Hardware stub

HW News - Intel 10nm Release Date, Solder, & AMD's Best Quarter

Posted on July 28, 2018

Intel's 10nm CPUs may have had their last delay -- and it's through the 'holidays' of 2019. Intel's latest earnings call indicates a finalized release target of EOY/holiday of 2019, continuing the saga of 10nm delays since 2015-2016. Note, however, that although TSMC and GF 7nm comparisons are prevalent, it's not as simple as comparing the numbers "7" and "10" -- density matters, as does architecture, and this is something we discussed with David Kanter in an upcoming video interview from GamersNexus.

Other hardware news revolves around a mixture of rumors and actual news, the latter represented by AMD's best quarterly earnings report in 7 years, and the former represented by Intel 9000-series specs and Samsung GPU development.

As always, the show notes are below the video.

Intel 10nm Launch Date Approaching... Eventually

Intel announced their Q2 2018 earnings, where they had another record quarter, but there was some caveats -- one being that their 10nm class chips aren’t expected until Holiday 2019. This means Intel will have to rely on 14nm to carry them in the client computing space until then, leaving them exposed to AMD’s aggressive roadmap, where 7nm products are expected.

Not long ago, Intel announced it was shipping 10nm in limited volume to select customers, likely to deflect skepticism about their marred 10nm process. As it turns out, those shipments were limited to China, and were hamstrung, dual-core parts with no IGP.

As Intel continues to lean on their 14nm silicon, they anticipate challenges with increased demand and supply, which likely is derivative from their 10nm delay. Intel insists they will work with customers and fabs to address these issues.

Primary Source: https://s21.q4cdn.com/600692695/files/doc_financials/2018/Q2/Q2'18-Earnings-Deck-7.26-FINAL.pdf

Rumor: Intel 9000-Series Unlocked CPU Specs

Chinese site Coolaler has listed supposed specifications for the top 3 K-SKUs in Intel’s upcoming Coffee Lake refresh. The possible specs have been picked up by rumor sites like VideoCardz (and others), so take it as such -- a rumor. Still, we’ve tabulated the information for easy digestion.

The rewarmed Coffee Lake will see the debut of the i9 branding in MSDT (Mainstream Desktop), where the zenith of the product stack is the 8C/16T i9-9900K. Looking at the table below, hyperthreading is limited to the flagship i9-9900K. This is the primary salvo against AMD’s 8-core parts, and we can only hope they will be priced appropriately.

Intel is allegedly said to by readying these chips for an end of Q3 2018 launch.

SKU

i9-9900K

i7-9700K

i5-9600K

Cores

8

8

6

Threads

16

8

6

Base

3.6 GHz

3.6 GHz

3.7 GHz

Boost

5.0 GHz

4.9 GHz

4.6 GHz

Cache

16MB

12MB

9MB

1 Core Max Boost

5.0 GHz

4.9 GHz

4.6 GHz

2 Core Max Boost

5.0 GHz

4.8 GHz

4.5 GHz

4 Core Max Boost

4.8 GHz

4.7 GHz

4.4 GHz

6 Core Max Boost

4.7 GHz

4.6 GHz

4.3 GHz

8 Core Max Boost

4.7 GHz

4.6 GHz

N/A

TDP

95W

95W

95W

Source(s): http://www.coolaler.com/threads/intel-core-i9-9900k_i7-9700k_i5-9600k.351755/

Rumor: i9-9900K & i7-9700K Could Go Solder

Rumors on a german website suggest that Intel could move back to a soldered IHS for their two top K-SKUs in the upcoming 9000-series. If this holds true, it would be the first time Intel has used solder since Sandy Bridge (2012). The german website (golem.de) claims to have several “Intel-related” sources that have “independently confirmed that Intel connects the metal lids to the processor via solder.”

The move back to soldered heat spreaders would certainly be a welcome one among enthusiasts, who have long lashed at Intel over the use of TIM between the IHS and die. Lastly, golem.de alleges the chips will debut this September, and drop into the 1151v2 socket.   

Source(s): https://techreport.com/news/33940/rumor-core-i9-9900k-could-hit-4-7-ghz-on-all-cores-and-use-a-soldered-ihs

Samsung Developing GPU

Samsung has reportedly been developing a GPU, and is fleshing-out engineering teams to help bring their in-house GPU ambitions to fruition. The latest among those hired is Dr. Chien-Ping Lu. Lu is formerly of Nvidia, MediaTeck, and Intel fame, and will serve as Vice President of Samsung’s GPU IP development.

Exactly what kind of GPU design Samsung could be working on is unknown; a mobile part would make the most sense, as Apple has recently elected to start developing their own GPU designs in house. Additionally, other rumors point towards Samsung designing a gaming phone, and perhaps developing the future of their Galaxy phone around a custom GPU solution.

Source(s): https://gfxspeak.com/2018/07/23/samsung-developing-gpu/

AMD Posts Best Quarter In 7 Years

AMD announced their financial results for the second quarter of 2018, and Q2 ramps up AMD’s already profitable year. Q2 marks the 1-year anniversary for Zen, and a watershed moment for AMD, as it was both their return to competition and profitability -- both of which they desperately needed.

Net revenue for the second quarter summed $1.76B, with a net income of $116M -- AMD’s highest net income per quarter in 7 years. This is especially significant compared to just a year ago, where AMD suffered quarterly net losses of $42M. AMD’s $1.76B revenue marks a 53 percent YoY (year-over-year) increase, and a 7 percent increase over the last quarter.

AMD’s attributes the strong quarter to strong demand for Ryzen, Epyc, and Radeon -- all of which had increases shipments year-over-year. Revenue from Ryzen is up 64% YoY, while AMD was able to offset the Cryptocurrency decline with enterprise GPU and  increased CPU sales.

AMD is currently working on bringing 7nm products to market, while eying 5nm. AMD is spending 25% more on R&D to continue their momentum.      

Source(s): http://ir.amd.com/static-files/4853f348-7e3a-49dd-84bd-3504cddc8bb4

NZXT Introduces Limited Game-Skinned Cases

NZXT has announced a new service aimed at bringing limited edition hardware to gamers. CRFT will work with game franchises to bring custom, licensed hardware to market in limited runs. The first in the series is the H700 PUBG Limited Edition, prominently featuring elements from the battle royale shooter PUBG. That case is up for preorder now (for $200), and the next item is to be announced in August. Additionally, 10% of sales go to the Gamers Outreach Charity.  

Source(s): https://www.nzxt.com/news/71

HW Sales

EVGA 1060 6GB: At time of writing, an EVGA 1060 6GB can be had for $250, with an additional $20 gift card and a copy of Destiny 2. The card is listed at $330, but apply the promo code NENGTX at checkout for $80 off the list price. 1070 Tis are also roughly around MSRP.

MSI 1080 Aero 8G: $450 after rebate, with $20 Steam code

MSI 1070 Ti Duke: $450 after rebate, with $20 Steam code

Editorial: Eric Hamilton
Host: Steve Burke
Video: Andrew Coleman