brand for its new coolers as it was inspired by the "necessity to be lean and agile in the world of liquid cooling. A high-performance CPU water block is no good if it is too restrictive on the flow and it is bottlenecking your entire cooling loop.

Efficient coolant flow and performance should go hand in hand, and neither of the two should be sacrificed for one another".

Intel is ever-so-close to releasing its new flagship Core i9-9900K processor, the first 8C/16T processor from the company, and it will launch with the new Z390-series motherboards that we're beginning to see more and more of.

The company will be launching three new 9000-series parts in the coming weeks, with the Core i9-9900K, Core i7-9700K, and Core i5-9600K that will all work on existing Z300-series motherboards, as well as the upcoming Z390 boards that will launch with the new CPUs. If you want to overclock the hell out of these next-gen K-series parts, you'll need the Z370 or Z390 motherboards to squeeze all that you can from the Coffee Lake refresh.

Intel is expected to unveil the new 9000-series processors next month with a joint launch of the Z390 family of boards.

AMD has been hurting Intel in all the right places in the last two years, but the next-gen EPYC 'Rome' processor is set to become something truly special in 2019 where it will set the server world on fire.

We're talking 64C/128T on the fresh new 7nm node, while Intel is stuck at 28C/56T and a totally broken 10nm node that won't be ready for the limelight until this time next year. AMD is kicking ass and taking names without the new EPYC Rome CPU, but now we're starting to hear about what type of performance to expect from sources on Chiphell.

This new rumor could be completely fake, but if it's in any form real we're looking at a Cinebench R15 multi-thread benchmark with the new EPYC Rome CPU and its huge 64C/128T of CPU power behind it. The purported chip scores an absolutely insane 12,587 points that blows even AMD's current champion, the Ryzen Threadripper 2990WX out of the water with its 5500 points (and that's a 32C/64T chip).