Wednesday, December 15th 2021
Possible AMD Prototype Processor with DDR5 Memory Hits BAPCo CrossMark Database
Quite possibly the first sighting of a next-generation AMD processor with DDR5 memory surfaced on the web. A BAPCo CrossMark Database entry references a prototype processor with the name-string "AMD Eng Sample: 100-000000560-40_Y," running on a platform titled "ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. M3402RA." The chip has 16 GB of memory across 2 memory channels, and a memory frequency of 4800 MHz DDR. The platform here could be either a desktop motherboard, or a notebook. 4800 MHz is an unusual memory speed for a mobile platform, unless it's a single stick of DDR5-4800 SO-DIMM, with two 40-bit channels.
The first notebooks with DDR5 memory make landfall early next year, when Intel launches mobile variants of its 12th Gen Core "Alder Lake" processors. This would mean that DDR5 SO-DIMMs are already in circulation with OEMs. If the theory of this being a mobile chip holds true, it could very well be the "Rembrandt" APU that combines "Zen 3+" CPU cores with an iGPU based on the RDNA2 graphics architecture. If however the platform is a prototype Socket AM5 motherboard, it could be one of the first sightings of a next-generation "Raphael" desktop processor with "Zen 4" CPU cores, and a combination of DDR5 memory and PCI-Express Gen 5.
Sources:
PCGamesN, BAPCo CrossMark Database
The first notebooks with DDR5 memory make landfall early next year, when Intel launches mobile variants of its 12th Gen Core "Alder Lake" processors. This would mean that DDR5 SO-DIMMs are already in circulation with OEMs. If the theory of this being a mobile chip holds true, it could very well be the "Rembrandt" APU that combines "Zen 3+" CPU cores with an iGPU based on the RDNA2 graphics architecture. If however the platform is a prototype Socket AM5 motherboard, it could be one of the first sightings of a next-generation "Raphael" desktop processor with "Zen 4" CPU cores, and a combination of DDR5 memory and PCI-Express Gen 5.
17 Comments on Possible AMD Prototype Processor with DDR5 Memory Hits BAPCo CrossMark Database
And as expected the DDR5 channels saga continues to be confusing for everyone :P
I was questioning the "single stick of DDR5-4800" because on Alder Lake dual sticks is also shown as "2 Channel(s)" instead of 4 in that database.
@btarunr This seems pretty universal at this point (check Task Manager on any system with 32-bit channels, whether DDR5 or LPDDR4X: "Channels" when not speaking on a deep technical level equals "64-bit-ish channels or aggregate channels", which in DDR5 terms means a single DIMM with 2x32-bit (+2x8 for ECC if applicable) has one "channel" in these descriptions. So, "dual channel" in this scenario likely means 2 "channels" of 2x32-bit DDR5.
However, this is all speculation ;)
There are also many speculations that it'll have Navi2 graphics.
Just something to get you through YT or Spider Solitaire, while 3050 is taking a smoke break.
Given that current Vega APUs are plenty usable for gaming I would expect RDNA2 APUs (especially with DDR5) to deliver a significant performance increase, especially as RDNA2 massively improves performance/TFLOP over Vega. At the same clocks and CU count and assuming the RAM can feed both equally, any RDNA2 GPU should outperform a Vega GPU by ~50%.
Another not-so-crazy thought, is that it'll cut into their low-end dGPU segment. They've already "leaked" few low-end desktop cards(6400/6500), and Navi 24 mobile cards aren't on the market either.
A more valid comparison would be at JEDEC specs, and the highest end JEDEC DDR4 - 3200 - is beaten in bandwith by 50% by even relatively low-end DDR5-4800 (it's not the lowest clocked DDR5 there is, but it's a mid-range speed in the first generation of DDR5, and JEDEC is projecting standards up to DDR5-8400). Even accounting for common XMP kits, something like DDR4-3600, 4800 is a 33% increase. Meaning that for the vast majority of APU builds, DDR5 is a major improvement.
Remember, desktop APUs are relatlively unimportant compared to mobile, and even LPDDR4X-4266 is trounced by first-gen LPDDR5-5500 like in the Steam Deck. For non-LP laptops, again JEDEC DDR4-3200 is going up against much higher speed JEDEC DDR5, likely all of it 4000+.