Tuesday, May 16th 2017

AMD Announces High Performance Computing Platform - "Naples" is EPYC

Today on their Financial Analyst Day 2017, AMD has taken the lid off their "Naples" Zen implementation. The balanced Zen core in its unrestrained, server-grade level has become EPYC, with AMD CEO Lisa Su holding the silicon in her bare hands. The new EPYC platform with its I/O performance improvements allows more GPUs to be connected to a CPU than any other platform, with up to 128 PCIe lanes being expected on these server-grade chips.
The Naples-based EPYC chips as announced by Lisa Su will carry up to 45% more cores, leveraging 122% greater memory bandwidth, and 60% more I/O bandwidth than their competitor's (read, Intel's) solutions. Expect more information to be available shortly.
AMD is also looking at EPYC to usher in virtualization environments...
Thought it would seem that what the company is actually looking to do is out-muscle Intel in the server market by offering not only greater performance, lowered power consumption and greater flexibility...
While tearing Intel a new one in the platform density equation, announcing a denser platform that simultaneously offers more cores and more I/O, while taking up less space and consuming less power, which should also improve thermal characteristics and overall operating costs, which are frequently much higher throughout the lifespan of the hardware than the initial investment.
AMD also promises a much simplified machine intelligence architecture compared to Intel's by fully integrating platform requirements in their EPYC processors.But this is not all: AMD is committing to a road-map of excellence, with further upgrades to its platform linearly lined-up so as to allow businesses to perform long-term planning and investment.
Source: AMD Financial Day 2017 Webcast
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40 Comments on AMD Announces High Performance Computing Platform - "Naples" is EPYC

#2
cdawall
where the hell are my stars
45% more cores than what? Piledriver was available with 16 cores 45% more cores would be 23.2 cores...?
Posted on Reply
#3
csatahajos
So no more Opterons and EPYC is the new collective name?
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#4
buildzoid
cdawall45% more cores than what? Piledriver was available with 16 cores 45% more cores would be 23.2 cores...?
Probably 45% over the LGA 2011 22 core Xeons since 22 * 1.45 is 31.9.
Posted on Reply
#5
cdawall
where the hell are my stars
buildzoidProbably 45% over the LGA 2011 22 core Xeons since 22 * 1.45 is 31.9.
The 8890v4 is 24 cores and that's a weird number as well (34.8). Seems like another AMD marketing ploy or they are just ignoring multiple processors already on the market with the hope no one notices. I assumed this was a hint at 32 core models, but that ignores things yet again.
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#6
Fouquin
cdawallThe 8890v4 is 24 cores and that's a weird number as well (34.8). Seems like another AMD marketing ploy or they are just ignoring multiple processors already on the market with the hope no one notices. I assumed this was a hint at 32 core models, but that ignores things yet again.
Seeing as Naples is a dual-socket design it would appear as though AMD is confining their numbers specifically to that environment. Intel does not offer a 24-core part specified to be shipped in dual-socket configurations.
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#7
xkm1948
So the 16core HEDT AMD will be called RyZen Pro? Well guess not.
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#8
Patriot
Did they do a hatdraw for the name?

Seriously I could do better in 5 minutes.

keep the same scheme, blitzen or blytzen
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#9
notb
EPYC naming fail. Why not "aWe5oME"?
The whole Ryzen marketing is built around gaming and flashing red websites. I didn't like it, but whatever - I guess most of their customers are gamers at this point (it clearly worked).
I really hoped that Naples will have serious marketing "environment" and a bit less of red in it. Well... at least the latter is happening:
www.amd.com/en/products/epyc

Also, wccftech has shown some numbers for the EPYC... including 1.4GHz base clock - I sure hope this is a typo...
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#10
cdawall
where the hell are my stars
notbAlso, wccftech has shown some numbers for the EPYC... including 1.4GHz base clock - I sure hope this is a typo...
I have an early piledriver 16c sample with a base clock of 1.6ghz, ES chips are exactly that samples, not a final product.
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#11
FMinus
xkm1948So the 16core HEDT AMD will be called RyZen Pro? Well guess not.
Threadripper.
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#12
diatribe
That is an incredibility poor choice of name for a high-end level piece of hardware. In my opinion, that alone will devalue the chips in the minds of IT professionals.
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#13
efikkan
"EPYC"
Are these names made by someone who is thirteen years old?
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#14
Caring1
EpicCores, sounds better than EPYC :rolleyes:
Posted on Reply
#15
wiyosaya
People interested in these are probably not going to pay attention to the name given them by AMD's marketing department. More likely those interested in them, IMO anyway, will be interested in two things:

How do they compare with Intel's offerings

and if they compare favorably -

How much do they cost
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#16
ZoneDymo
efikkan"EPYC"
Are these names made by someone who is thirteen years old?
Well I feel it must also only be 13 year olds who care about the name of their computing platform...
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#17
Totally
I thought AMD couldn't think of a worse and more adolescent name than Ryzen, but I now stand corrected.

inb4 EpycFail
ZoneDymoWell I feel it must also only be 13 year olds who care about the name of their computing platform...
Well when talking about tech to a non-tech person dumb things like this tend to stick out and make things a little bothersome. Most of the time as much as I'd like to give the reply "I dunno, I didn't fuxxing name it," I can't
Posted on Reply
#18
ZoneDymo
TotallyI thought AMD couldn't think of a worse and more adolescent name than Ryzen, but I now stand corrected.

inb4 EpycFail



Well when talking about tech to a non-tech person dumb things like this tend to stick out and make things a little bothersome. Most of the time as much as I'd like to give the reply "I dunno, I didn't fuxxing name it" I can't
"hello non-tech person, idk why im telling you this because you dont care about tech but AMD got this new platform they called "EPYC" and so thats pretty kewl"

idk, I dont see the problem.
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#19
Totally
ZoneDymo"hello non-tech person, idk why im telling you this because you dont care about tech but AMD got this new platform they called "EPYC" and so thats pretty kewl"

idk, I dont see the problem.
No, I wish it was that simple.

it going to be along the lines of "...due to your needs and budget considerations, I'd recommend the Epyc platform...."
Customer: "Oh that sounds fancy, does it perform as epic as it sounds" or something equally cringey.

That's the kind of people I have to deal with.
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#20
medi01
Like the name.
Tech person who avoids tech because "it has weirdo name" is not a tech person, no offence.
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#21
cyneater
efikkan"EPYC"
Are these names made by someone who is thirteen years old?
Nope I think its having a go at Intel Itanium .

Which uses Explicitly Parallel Instruction Computing (EPIC) instead of CISC or RISC...
And was / is intels flag ship processor.
Posted on Reply
#22
efikkan
cyneaterNope I think its having a go at Intel Itanium .

Which uses Explicitly Parallel Instruction Computing (EPIC) instead of CISC or RISC...
And was / is intels flag ship processor.
Seriously? Do you really think AMD would name their wonder child after a giant commercial feature?
Most likely it's nothing but a cheap play on the word "epic".

BTW; Itanium is no longer Intel's flagship, development stopped half a decade ago.
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#24
notb
medi01Like the name.
Tech person who avoids tech because "it has weirdo name" is not a tech person, no offence.
We're getting dangerously close to "you can't be a tech person if you have stylish trousers, date a pretty girlfriend and go out to a club on Friday evening".

As far as "tech people" go:
1) Let's just say this: a lot of TPU forum users are gamers and have limited knowledge of computers.
2) Among the group with above average knowledge, it's mostly about hardware. Software know-how is surprisingly sparse here (which is beautifully pictured by Ryzen threads :)). Also, the hardware knowledge is more practical (how to build PCs, how to OC) than theoretical (how a CPU works).
Posted on Reply
#25
deu
To all the people here:

Only kids care WHAT the name of the CPU is; men/professionals care about shear performance. It might seems as trolling alot of you guys but I think you are caught in at the point where talking about CPUs means more than actual CPUs. Complaining about the naming when 7 years of development is articualted into a product (whether intel or AMD) seems almost benign ignorance. I hope most of you subject your world to a higher level of critism. How many systemadmins will be like; "20% more power.... but the name... we'll pass" (fired within a week)
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