Tag: CPU

Windows 11 stops working on more processors, requires SSE4.2

News, Processors | | Jan Olšan

This year, the vague uncertainty about Windows 11 not supporting older computers turned into reality, as the OS began using the POPCNT instruction, causing it to stop working on many processors. However, this was not all and the requirements may increase further. In fact, now Windows 11 is starting to require additional instruction set extensions that will shut down more processor families, including Phenoms and the first APUs. Read more “Windows 11 stops working on more processors, requires SSE4.2” »

Zen 6 finally brings more advanced 2.5D chiplets, has RDNA 5 GPU

News, Processors | | Jan Olšan

So far, little information has emerged about what to expect from AMD Ryzen processors with the Zen 6 architecture. The core itself should be an evolution of Zen 5, given AMD’s model resembling “tick-tock”, where even-numbered cores are less aggressive enhancements of tech introduced in odd-numbered ground-up redesigns. But it looks like everything else in the SoC could be a radical shift from the aging concept of Ryzen processor uncores. Read more “Zen 6 finally brings more advanced 2.5D chiplets, has RDNA 5 GPU” »

AMD confirms Zen 5 details: 6 ALUs, full-performance AVX-512

News, Processors | | Jan Olšan

Zen 5-based AMD processors will launch this year (perhaps in Q3). Unlike Zen 4 which was just Zen 3 refined, Zen 5 will be another big upgrade, and according to various hints including statements by the architect Mike Clark, it could be AMD’s most interesting core since the first Zen. Interestingly, up until now, the only information about it has come from a single YouTuber source. But it has just been officially confirmed directly by AMD. Read more “AMD confirms Zen 5 details: 6 ALUs, full-performance AVX-512” »

Arrow Lake CPU spotted. Missing HT and AVX-512 confirmed

News, Processors | | Jan Olšan

Couple days ago, documents leaked on Arrow Lake-S processors and Generation 800 chipsets – Intel’s next-gen desktop platform with the new LGA 1851 socket, due out in the second half of the year. Besides the things we already analysed, those documents also indicate that Arrow Lake P-cores have only one thread. This has now been confirmed by a log from testing a sample of this CPU. After 22 years, Intel processors are dropping HT. Read more “Arrow Lake CPU spotted. Missing HT and AVX-512 confirmed” »

Amazon unveils 96-core ARM Graviton4 CPU and Trainium2 AI chip

News, Processors | | Jan Olšan

Last month, Microsoft unveiled their first custom processors being developed for datacenter and Azure services. Also Amazon, which was the first of these US hyperscalers to go the custom hardware route, is now launching new CPUs for its servers. And with it Trainium2, already the second generation of an in-house developed AI accelerator. Amazon also revealed that it has already produced over two million of its CPUs. Read more “Amazon unveils 96-core ARM Graviton4 CPU and Trainium2 AI chip” »

Intel unveils Meteor Lake processors: 4nm, tiles, Xe LPG graphics

News, Notebooks, Processors | | Jan Olšan

Meteor Lake is Intel’s first processor manufactured on in-house 4nm node, an important milestone. It is also, paradoxically, Intel’s first processor manufactured at TSMC, as many of its parts are outsourced in this way – a milestone too. This is the first mainstream Intel processor to use chiplets (or tiles) and advanced 3D packaging. It’s almost and extra beyond that, that there are new CPU cores, new GPU, and a new NPU for AI acceleration. Read more “Intel unveils Meteor Lake processors: 4nm, tiles, Xe LPG graphics” »

Intel APX: x86 ISA upgrade to catch up with newer architectures

News, Processors | | Jan Olšan

Recently, Intel announced the so-called x86-S architecture – a proposal to cut legacy baggage of the x86 processor platform. Another modernization effort of the traditional instruction set used in personal computers has been announced now. Future CPUs will get Intel APX (Advanced Performance Extensions), that break through some of the historical limits of this 40-year-old ISA and brings it somewhat closer to newer architectures. Read more “Intel APX: x86 ISA upgrade to catch up with newer architectures” »

big.LITTLE by AMD: Zen 4c has the same IPC as the big Zen 4

Analysis, News, Processors | | Jan Olšan

After Intel’s hybrid CPUs, AMD is preparing its own big.LITTLE scheme that uses a mix of Zen 4 cores and a new Zen 4c variant that will be used in servers but also in laptops. However Zen4c is and at the same time is not a little core. While having much smaller footprint, it is said to be fully architecturally equivalent to the large core, including (almost?) the same performance per 1 MHz. The only little thing about it is clock speed. Read more “big.LITTLE by AMD: Zen 4c has the same IPC as the big Zen 4” »

ARM unveils record-breaking Cortex-X4 core with eight ALUs

Analysis, News, Processors | | Jan Olšan

ARM has been releasing a new generation of processor cores every year lately. This year will be no different (except for the Computex timing). ARM has unveiled a complete line of new architectures: a new Cortex-X4 “prime” big core for maximum single-threaded performance, a new medium Cortex-A720 core whose role is to provide multi-threaded performance (like Intel’s E-Core), and finally a new low-power Cortex-A520 little core. Read more “ARM unveils record-breaking Cortex-X4 core with eight ALUs” »

x86-S: Intel wants to drop legacy compatibility from processors

News, Processors | | Jan Olšan

The scenario of Intel dropping backwards compatibility and creating a new version of x86 processors free of various “legacy burdens” has been discussed for a long time. The hype around ARM processors and the perceived or real advantages they gain by not carrying similar “baggage” highlighted this topic again. Intel has unveiled a proposal for a simplified pure 64-bit x86-S architecture that could bring about such a revolution, now. Read more “x86-S: Intel wants to drop legacy compatibility from processors” »

Jim Keller’s new firm plans RISC-V CPUs with Apple-like wide cores

News, Processors | | Jan Olšan

RISC-V processors are still yet to reach above the embedded sector, but with the current developments around ARM, they may be closer to that goal than we think. They ISA might even come to the highest performance processor segment currently ruled by Intel and AMD that ARM itself (with the exception of Apple) is still just trying to crack. Tenstorrent, led by Jim Keller, is now developing processors that could be close to those from Apple. Read more “Jim Keller’s new firm plans RISC-V CPUs with Apple-like wide cores” »

Intel Lunar Lake: new “Conroe moment” processor revolution?

News, Processors | | Jan Olšan

A brand new CPU core architecture coming out is a big thing in the world of processors. We’ve been anticipating that from Intel for a long time, particularly in the Skylake era of waiting for 10 nm. Intel has since fielded new architectures in Ice Lake and Alder Lake, but there could be a major architectural revolution in a few years. The chips following Meteor Lake and Arrow Lake are said to be brewing something completely new. Read more “Intel Lunar Lake: new “Conroe moment” processor revolution?” »

Zen 4 architecture: chip parameters and IPC of AMD’s new core

News, Processors | | Jan Olšan

AMD formally launched the Ryzen 7000 (with availability four weeks away though) and confirmed specs and pricing. The company has also disclosed a considerable amount of technical details and more has now leaked from unofficial sources. So let’s have a deeper look at Zen 4 architecture, the 5nm chiplets of the processors and finally the core’s IPC – which has actually improved more than the previously promised +8 to 10 % over Zen 3. Read more “Zen 4 architecture: chip parameters and IPC of AMD’s new core” »

Cortex-A715: new efficiency-first ARM core (architecture analysis)

Analysis, Processors | | Jan Olšan

ARM has launched the Cortex-X3 architecture, which will be the new “big” high-perfromance CPU core for smartphones and laptops in the company’s lineup. It will however be complemented by a new Cortex-A715. This line of cores (Cortex-A76 to A78, then A710), which used to be ARM’s big cores, seems to be turning into cores tuned for best performance in a small footprint and power draw, not unlike Intel’s E-Cores. Read more “Cortex-A715: new efficiency-first ARM core (architecture analysis)” »

Cortex-X3: the new fastest core from ARM (architecture analysis)

Analysis, Processors | | Jan Olšan

ARM has been introducing new CPU cores annually for the last few years. This year, the company is unveiling the second generation of CPU cores based on the ARMv9 instruction set. Among them, a new highest-performance Cortex-X3 core with significantly expanded computing resources and 6 ALUs like Apple’s cores. This architecture will boost the single-core performance of Android phones, but it’s supposed to go into laptops as well. Read more “Cortex-X3: the new fastest core from ARM (architecture analysis)” »

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