Luke and Leo Get Technical (Ep6) – New AMD EPYC & Ryzen 3 Rumours

Things are looking busy, once again, for AMD. Last week, we saw a new set of EPYC processor SKUs released – the 7Fx2 series of high-frequency server/datacentre chips. We have seen leaks and rumours pointing to an impending release of Zen 2-based Ryzen 3 3000 processors. And Luke and Leo talk about the prospect of a Zen 2-based desktop APU akin to what we see from the new Ryzen 4000 Mobile APUs.

AMD EPYC:

• Why does Leo dislike the name ‘EPYC’?
• Does Xeon mean anything, other than being Intel products?
• The old AMD ‘Opteron’ name probably had to go for the new Zen architecture
• What does ‘F’ stand for with EPYC?
• Those new EPYC 7Fx2 series processors are high frequency
• 8-core, 16-core, 24-core parts seems a bit odd on the face of it
• 240W TDP ratings!
• These are clearly very specific processors for very specific use cases and audiences
• The pricing looks ridiculous compared to non-F series EPYC ‘Rome’ parts at similar core counts
• But given per-core or core-limited licensing for some software packages, perhaps the cost of these faster processors is not so bad
• We mention Oracle’s annoying per-core/per-socket pricing changes. We actually meant VMWare. Doh!
• Maybe 3x the cost versus similar core count EPYC processors is reasonable for these 7Fx2 series chips as software can be so expensive when used for important business projects!
• EPYC 7Fx2 series looks to be a reaction to Intel’s Xeon ‘High Performance’ chips released in Q1 2020
• AMD seems to be happy to take Intel head on in terms of core counts and pricing
• Is the EPYC platform now strong enough to justify price parity versus Intel competitors?

AMD Zen 2 Ryzen 3 3000 Rumours:

• Rumours of two Ryzen 3 3000 – Zen 2 – processors coming very soon
• Ryzen 3 3100 and Ryzen 3 3300X rumoured – 4C8T, 18MB Cache, 65W TDP
• Clock speed differences between the two, according to rumours
• If true, these will be important for AMD’s current-gen, lower-end product stack. Ryzen 3000 Zen 2 currently stops at around £150-160 with Ryzen 5 3600 and nothing cheaper
• Intel is competitive sub-£150 and particularly sub-£100 – Core i3-9100F at £72, for example
• Will Zen 2 chiplets need to be hamstrung down to the suggested Ryzen 3 specifications?
• Will Ryzen 3 3000 be single-CCX Zen 2 desktop processors?
• Potentially good parts for budget buyers and system builders
• Rumoured Ryzen 3 3000 should be a straight head-to-head fight versus rumoured Core i3 Comet Lake chips

AMD Ryzen 4000 – Zen 2-based Desktop APUs:

• Current Zen 2 APUs only exist in Mobile form – we want desktop versions!
• Ryzen 3/5 3000 series APUs are previous-gen CPU architecture
• What would a Zen 2-based desktop APU need to be priced at?
• Zen 2 on the CPU side of things will definitely make a desktop APU exciting
• 65W or lower TDP for APUs would be good for simple and small form factor (SFF) builds
• Zen 2 CPU plus RDNA GPU in an APU would be exciting for the future
• B450 AM4 motherboards still prove sensible for these lower-cost processors
• Perfect choice for SFF ‘console-killer’ gaming PCs?

KitGuru says: The rumoured Ryzen 3 3000 Zen 2 processors would be good for budget-conscious buyers, but we also want to see a Zen 2-based desktop APU soon! AMD is clearly happy to fight Intel head-on in the server/datacentre market with the 7Fx2 series processors which highlights AMD’s confidence in the strength of its Zen 2-based EPYC ‘Rome’ offerings.

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