Continuing 14 nm Supply Shortages Lead Intel to Reintroduce Haswell-based, 22 nm Pentium G3420

[Raevenlord]

"Nothing Really Ends" is the title of a song from dEUS, a Belgian "art-rock" band. And it would seem this applies all too well to the world of technology too. Intel has issued a Product Change Notification (PCN) which has changed the previously dead and buried, Haswell-era, 22 nm Pentium G3420 from its "Discontinued" status back to a worded "canceling this Product Discontinuance completely per new roadmap decision and enabling the product long term once again." Which means the Pentium G3420 will have a new lease of life, and will be available to customers until May 2020, with final shipments on December of the same year.

This is clearly an attempt from Intel to increase part availability for OEMs and system manufacturers, who have already been quoted as considering AMD due to both increases in performance and efficiency in their processors, as well as constrained supply from Intel, with giant Dell already having pointed the finger at Intel as a cause for their lower than expected revenue.



This 22 nm part won't break any records, and will likely only be of interest to the lowest tier systems - which will, anyway, move some demand from the 14 nm node back this 22 nm one, enabling Intel to produce more of the higher revenue, higher performance solutions on that node. Of course, why would any system integrator build a system with this CPU instead of AMD's Athlon 3000G is anyone's guess (it won both our Great Value and Highly Recommended awards, so it's not a guess for us here at TPU). Care to make yours in the comments?

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[64K]

A few years ago I would not have believed that Intel could bork things so badly, so quickly, so thoroughly.

 

[Midland Dog]

everyone losing there minds at this but i say great make the i3 22nm too, at this point haswell and 22nm should have reliable 4.8ghz bins

 

[windwhirl]

I'm a little delirious because of the heat, but seeing this newspiece for some reason felt like reading about someone using black magic to make the dead walk the earth again.

 

[Tsukiyomi91]

22nm because of 14nm shortages? Intel has been getting too desperate & their fights have caused them to do rather silly things. Resurrecting a dead platform is not gonna end well.

 

[iO]

Pretty sure those come wrapped in dollar bills, for Intels most loyal OEMs.

everyone losing there minds at this but i say great make the i3 22nm too, at this point haswell and 22nm should have reliable 4.8ghz bins

Yea, who wouldn't love to get a 100 Watt, HT-less dualcore in 2019...

 

[newtekie1]

I don't think this is because of the 14nm shortage. It just doesn't make sense to me. It isn't like these processors can just be dropped into current motherboards. So unless we are seeing OEMs and motherboard manufacturers starting to spin up production on older H81/B85 motherboards, I very much doubt this is to help with 14nm shortages.

 

[birdie]

I don't think this is because of the 14nm shortage. It just doesn't make sense to me. It isn't like these processors can just be dropped into current motherboards. So unless we are seeing OEMs and motherboard manufacturers starting to spin up production on older H81/B85 motherboards, I very much doubt this is to help with 14nm shortages.

I'm almost certain this CPU was revived for a very particular use case for a very particular customer or a group of customers. But of course news websites and AMD fans will spin it such a way that "Intel is going back, blah, blah, blah".

The title is a lie and its author makes quite far-fetched assumptions without any knowledge of the matter.

Also, if they have a capacity shortage then logically they mustn't use the process which requires even more wafer space.

 

[Raevenlord]

I'm almost certain this CPU was revived for a very particular use case for a very particular customer or a group of customers. But of course news websites and AMD fans will spin it such a way that "Intel is going back, blah, blah, blah".

The title is a lie and its author makes quite far-fetched assumptions without any knowledge of the matter.

Also, if they have a capacity shortage then logically they mustn't use the process which requires even more wafer space.

Thank you for the BOLD, it's so great to know that you care enough to make sure I REALLYY, REALLYY read what you have to say.

 

[Tomgang]

Seriously now they revives 22 nm also. As 14nm+++++++++ whas not bad enough. Meaning they been on 14 NM since 2014/2015 and now they revives 22 nm from 2013 also all throw a low end part, But still. To not forget where there one 22 nm cpu, there can also be two and three and so on. Shintel really has gone from leadership to desperate in like 3 years.

This just confirms that I dit the right choice on getting a amd cpu this time. A nice little Ryzen 9 3950X

 

[windwhirl]

I'm almost certain this CPU was revived for a very particular use case for a very particular customer or a group of customers. But of course news websites and AMD fans will spin it such a way that "Intel is going back, blah, blah, blah".

The title is a lie and its author makes quite far-fetched assumptions without any knowledge of the matter.

Ok, but answer me this: How often does Intel go back and cancels a product discontinuation, years (last shipment date was April 2016) after discontinuation became effective?

 

[HD64G]

Intel fails very hard at the same time and period that AMD hits new highs with their new cpus. Coincedence?

 

[Raevenlord]

everyone losing there minds at this but i say great make the i3 22nm too, at this point haswell and 22nm should have reliable 4.8ghz bins

That would depend on whether the process has been updated since it was abandoned for Intel's high volume products in favor of 14 nm. I doubt Intel has been investing in making that process any better than it was at the time (this is speculation).

Also, there are manufacturing process limits to be considered. 22 nm's tolerance for higher frequencies in the same architecture is bound to be smaller than 14 nm's.

 

[robot zombie]

I don't really care either way... wake me up when something good happens.

I just imagine it being like this high profile conspiracy. Like there's a vault of haswells tucked away somewhere in Antarctica... hidden like biological weapons. And only like 3 people know where it is or how to access it... and it takes all 3 to even open it.

So the three of them are standing outside while thier expedition crew is 3 miles back. Just snowing like it's the apocalypse. So kitted out you can barely tell who's who. One of them hesitates...

"A--are you sure we should be doing this? It's been a long time and we have no idea what's in there, now. I don't like this, Jim...'

"Open the DAMNED door NOW, Thomas. Or should I take your key and leave you here? Is that what you want? There's nobody out here. We can tell the crew you wandered off."

"*Sigh* ...okay."

So they begin the process of entering the bunker... through this towering wall of steel on 12 car-sized hinges... adorned with strange runes beneath 6 inches of compacted snow and ice. They appear as what look like circling comets and primitive 3D rendered busts. What stories might they tell us?


Then, when they finally enter it's nothing but rooms of wall-to-wall haswells and they just kinda look at each other like "Welp... we came to Antarctica for this." And then I think Jim killed Thomas.

And now, here we all are. In a world where nearly forgotten CPUs can once again be had new, in bulk. The ancient monoliths rise from thier frosty tomb. I think there can be only one explaination. Prove me wrong...

 

[john_]

I guess ultra cheap or even free 22nm Pentiums and ultra cheap DDR3 is the new super smart plan from Intel and big OEMs to scam people so they don't buy/ask for, AMD based models.
OEMs will be getting those Pentiums for free with any order of 14+++++nm chips.

 

[newtekie1]

I'm almost certain this CPU was revived for a very particular use case for a very particular customer or a group of customers. But of course news websites and AMD fans will spin it such a way that "Intel is going back, blah, blah, blah".

I would almost guarantee this is for the 3rd world markets. Specifically China, where it has become a profitable business to remove old chipsets off dead motherbaords, and put them on new PCBs to make "new" motherboards. They motherboards are dirt cheap, there is a stupid amount of DDR3 being sent over to China for "recycling" so DDR3 is dirt cheap too. The problem is processors to fit the cheap price of the motherboard. In steps Intel with the G3420. They have the capacity to make it, and apparently the demand. This isn't to cover for 14nm demands, this is because there is a legitimate demand for cheap socket 1150 processors.

Also, if they have a capacity shortage then logically they mustn't use the process which requires even more wafer space.

The thing is, 14nm and 22nm aren't made on the same equipment. They are different nodes, and while Intel's 14nm node is running at max capacity trying to keep up, their 22nm is running at under capacity. This means they have space to run 22nm products. They have already switched some of their lower end chipsets from 14nm to 22nm.

 

[AnfenPants]

I'm almost certain this CPU was revived for a very particular use case for a very particular customer or a group of customers. But of course news websites and AMD fans will spin it such a way that "Intel is going back, blah, blah, blah".

The title is a lie and its author makes quite far-fetched assumptions without any knowledge of the matter.

Also, if they have a capacity shortage then logically they mustn't use the process which requires even more wafer space.

I agree with you. The original EOL notice was published on Nov 26, 2019 and 9 days later Intel cancelled the previous EOL. Clearly some giants complained to the Intel and made a huge order on that chip.

If 14nm shortage is the cause, then why continue making this particular chip?

Currently G3420 has a specific usage in Industrial sector as an "Embedded Broad Market Commercial Temp".

Another reason people choose 22nm chips cause they are super cheap nowadays, when a G3420 is efficient enough for an on-board computer in bulldozer, there's no need for more advanced chip.

It's so funny watching pc users/ AMD fans are concerning about Industrial sector as if Intel gonna rob their 3950X and install it on a bulldozer so that Trump can build his wall more efficiently.

Just copy what you said "The title is a lie and its author makes quite far-fetched assumptions without any knowledge of the matter".

 

[JalleR]

For users that just need a Cheap CPU for surfing the Web a 2 4 8 3 11 64 Core 3nm 14nm 32nm CPU will do just fine soooooooooooo this is a way to make a shortage be less of a problem and that's grate.

I don't Really se why a lot of you guys need to make that a bad thing... depending on how they will sell it (the worlds bedst…..) nah but I would hav love to see this alittle before because I have been waiting 2 months for my wifes 9800x...

 

[Darmok N Jalad]

I guess it makes some sense if you’re in major supply constraints with 14nm. Bring the smallest chip back into production on 22nm and use it to fill budget orders so more 14nm space is freed up for higher margin products. It must have been the next best alternative since dumping salvaged 10nm products involved pairing with a dGPU. A 22nm product with a working IGP is certainly a cheaper option for the budget OEMs.

 

[Imsochobo]

I don't think this is because of the 14nm shortage. It just doesn't make sense to me. It isn't like these processors can just be dropped into current motherboards. So unless we are seeing OEMs and motherboard manufacturers starting to spin up production on older H81/B85 motherboards, I very much doubt this is to help with 14nm shortages.

There's nothing preventing intel from putting new chipset on older chips.
it's not like there is a magic link between the cpu and chipset and they must be paired.
As long as electrical wiring is the same which have been the same for a decade on all intel chipsets then it should be fine, it'll be pci-e 2.0 speeds to chipset instead of 3.0 but they can retain same featureset from chipset atleast.

 

[Minus Infinity]

For users that just need a Cheap CPU for surfing the Web a 2 4 8 3 11 64 Core 3nm 14nm 32nm CPU will do just fine soooooooooooo this is a way to make a shortage be less of a problem and that's grate.

I don't Really se why a lot of you guys need to make that a bad thing... depending on how they will sell it (the worlds bedst…..) nah but I would hav love to see this alittle before because I have been waiting 2 months for my wifes 9800x...

So will an iPad.

 

[newtekie1]

There's nothing preventing intel from putting new chipset on older chips.
it's not like there is a magic link between the cpu and chipset and they must be paired.
As long as electrical wiring is the same which have been the same for a decade on all intel chipsets then it should be fine, it'll be pci-e 2.0 speeds to chipset instead of 3.0 but they can retain same featureset from chipset atleast.

The socket is different, so now you are talking about making special motherboards just for this one very low cost very low performance chip. What sense does that make from a business standpoint and how does it help with the 14nm shortage?

 

[Aquinus]

Sounds like Intel needs to get its sales numbers up, even if that means selling old tech at a loss. Got to keep investors happy while Intel continues spinning its wheels, right? It's amazing that we haven't seen Intel take a big hit in the market yet. It has to be coming because most of the news isn't good.

 

[silentbogo]

It's so funny watching pc users/ AMD fans are concerning about Industrial sector as if Intel gonna rob their 3950X and install it on a bulldozer so that Trump can build his wall more efficiently.

G3420 for embedded and industrial sector? Bulldozers? Walls? I almost spilled my coffee.

Currently G3420 has a specific usage in Industrial sector as an "Embedded Broad Market Commercial Temp".

Along with "Client/PC/Tablet". "Embedded" moniker is only there as a vague suggestion, just like with a few dozen other Intel chips with TDP under 60W.
Real embedded applications usually lean towards actual embedded SoCs, and when it comes to industrial mini-PCs - low-power T-variants always rule the party.
Even cheap-ass AIOs stopped using socketed CPUs around Haswell time (including stuff like PoS systems, warehouse terminals etc).

 

[Darmok N Jalad]

I don’t doubt that if Intel is willing to revive a CPU, they can just as easily revive a chipset.