Home / Component / APU / AMD preps ‘Bristol Ridge’ APUs: ‘Carrizo’ for desktops

AMD preps ‘Bristol Ridge’ APUs: ‘Carrizo’ for desktops

Although Advanced Micro Devices does not have plans to bring the code-named “Carrizo” accelerated processing units to the market of traditional desktop computers, it is expected that a similar chip will actually make it into desktops. Unfortunately, this will happen only next year and it is unlikely that it will offer very high performance.

Later this year AMD intends to refresh its desktop product lineup with faster “Kaveri” APUs code-named “Godavari”. The new accelerated processing units will be barely faster than existing A-series chips from AMD, therefore, do not expect the company to improve its positions against Intel using the upcoming desktop products. Moreover, according to a report by SweClockers web-site, AMD’s next-generation APUs are pretty far away and when they hit the market, they will hardly be strong competitors.

AMD is developing is code-named “Bristol Ridge” APU, which will sport four “Excavator” cores (two dual-core modules), AMD Radeon graphics processing unit with 512 stream processors (based on the GCN 1.2 or more advanced architecture), DDR4 memory controller and heterogeneous system architecture features. The chip is set to be made using 28nm fabrication process and will have up to 95W TDP. The accelerated processing unit is, basically, a new version of AMD’s “Carrizo” optimized for operation at high clock-rates.

amd_fusion_kaveri_steamroller_piledriver_excavator

The “Bristol Ridge” APUs will offer considerably higher performance than “Carrizo” thanks to higher frequencies, improved memory bandwidth and other optimizations. Unfortunately, the new chips will become available only in the third quarter of 2016. By then Intel will have a full-range of “Skylake” processors and will be gearing up to start manufacturing of its first central processing units using 10nm fabrication technology.

Since the “Bristol Ridge” APUs will use proven x86 cores, graphics engine and design, it is likely that AMD will try to release it rather sooner than later in order to offer desktop PCs something better than “Kaveri”.

AMD did not comment on the news-story.

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KitGuru Says: If AMD rolls-out “Excavator”-based APUs for desktops in 2016, then it looks like its new micro-architecture code-named “Zen” will only be used for mainstream accelerated processing units in 2017, two years from now. Quite naturally this will negatively affect financial performance of AMD.

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13 comments

  1. so now they are finally releasing carrizo on desktop? In 2016 that will be too late, by then carrizo igp and cpu performance will be inferior to intel skylake who will also utilize ddr4 to boost performance. They should have made an fx series on carrizo without the igp though that would have been an insane performance boost over piledriver even taking an account into a slight regression in cpu clock frequency

  2. Assuming that the supposed Q3 ’16 timeframe for Zen/K12 is true, what’s the point in releasing Carrizo at the same time? It’s not like anyone in the market for Zen will go and get a BGA Carrizo system anyway. Furthermore, if Carrizo is hitting mobile in Q2/Q3 of this year, what on Earth would be the reason to delay the BGA desktop release by an entire year?

  3. Surly this can’t be right the 20nm Nolan APU is suppose to be here before that in 2015. This would put it’s launch time near Zen which is suppose to be early 2016.

  4. Can anyone write an unbiased article about AMD…? Why did you need to mention Intel…? They’re cheats anyway…

  5. Both companies are cheats who lie to the customers and have lots of under-the-table marketing and business going on.

  6. You sound like a conservative… STFU…

  7. Carlos Quiroz Mandela

    AMD will manage to survive. Competing with Intel on CPU performance is a dream. They dont have enough money for R&D.

  8. Unless that codename was canceled or renamed or someone made it up? I don’t know, but most rumormills seem to ignore AMD’s Skybridge– it is that platform to make x86 and ARM pin-compatible– so compatible x86 APUs will still be relevant to us, unless AMD tries maintaining two platforms with APUs and different audiences like Intel does…?

    I don’t know what order Nolan, Bristol Ridge and Sunset Ridge are coming in; but I suspect they are all APU codenames. But then I don’t know if Zen is a part of K12 or not.

  9. According to what I’ve read, DDR4 doesn’t really provide any real world performance boost.

  10. What you say is true if we talk about a CPU, but it isnt wen we talk about APUs, Faster the memory, faster the GPU will be.

  11. Chandler Keith Henson

    i have been thinking that too, a few reasons i have thought

    1. Zen/K12 is more Server/Enthusiast geared, so not much in the low cost market
    2. Inventory clearing, of course they could do that much sooner

    but why BGA desktop? wouldn’t it make much more sense to just use the same mobile chips for a BGA desktop?

  12. Nevertheless, this will allow us to witness the power of a Kaveri IGPU using DDR4 at much higher frequencies. At least from that standpoint, it’ll be nice to see. I’m not sure how these chips will perform on the desktop seeing as Carrizo was designed to offer greater performance figures over Kaveri at lower TDPs, but it will only be an improvement. Ultimately, it’s Zen what we’re all waiting for, but in the meantime, we might be able to get a glimpse at what Zen IGPUs might hold in terms of raw power, with these chips.

  13. Nice, unbiased response there dude.