AMD Outs "Bristol Ridge" APU Performance Numbers

[btarunr]

Although AMD's upcoming socket AM4 heralds new lines of processors and APUs based on the company's next-generation "Zen" CPU micro-architecture, some of the first APUs will continue to be based the current "Excavator" architecture. The "Bristol Ridge" is one such chip. It made its mobile debut as the 7th generation A-Series and FX-Series mobile APUs, and is en route to the desktop platform, in the AM4 package. What sets the AM4 package apart from the FM2+ package, and in turn "Bristol Ridge" from "Carrizo" is that the platform integrates even the southbridge (FCH) into the APU die. This could explain the 1,331-pin count of the AM4 socket.

The "Bristol Ridge" silicon is likely built on the existing 28 nm process. That's not the only thing "current-gen" about this chip. Its CPU component consists of two "Excavator" modules that make up four CPU cores, with 4 MB total cache; and its integrated GPU will likely be based on the Graphics CoreNext 1.2 "Volcanic Islands" architecture, the same one which drives the "Tonga" and "Fiji" discrete GPUs. The integrated memory controller supports dual-channel DDR4 memory. In its performance benchmarks, an AM4 APU based on the "Bristol Ridge" silicon was pitted against older 6th generation APUs, in which it was found to be as much as 23 percent faster.



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[Caring1]

I saw that

 

[RejZoR]

I wonder how these perform if you stick a 3000+ MHz DDR4 RAM into it. Or how would it be if these had quad channel DIMM's. APU's usually gain the most from RAM speedups...

 

[Ferrum Master]

So these ones have SATA controller in the CPU already?

 

[tspokas]

So these ones have SATA controller in the CPU already?

Why having SATA controller in CPU is important (serious question)?

 

[dj-electric]

Why having SATA controller in CPU is important (serious question)?

Modern CPU design is all about pushing as many controllers into the CPU as possible.
Takes less PCB space, easier to control heat-wise. Near future will present built-in gigabit controllers in desktop CPUs

 

[Jism]

I wonder how these perform if you stick a 3000+ MHz DDR4 RAM into it. Or how would it be if these had quad channel DIMM's. APU's usually gain the most from RAM speedups...

Few percent only.

The IMC in such chips is just handicapped to even handle up to quad memory configurations.

 

[GhostRyder]

Well it seems decent enough, but we have to see them in person to judge. Though I would love the mobile APU GPU's to get upgraded along with DDR4 as that might be a great combo.

 

[medi01]

Close in some CPU benchmarks, with the same TDP? How could that work?

 

[cdawall]

Close in some CPU benchmarks, with the same TDP? How could that work?

The same way it happened on every generation of CPU built in the past 6 years. Quite a few intels have lowered the TDP and increased performance.

I understand this is just an FX chip with DDR4 and an integrated SB, but hell AMD 23% in select benchmarks? yep bust and yet another crippled as fuck 15w TDP APU freaking great.

 

[baobrain]

Few percent only.

The IMC in such chips is just handicapped to even handle up to quad memory configurations.

The GPU benefits from faster memory a lot.

 

[Grings]

Nice, but given they are at 35w kind of irrelevant

 

[cdawall]

Nice, but given they are at 35w kind of irrelevant

They have both a 15w and 35w chip shown in their cherry picked benchmarks. Good news is the 15w unit still has a better GPU than intel, with DDR3 and not DDR4, not to mention it doesn't have iris pro.

 

[2wicked]

I wish they would release the AM4 boards already and throw a couple of these cpus out on the market.
I need something new to play with till Zen gets here.

 

[Ferrum Master]

Why having SATA controller in CPU is important (serious question)?

I would be actually happy if the mainboard would consist only from power VRM's. A CPU upgrade would mean upgrade to every system component. No compatibility problems, no questions an ideal office machine.

 

[newtekie1]

Bristol Ridge is just a stop gap to get AM4 out the door even though Zen isn't ready. Nothing exciting, and no one should really be expect any real performance increases over what we already have.

 

[medi01]

Meh, I misread benchmarks. So CPU benchmarks were comparing only to AMD's CPUs.

Nothing exciting

I'd trade CPU perf for GPU perf even on desktop, let alone notebooks.

HP x360 with IPS screen and one of those thingies looks particularly interesting, even if you take "up to 10h on battery" with a grain of salt.

 

[newtekie1]

I'd trade CPU perf for GPU perf even on desktop, let alone notebooks.

If GPU performance was important, I'd get one of the many cheap laptops with dedicated graphics.

AMD claims Bristol Ridge gets 2,400 in 3DMark11 Performance, but an i5-5200U with a 940m scores 2,880. And you can get a laptop with that combo for $500.

 

[cdawall]

If GPU performance was important, I'd get one of the many cheap laptops with dedicated graphics.

AMD claims Bristol Ridge gets 2,400 in 3DMark11 Performance, but an i5-5200U with a 940m scores 2,880. And you can get a laptop with that combo for $500.

$699 gets you an I7 6700HQ and gt950.

http://www.microcenter.com/product/459449/Aspire_V5-591G-78R9_156_Laptop_Computer_-_Steel_Black

$649 gets you an i7 6700HQ and a gt940

http://www.microcenter.com/product/455897/Aspire_E5-491G-70PX_14_Laptop_Computer_-_Charcoal_Gray

Last time I saw a high end amd apu it fell into that price range and would be slaughtered by those acers.

 

[newtekie1]

Last time I saw a high end amd apu it fell into that price range and would be slaughtered by those acers.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834315302

$489($479 w/ Promo) gets you a i5-6200u and GT940m. Which would still beat Bristol Ridge.

 

[cdawall]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834315302

$489($479 w/ Promo) gets you a i5-6200u and GT940m. Which would still beat Bristol Ridge.

Oh absolutely amd needs to step their game up.

 

[newtekie1]

Oh absolutely amd needs to step their game up.

The only argument against an Intel with dedicated GPU is the extra power consumption from the GPU. But those Maxwell GPUs sip power, and since they all use Optimus to completely turn off the GPU when it isn't in use, the battery life isn't really worse than an AMD setup.

 

[Streetguru]

I wonder how these perform if you stick a 3000+ MHz DDR4 RAM into it. Or how would it be if these had quad channel DIMM's. APU's usually gain the most from RAM speedups...

You start to lose scaling with memory speed because the latency becomes much higher, 2400mhz was nearing the limit for kaveri I think, as 2500mhz was only 5% better or so.

As for quad channel, while that may be possible, it would probably be a ton of work to get working correctly, and the easier solution is them just putting like 2gbs of HBM on die, which is why I'm hoping for a Zen APU with HBM2 on die.

 

[Streetguru]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834315302

$489($479 w/ Promo) gets you a i5-6200u and GT940m. Which would still beat Bristol Ridge.

The AMD solution would be way better off if OEMs start including at minimum a 1080p IPS Free-sync display with the APUs. Then there'd be at least some advantage to using it.

 

[newtekie1]

The AMD solution would be way better off if OEMs start including at minimum a 1080p IPS Free-sync display with the APUs. Then there'd be at least some advantage to using it.

The GPU isn't powerful enough to drive games at 1080p, so how would that help? Free-Sync isn't going to make 15FPS playable. So how would that help, other than to drive up the cost of a product that is already struggling to compete price wise?