AMD Phoenix 2 chip details leak

When it comes to AMD's Phoenix 2 chip, the manufacturer has kept a low profile. Without the help of reports, photos, and enthusiasts looking for specifics on the chip, it almost seemed like AMD had never launched it. However, slowly but steadily, we're learning more and more about it, and according to the recently shared die shot, we have confirmation that this chip uses a hybrid architecture.

The die shot shared by QQ (via HXL) depicts what's believed to be a Phoenix 2 CPU (Ryzen Z1) with two Zen 4 and four Zen 4c cores. Unlike Intel's hybrid designs with the Cove/Mont cores, AMD's ZenC CPU core architecture still allows hyperthreading (SMT), meaning the die is from a 6-core hybrid CPU with 12 threads.

AMD Phoenix 2

Source: QQ pic.twitter.com/BMAkAjS4yR

— HXL (@9550pro) September 9, 2023

A large L3 cache (in the middle of the left side, green structures), two high-performance Zen 4 cores (below the L3 cache), four smaller Zen 4c cores (three above L3, one to the right of Zen 2 cores), and a large iGPU (on the right side) are clearly visible in the alleged Phoenix 2 processor die shot. There are also many DDR5/LPDDR5 PHY ports on top of the chip, as well as PCIe, USB, and other physical connections on the APU's bottom and left and right sides.

After the die shot was shared, a tech enthusiast named David Huang (via Tom's Hardware) shared his review of the Ryzen Z1, a CPU based on the Phoenix 2 chip, as seen in the HWiNFO picture on the post. The reviewer also shared a table with more specifics on the Z1, where it states that the chip comes with two Zen 4 cores that can clock up to 4.9GHz, and the four Zen 4c cores are limited to 3.5GHz. In addition, it has a total of 16MB of L3 cache (4MB per Zen 4 core and 2MB per Zen 4c core) and a 4-CU RDNA 3-based iGPU that clocks up to 2.8GHz.

Huang tested the Ryzen Z1 on a portable PC but did not disclose the model. The system powered by the Ryzen Z1 was equipped with 16GB of LPDDR5X-7500 memory. The CPU was tested in 15W and 30W power modes. The Ryzen Z1 mobile PC was compared against an HP Elitebook 835 G10 powered by a Ryzen 7 7840U, an 8-core CPU that can boost up to 5.1GHz, with 32GB of LPDDR5-6400 RAM. The HP Elitebook 835 G10 had a fixed SPL (sustained power limit) of 25W.

In terms of speed, Zen 4 was up to 30% quicker than Zen 4c in the SPECint single-threaded integer rate-1 test. However, the performance of the Zen 4 and Zen 4c cores was similar when locked at the same 3.2GHz clock speed. In Cinebench R23, there was a 29.8% difference in total performance between the Ryzen Z1 at 15W and 30W modes. Regardless, the Ryzen 7 7840U was the quicker processor, beating the Ryzen Z1 by 53.5% (15W) and 18.2% (30W).

Moving on to efficiency, the Zen 4c shows some promise. To achieve the same clock rates as Zen 4, Zen 4c requires a higher core voltage to hit 2.0GHz or more. However, below that value, we see the opposite, with Zen 4c consuming less power even with a higher recorded voltage. That can be explained due to each core's Vmin, the minimum voltage required by a CPU for a workload at a certain frequency. While the Zen 4 core reaches Vmin at 2.3GHz, Zen 4c does it at less than 1.5GHz.

Lastly, in terms of iGPU performance, the Ryzen 7 7840U outperformed the Ryzen Z1 by up to 65%. In comparison, the Ryzen 7 7840U's iGPU has 12 RDNA 3 CUs that can clock up to 2.7GHz, whereas the Ryzen Z1 only has 4 RDNA 3 CUs that clock up to 2.8GHz.

AMD's Phoenix 2 CPUs were scheduled to hit the market this year, but we haven't seen this APU anywhere yet. It's possible AMD opted to include it in its Ryzen 8000-series portfolio, which is planned to arrive in 2024, but until we have official confirmation, this is pure speculation.

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KitGuru says: if AMD's Phoenix 2 arrives in 2024, it will have to compete with Intel's entry-level Meteor Lake, which is expected to be quite competitive. 

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