AMD squeezes 32 Zen cores in Naples server CPUs

[Scorpus]

We already know that AMD's Ryzen 7 desktop processors, complete with 8 cores and 16 threads, are powerful and highly competitive with Intel's 8-core parts in workstation and productivity workloads. But AMD's Zen-based server platform, codenamed Naples, is set to blow Ryzen 7's performance out of the water.

AMD's flagship Naples CPU will feature 32 cores and 64 threads, as well as support for eight channels of DDR4 memory with two DIMMs per channel. This Naples CPU will also come with a huge 128 PCIe 3.0 lanes through an integrated I/O controller, removing the need for external PCIe switches or chipsets.

Naples will be available in both single- and dual-socket configurations. In a dual-socket configuration it will be possible to have a system with 64 Zen cores, 128 threads, and 128 PCIe 3.0 lanes. While each Naples CPU will support 128 individual PCIe lanes, in a dual-socket configuration, 64 lanes from each CPU are reserved as a communication bus between the processors through AMD's Infinity Fabric.

With 16 GB DIMMs, it will be possible to kit out a Naples server with 512 GB of DDR4 memory, although AMD states that each Naples CPU supports up to 2 TB of memory (4 TB in a dual-socket system).

Intel's competing Xeon E5 parts top out at 22 cores and 44 threads in a single CPU. With two Xeon E5-2699A v4 CPUs, you can only achieve 88 threads, 8 memory channels, and 80 PCIe lanes in a dual-socket system.

As AMD's solution features more cores and more I/O, it's no surprise that in large data workloads, Naples pulls well ahead of Intel's latest Xeons. AMD has shown a seismic analysis demonstration where a dual-socket Naples solution finished a massive workload in 14 seconds, compared to 35 seconds for a dual Xeon E5-2699A system.

AMD is on track to release Naples products in Q2 2017.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/68431-amd-squeezes-32-zen-cores-naples-server-cpus.html

 

[theBest11778]

And that's where the REAL money from the movie is made

 

[Evernessince]

And that's where the REAL money from the movie is made

Yep. Essentially what we've seen with Ryzen on the high-end consumer market is going to happen in the server market. Going to be interesting to see how Intel adjusts it's pricing.

 

[mcborge]

Impressive chip... Also I would love to see duel socket am4 boards come to the enthusiast market.

 

[yRaz]

Impressive chip... Also I would love to see duel socket am4 boards come to the enthusiast market.

They don't exist for the same reason 3 and 4 wag sli isn't supported

 

[mcborge]

They don't exist for the same reason 3 and 4 wag sli isn't supported

Nvidia dropped support for 3 and four way SLI for the 10xx gpu's, my sabertooth board still supports 4 way SLI and Crossfire. If you are talking about pci bus limitations this boards architecture gets around this by adding more lanes and using a dedicated controller.

 

[Peter Farkas]

The tech looks appealing, but got to see TDP and pricing as well.

 

[alabama man]

Impressive chip... Also I would love to see duel socket am4 boards come to the enthusiast market.

THIS! Haven't had a dual cpu setup since pentium 2 and would really want to do one again, ryzen would have been been perfect. Have to see how much naples cost.

 

[mcborge]

THIS! Haven't had a dual cpu setup since pentium 2 and would really want to do one again, ryzen would have been been perfect. Have to see how much naples cost.

Agreed, imagine running a couple of 1800x's with maybe a couple of vega's or gtx 1080ti's.... Dream setup or what.

 

[wiyosaya]

Impressive chip... Also I would love to see duel socket am4 boards come to the enthusiast market.

Much as the ASRock EP2 server motherboard discussed in this thread - https://www.techspot.com/community/topics/which-case-would-you-put-the-32-thread-monster-in.232124/ similar motherboards will eventually come to the market. They may not be marketed as enthusiast motherboards, but they likely will conform to what might be called an enthusiast motherboard.

According to https://us.hardware.info/product/207170/asrock-ep2c602/specifications the EP2 sports 5 x16 pci-e slots. While it is not going to get you extra performance in terms of SLI, this means that the board could potentially support 5 GPUs. For distributed computing or HPC, such a configuration would be unmatched. I cannot speak to gaming performance of such a GPU configuration, and we all know that not many games fully support a multi-threaded environment at this point. I am also not up on what DX12 might give to this.

However, for a workstation, such a configuration might be unmatched.

 

[yRaz]

Nvidia dropped support for 3 and four way SLI for the 10xx gpu's, my sabertooth board still supports 4 way SLI and Crossfire. If you are talking about pci bus limitations this boards architecture gets around this by adding more lanes and using a dedicated controller.

No, I'm talking about diminishing returns and software utilization. Just because you have the power doesn't mean you can use it. Most software doesn't use more than 2 cores, what are you going to do with 32?

 

[mcborge]

No, I'm talking about diminishing returns and software utilization. Just because you have the power doesn't mean you can use it. Most software doesn't use more than 2 cores, what are you going to do with 32?

two 1800x's would be 16 cores/32 threads but yeah its mainly about show to be honest but if you run vm for insider builds and such having eight cores dedicated would be nice. I know a couple of people who run duel chip xeon boards. Also it would be a nice base for a custom water cooled pc mod. I've always built my own systems but I've never tackled a duel chip build before but with ryzen I have a better chance of building one if we get the boards due to the much lower price compared to intel.

 

[yRaz]

two 1800x's would be 16 cores/32 threads but yeah its mainly about show to be honest but if you run vm for insider builds and such having eight cores dedicated would be nice. I know a couple of people who run duel chip xeon boards. Also it would be a nice base for a custom water cooled pc mod. I've always built my own systems but I've never tackled a duel chip build before but with ryzen I have a better chance of building one if we get the boards due to the much lower price compared to intel.

Unfortunately, those boards will most likely carry an enterprise price.

 

[mcborge]

Unfortunately, those boards will most likely carry an enterprise price.

Yep, very true.

 

[Oshyan]

Naples is so far reported to only be running at 1.4Ghz per core however. The e5-2699a v4 is 2.4Ghz per core. So given rough IPC parity between Intel and AMD (Intel is still slightly ahead actually, but just for argument's sake), that means Intel will still come out ahead unfortunately.

 

[AntonKonnoff]

Ksenia is voto loco. Elena is voto loco!!!!

 

[Raiderman]

Naples is so far reported to only be running at 1.4Ghz per core however. The e5-2699a v4 is 2.4Ghz per core. So given rough IPC parity between Intel and AMD (Intel is still slightly ahead actually, but just for argument's sake), that means Intel will still come out ahead unfortunately.

That math is flawed, as it is based on stock frequencies. If you use max clock via turbo, the Naples would smoke the xeon. 2.9ghz turbo(reportedly) Naples vs 3.6ghz Turbo Xeon.

 

[Mirob]

Impressive chip... Also I would love to see duel socket am4 boards come to the enthusiast market.

There's not enough PCIe lanes.

 

[mcborge]

There's not enough PCIe lanes.

The server boards have extra lanes and a dedicated controller, why can't enthusiast boards have the same.

 

[Oshyan]

That math is flawed, as it is based on stock frequencies. If you use max clock via turbo, the Naples would smoke the xeon. 2.9ghz turbo(reportedly) Naples vs 3.6ghz Turbo Xeon.

Turbo/boost can't be enabled to max frequency on all cores simultaneously, as far as I know. Generally the max frequency is limited to 1 or at most 2 cores. Even if it's more like 4 in this 32 thread CPU, the Xeon would likely still beat Naples due to IPC differences.