[LINK] AMD introducing 16 core processors

[Frank O'Connor]

Thanks for that, Steve,

Yeah … they had to do something to combat the Intel ‘Machine' in a shrinking desktop and laptop market.

That said, the benefits of multiple cores remain to be seen when the large majority of software is still being written and compiled for single core architectures, and the major operating systems … Windows, MacOS, the different variants of LINUX etc … only offer limited support for multiple cores - although multi-threading support is quite good now.

Are AMD  offering programming environments and compilers that allow developers to make use of the 16 threads/instruction streams? Even the development tools for existing 2 and 4 core CPU’s only offer rudimentary support.

I’ve been waiting for years to see any real benefits from my existing 4 core Intel CPU’s …

That said, the multicore CPU’s in Pads and Phones seem to be being used much more efficiently and effectively … so all is not lost.

Just my 2 cents worth …
---
> On 17 May 2017, at 8:19 pm, Stephen Loosley <StephenLoosley at outlook.com> wrote:
> 
> AMD reveals 16-core monster Ryzen processor destined for ‘world’s fastest’ PCs
> 
> 
> By Darren Allan 39 minutes ago
> http://www.techradar.com/news/amd-reveals-16-core-monster-ryzen-processor-destined-for-worlds-fastest-pcs
> 
> Threadripper is shaping up to be a big worry for Intel
> 
> 
> AMD has confirmed that it is bringing out ‘Threadripper’ 16-core (32-thread) processors, aimed at enthusiasts and high-end desktop PCs, and promising blistering performance.
> 
> Jim Anderson, Senior VP, trumpeted the arrival of the monster processor at the firm’s financial analyst day.
> 
> Anderson said that: “Ryzen Threadripper is targeted at the absolute ultra high-end of performance in desktop.”
> 
> The slide that AMD shared was brief on details, simply showing the number of cores and threads of the flagship model, and stating that Threadripper chips would arrive in the summer, and that the range was “targeting the world’s fastest ultra-premium desktop systems”. No actual specs were mentioned save for the core-count.
> 
> We’ve heard plenty of rumors about Threadripper or Ryzen 9 CPUs before, of course, and indeed there was a major leak yesterday, which suggested that the 16-core flagship Ryzen 9 1998X will have a base clock of 3.5GHz (with boost to 3.9GHz) and a TDP of 155W.
> 
> That remains to be seen, but if true, it’s certainly a beefy base clock speed for a 16-core chip, and some equally impressive work on the power efficiency front.
> 
> It’ll certainly be a major worry for Intel in this case, particularly if AMD goes all-out with the pricing on these high-end processors, which seems likely to happen given that Ryzen chips have previously been pitched at extremely competitive levels.
> 
> Intel’s rumored Core i9 rival CPUs will be topped by the flagship 7920X which will reportedly have 12-cores (24-threads) and a TDP of 140W, again if leaked details are on the money. It will inevitably be eye-wateringly expensive, though, and this is where AMD may well win the battle for the attention – and the wallets – of enthusiast PC owners.
> 
> Whatever happens, the high-end CPU world is about to get a big shakeup which is only likely to be good news for those looking to buy a beefy multi-core chip for their premium desktop PC.
> 
> Also note that at the other end of the spectrum, AMD confirmed that budget Ryzen 3 processors would arrive in the third quarter of this year.
> 
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