Month: November 2021

AMD EPYC server chips with up to 96 Zen 4 CPUs coming in 2022, 128-core Zen 4c coming in 2023

AMD’s most powerful chips available at the moment feature 7nm CPU cores based on the company’s Zen 3 architecture. But the company is preparing to launch 5nm chips featuring Zen 4 technology next year. During the company’s Accelerated Data Center Premiere event, AMD CEO Lisa Su previewed next-gen EPYC server chips set to launch in […]

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AMD’s most powerful chips available at the moment feature 7nm CPU cores based on the company’s Zen 3 architecture. But the company is preparing to launch 5nm chips featuring Zen 4 technology next year.

During the company’s Accelerated Data Center Premiere event, AMD CEO Lisa Su previewed next-gen EPYC server chips set to launch in the next two years.

First up are the company’s “Genoa” service chips which will:

  • Feature up to 96 Zen 4 CPU cores
  • Support DDR5 and PCIe 5
  • Launch in 2022

Su says Zen 4 chips manufactured using a 5nm processor bring twice the density, twice the power efficiency and a 1.25X  performance boost when compared with current-gen 7nm chips based on Zen 3 architecture.

While the company is only talking about server chips today, Zen 4 will also find its way to other chips, likely including both desktop and laptop processors, although we’ll have to wait a little longer for those details.

For the first time, Su also teased a follow-up to Genoa, which is code-named “Bergamo,” and which will:

  • Feature up to 128GB Zen 4c CPU cores
  • Ship in the first half of 2023

The c in Zen 4c would appear to stand for “cloud,” because AMD says the new chips will be optimized for “cloud-native computing” thanks to a “new density-optimized cache hierarchy” and improved power efficiency.

press release

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Forget bendy screens—Microsoft patents “foldable mouse”

A newly published patent shows designs for a Microsoft Arc-like mouse that bends.

Forget bendy screens—Microsoft patents “foldable mouse”

Enlarge (credit: Microsoft)

Foldable screens have allowed for some wacky phone and PC designs over the past few years. As bendy tech continues to trend, Microsoft wants to bring the fold to the wireless mouse. According to an international patent spotted by German tech site WindowsUnited, Microsoft is exploring the idea of a "foldable mouse."

The patent is listed on PatentScope, a service from the World Intellection Property Organization that provides a searchable database of international patent applications. Microsoft's patent was published on Thursday and filed in March. It describes a mouse that looks similar to today's Microsoft Arc wireless mouse but with the ability to become flatter and easy to carry.

Here's how Microsoft describes the peripheral:

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Leaked Alder Lake Core i3 would be first interesting budget CPU in almost 2 years

April 2020 was the last time Intel or AMD released a new $100-ish desktop CPU.

The new LGA1700 socket used for Alder Lake CPUs is taller than Intel's previous sockets.

Enlarge / The new LGA1700 socket used for Alder Lake CPUs is taller than Intel's previous sockets. (credit: Intel)

It's a tough time to build a PC. Graphics cards remain the biggest headache when you're trying to put together a computer, as they have been all year—supply is low and prices are stratospheric. But it has been particularly tough if you're trying to put together a PC on a budget, both because "budget graphics cards" have essentially ceased to exist and because neither Intel nor AMD has released a compelling CPU for under $150 since early 2020.

That streak may end soon, according to a retail leak spotted by Tom's Hardware. DirectDial, a Canadian retailer of PCs and components, listed model numbers and pricing for four lower-end 12th-generation Intel Core processors over the weekend. These prices haven't been confirmed (and have been converted from CAD to USD), but they track closely with retail pricing for previous generations:

Expected core count USD pricing (converted)
Core i7-12700F 8 P-cores, 4 E-cores $366
Core i5-12400 6 P-cores $231
Core i5-12400F 6 P-cores $200
Core i3-12100F 4 P-cores $119

The most interesting of those chips for budget builders is the i3-12100F, a quad-core, 8-thread processor that was listed for around $120. Entry-level quad-core desktop CPUs are an excellent choice for budget desktops—fast enough for all kinds of basic browsing and productivity apps but also able to handle games and heavier apps like Photoshop or Lightroom in a pinch. It was just a few years ago that quad-core processors were the best that most people could get, and most software still runs well on them.

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