AMD Set to Launch Ryzen Before March 3rd, Meeting Q1 Target
by Ian Cutress on January 11, 2017 7:45 AM EST
Thanks to some sleuthing from various readers, AMD has accidentally let the cat out of the bag with regards to the official Ryzen launch date. While they haven’t specifically given an exact date, the talk to be given by AMD at the annual Game Developer Conference (GDC) says the following:
Join AMD Game Engineering team members for an introduction to the recently-launched AMD Ryzen CPU followed by advanced optimization topics.
From http://schedule.gdconf.com/session/optimizing-for-amd-ryzen-cpu-presented-by-amd
The GDC event runs from February 27th to March 3rd, and currently the AMD talk is not on the exact schedule yet, so it could appear any day during the event (so be wary if anyone says Feb 27th). At this time AMD has not disclosed an exact date either, but it would be an interesting time to announce the new set of Ryzen CPUs right in the middle of both GDC and Mobile World Congress which is also during that week. It would mean that Ryzen news may end up being buried under other GDC and smartphone announcements.
Then again, the launch could easily be anytime during February – this March 3rd date only really puts an end-point on the potential range. AMD has stated many times, as far back as August, that Q1 is the intended date for launch to consumers in volume. When we spoke with AMD at CES, nothing was set in stone so to speak, especially clock speeds and pricing, but we are expecting a full launch, not just something official on paper. Ryan will be at GDC to cover this exact talk, and I’ll be at MWC covering that event. Either way, we want to make sure that we are front of the queue when it comes time to disclosing as much information as we can get our hands on ahead of time. Stay tuned!
Source: GDC
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bananaforscale - Wednesday, January 11, 2017 - link
They have been showing off engineering samples for months really. Also, Q1 ends on March 31st, and that's a bit over 11 weeks away. I figure they'll have no trouble getting to the market in time.milleron - Wednesday, January 11, 2017 - link
True that, but do you really disagree with Krysto's contention that buyers would still go with Intel if the AMD offering is 10% less efficient and 10% less expensive?jjj - Wednesday, January 11, 2017 - link
It would be utterly idiotic to launch it during big events. The point is to get more attention not less.My bet is Feb 16.
16 threads, they had 16 mobos when announcing the AM4 the other week,maybe they got a thing for 16.
JasonMZW20 - Wednesday, January 11, 2017 - link
Based on binning rates and such, I speculate this:8c/16t ($699-899+), very low numbers/least availability, low yields.
6c/12t ($399-499, $599 if 4GHz+), slightly defective 8c/16t bins
Mainstream:
4c/8t ($250-299) highest yields, most availability
4c/4t ($150-199) same, just no SMT
Clocks will determine pricing within each CPU group. Highest clocks, highest price. If you were expecting 8c/16t for Intel's 4c/8t prices, what were you smoking?
Since they're all multiplier unlocked, they compete with Intel's K line of Kaby Lake chips.
I look forward to the Zen APUs in 2H 2017.
SquarePeg - Wednesday, January 11, 2017 - link
I think your pricing estimates are a bit too high. I see AMD slotting their CPU pricing as this:4c/8t = i5 Kaby Lake = $179-239 retail price
6c/8t = i7 Kaby Lake = $279-349 retail price
8c/16t = $379 - $499, maybe more for a very limited quantity, highly binned, Super FX Black VIP Edition...or whatever they call it.
lmcd - Thursday, January 12, 2017 - link
That's adorable. You really think they're just going to charge $30 more than their current 4c/8t 8350 for a 50% node shrink and multiple years of engineering?If that's the case, they're going to miss all the benchmarks they're claiming they hit too.
PixyMisa - Thursday, January 12, 2017 - link
The leap from 32nm to 14nm means that the new chips will be much cheaper to produce. And the 8350, whatever its limitations, has always been marketed as an 8c/8t chip.Also, they need these chips to actually sell, and despite some decent benchmarks against Broadwell-E they will likely still have somewhat lower clocks and IPC than Kaby Lake.
They need to position the 4c/8t chip to undercut the i5, the 6c/12t to undercut the i7, and the 8c/16t to undercut the 6c/12t Broadwell-E.
That means 4c below $200, 6 core below $300, and 8 core below $400. The top-of-the-line 8c may be closer to $500.
I don't know what they will do, of course, but that's what they need to do.
JasonMZW20 - Thursday, January 12, 2017 - link
The FX-8350 was marketed as a true 8-core chip, but it only had 4 modules (2 int per module, 1 shared float). So, in reality, it's a 4c/8t chip.Your pricing estimates, and those of SquarePeg, are extremely optimistic. They may slightly undercut Intel, but with the performance Ryzen has been showing, it'll be priced accordingly.
8c/16t is a low-volume, ultra high-end flagship processor. That alone demands flagship pricing.
PixyMisa - Friday, January 13, 2017 - link
But it's simply not as high end a part as Broadwell-E. Doesn't have quad-channel RAM or 40 PCIe lanes for high-end workstations. And AMD have to rebuild sales from basically nothing.They have to undercut Intel at each price point, and that means AMD 4c/8t will compete on pricing with Intel's 4c/4t, AMD 6c/12t will compete with Intel 4c/8t, and AMD 8c/16t will compete with the low-end Broadwell-E, which is a ~$400 part.
They price their video cards to compete; don't know why you expect them to commit suicide on their new CPUs.
Also don't know why you think yields will be so bad that most 8c dies will end up sold as 4c parts. They've been shipping 14nm GPUs in volume for months now.
TemjinGold - Friday, January 13, 2017 - link
Keep telling yourself that. If it beats Broadwell-E consistently, I don't care of it relies on a toaster and a cardboard box for its tech.