AMD Polaris 11 "Baffin" ASIC Pictured Up Close

[SonicZap]

Very strange, since GloFlo is supposed to be the manufacturer. And only one of their facilities is set up for the right specs to do it, which is the Malta, NY plant, north of Albany. I'm guessing that facility is at maximum capacity and AMD realized they would have to bring in someone else.

Another possibility is that GloFo's process has worse power efficiency, and since low power use will be critical for <75 W desktop and especially laptop design wins, AMD went with TSMC's better process for Baffin. It would also explain why the RX 480 gets completely slaughtered by Pascal when it comes to power efficiency.

 

[Casecutter]

Very strange, since GloFlo is supposed to be the manufacturer

It's been known that AMD/RTG would use fab's based on feasibility. This miniscule part means even if at TSMC they're buy only a "few" wafer's that might have better yields. While they give GloFo the mainstream volume part that helps fulfill their wafer agreement probably cost them less and they have more flexibility to produce as they need.

http://www.extremetech.com/computin...samsung-could-tap-foundry-for-future-products

It would also explain why the RX 480 gets completely slaughtered by Pascal when it comes to power efficiency.

And while it's not a great position… IT is great for us! As we now have a another foundry, and AMD will have way more access to scheduling and juggling what they receive than they ever obtained from a crowed TSMC, and it’s only getting more crowed over there. While given the AMD wafer agreement they can now satisfy that without penalty, while I’m sure AMD's see a advantageous wafer cost. Probably seeing a better wafer cost than was at TSMC, and no longer agonizing about how they can push enough production into GloFo to not be penalized. If/when that relationship can really start cranking out in a concerted effort that's when the graphic industry will really see a divergence from the kind of "me to" production chip design and fulfillment we’ve been stuck in with TSMC for like over a decade.

Could AMD/RTG see better parts from GloFo like they saw with Kaveri, and couldn’t they just release them as a 485 part with increase in clock, hold on the TDP, while unearth more headroom? What if at the end of October AMD has a RX 485 8Gb for $10 MSRP increase, while lower both the existing 480 4/8Gb price slightly to move them out, then back fill in January with a RX 485 4Gb. Figure end of September the GTX 1060 has totally filled-in the channel, and there's no changing course. AMD's AIB partners just use their existing designs and print new boxes… Yes a rebrand, but it is easy for AMD to manage and done on the fly, because working with GloFo provides easy rearranging of production like they never had at TSMC. Even better Nvidia won’t have near the reconnaissance they had when AMD was at TSMC.

 

[Captain_Tom]

Right?! This is the perfect candidate for a modern HD 4850, but less likely to heat itself to death.

Single slot is just a near-useless form-factor now for anything besides low-profile PC's.

Even my absolutely microscopic Mini-ITX case has 2 slots. Half length mini cards are just a more efficient use of space since they allow for standard thickness coolers.

 

[btarunr]

Made in Taiwan... In Taiwan.... Taaaiiiwwaaannn....

http://globalfoundries.com/about/manufacturing
East Fishkill, New York
Malta, New York
Burlington, Vermont
Dresden, Germany
Singapore

RX480 also states made in Taiwan. ugh.

The wafers are made in those places. They're sliced/diced, bumped, and packaged in Taiwan.

 

[Fouquin]

Single slot is just a near-useless form-factor now for anything besides low-profile PC's.

Even my absolutely microscopic Mini-ITX case has 2 slots. Half length mini cards are just a more efficient use of space since they allow for standard thickness coolers.

Single slot is still useful for use in mATX systems. You want to be able to use your PCI-E 1x/8x slots and have a multi-GPU setup? Single slot GPUs still allow that. Some people still use things like USB or sound cards and the likes in mATX systems.

Alternatively you could invest in the monstrously expensive dual-ASIC GPUs straight from the get-go.

 

[medi01]

The wafers are made in those places. They're sliced/diced, bumped, and packaged in Taiwan.

Case closed, I guess?

BTW does anyone have photo of 480's chip?

 

[Captain_Tom]

Single slot is still useful for use in mATX systems. You want to be able to use your PCI-E 1x/8x slots and have a multi-GPU setup? Single slot GPUs still allow that. Some people still use things like USB or sound cards and the likes in mATX systems.

Alternatively you could invest in the monstrously expensive dual-ASIC GPUs straight from the get-go.

I get the sound card problem, but just like mGPU systems that is a SMALLLLL portion of the market. As for other cards (Wifi, USB, etc) - come on don't waste PCIE lanes on those things.

 

[okidna]

Case closed, I guess?

BTW does anyone have photo of 480's chip?

480 chip is clean and shiny, but you can find "Made in Taiwan" on the GPU metal shim/bracket :

https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/AMD/RX_480/4.html

 

[ShurikN]

Single slot is still useful for use in mATX systems. You want to be able to use your PCI-E 1x/8x slots and have a multi-GPU setup? Single slot GPUs still allow that. Some people still use things like USB or sound cards and the likes in mATX systems.

Alternatively you could invest in the monstrously expensive dual-ASIC GPUs straight from the get-go.

I find the card length to be 10 times more important in SFF builds than single slot cooler. Also, those builds are usually in need of better cooling which single slot can't provide compared to two slot.

 

[Captain_Tom]

I find the card length to be 10 times more important in SFF builds than single slot cooler. Also, those builds are usually in need of better cooling which single slot can't provide compared to two slot.

Bingo. And that is what the market decided as well...

 

[Fouquin]

I find the card length to be 10 times more important in SFF builds than single slot cooler. Also, those builds are usually in need of better cooling which single slot can't provide compared to two slot.

Was talking about mATX multi-adapter setups, not SFF. If you run SLI/Crossfire on pretty much any mATX motherboard you lose access to the other two expansion slots.

 

[Alduin]

Hm, AMD was not lying. polaris 11 is more Power efficient than polaris 10

This really shows how impressive the AMD Nano was.

Thanks to HBM

 

[XiGMAKiD]

This is the card where stock cooler on reference RX480 is supposed to be

 

[Captain_Tom]

Was talking about mATX multi-adapter setups, not SFF. If you run SLI/Crossfire on pretty much any mATX motherboard you lose access to the other two expansion slots.

That is a fact you simply accept when you crossfire, and if you want to load up a ton of slots you get ATX-E.

 

[Fouquin]

That is a fact you simply accept when you crossfire, and if you want to load up a ton of slots you get ATX-E.

The assumption there is foresight. Foresight of an upgrade path at time of purchase, foresight of future products, and foresight of future needs in hardware. Not much to ask for a company to accomodate by creating a fairly simple version of a standard product.

Or you can mod your own hardware and allow yourself the flexibility that no brand will provide.

 

[Captain_Tom]

The assumption there is foresight. Foresight of an upgrade path at time of purchase, foresight of future products, and foresight of future needs in hardware. Not much to ask for a company to accomodate by creating a fairly simple version of a standard product.

Or you can mod your own hardware and allow yourself the flexibility that no brand will provide.

Haha im sorry but now you are complaining about how hard it is to plan ahead. It really isn't buddy.

P.S. There ARE still single slot card solutions for many cards, and in fact I can guarantee that there will be one for the 460 (And maybe for the 470). But this is a very niche market now, and therefore the support is practically for OEM's only.

 

[Fouquin]

Haha im sorry but now you are complaining about how hard it is to plan ahead. It really isn't buddy.

I'm not complaining, 'buddy'. But I can see that you are not able to understand that different people want different things, so I think we're done wasting each others time.

Good talk.

 

[Divide Overflow]

Someone wake me when Vega surfaces.

 

[RejZoR]

480 chip is clean and shiny, but you can find "Made in Taiwan" on the GPU metal shim/bracket :

https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/AMD/RX_480/4.html

That only means the interposer assembly was made in Taiwan, not the GPU core itself...

 

[Assimilator]

The wafers are made in those places. They're sliced/diced, bumped, and packaged in Taiwan.

So really then, the chip should state "Assembled In Taiwan".

 

[cdawall]

I'm complaining these should be single slot. Plenty of situations would prefer a single slot solution. The g92 should consume roughly the same amount of power and yet it was single slot and depending on which version you got silent.

 

[Casecutter]

The wafers are made in those places. They're sliced/diced, bumped, and packaged in Taiwan.

I don't believe where it receives "value added" processes constitutes product origin. The majority of the product entity (silicon) is what determines it's country of origin and would have that marked on the die itself. Unless GloFo has a factory in Taiwan that they actually own that does such second operations, which I don't believe they do there might be a way around that. If the wafer moves from say Singapore to be packaged (metal shim/bracket) in Taiwan then that assembly can be marked as such, but my understanding would be the die itself would be marked "Made in Singapore". If the wafer/die say came out of a fab in New York it would need to be market USA.

I suppose this might be what I understand for components and goods entering the USA, what might be pictured of a product(s) destined for other markets might not need to be subject to the same country of origin labeling requirements. Honestly it all very convoluted, the bottom line; countries fight hard to hold on to their ability to say it was made here, especially when it comes to high tech and/or durable goods. I know this all seems a little anal, but it's the hours of BS from our Corporate Trade Compliance training person is always trying to have us understand, you should come it's really fun...NOT!