AMD's upcoming Ryzen AM5 processors may arrive with wider integrated graphics support

[Daniel Sims]

Rumor mill: More documents seem to be emerging as a result of the ransomware attack Gigabyte suffered earlier this month, revealing additional details about AMD's next generation of processors. If what's in these documents is true and up to date, then it appears a wider range of Ryzen processors will have integrated graphics, no longer requiring discrete graphics cards for basic functionality, similar to Intel's processor lineup.

Chips and Cheese claims to have picked out more details from the leak of Gigabyte's documents and its communications with Intel and AMD. Among them is a diagram detailing the compatibility of three different types of processors that will use AM5 -- the new sockets AMD will use for its upcoming Zen 4 Ryzen 6000 processors, which reportedly have the codename "Raphael."

Next to "On-Chip Graphics," the diagram lists "Hybrid GFX Support" underneath "1 Dedicated" for all three processor types, implying integrated graphics. Currently, the only AMD consumer processors that have integrated graphics are the company's G-series APUs, the latest generation of which just came out in April. This leak suggests we may see them on the higher-end mainline Ryzen and/or Threadripper parts.

Some users might want to buy the beefier processors without also needing to buy dedicated GPUs, but including iGPUs just makes some things easier and more flexible. If someone with one of AMD's current non-G-series processors sees their GPU fail and they don't have a backup, their system is essentially useless until they can replace it, whereas integrated graphics provide some kind of alternative video signal through which they could do anything that doesn't require a powerful discrete GPU, including some lightweight gaming.

This along with another feature from the leak might make updating the BIOS easier when initially setting up a system. Last week TechPowerUp revealed another slide from the leak, showing a block diagram for AM5. That same slide appears in the Chips and Cheese leak. In addition to revealing its PCIe 4.0 lanes, it suggested that all AM5 socket motherboards will have USB BIOS update, a feature that only some of the current AM4 motherboards include. This should make it easier for users to update a BIOS without already having a CPU compatible with the old BIOS on hand.

That, combined with iGPU support should generally give users more flexibility when setting up, updating, and troubleshooting upcoming AMD systems.

This leak allegedly comes from RansomExx having published a piece of the data it stole from Gigabyte in the ransomware attack.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/90905-amd-upcoming-am5-socket-processors-may-have-wider.html

 

[Dimitriid]

I keep preaching how useful it is to have at least modest integrated graphics for someone doing troubleshooting for their own rigs: you shouldn't need to keep a junker 750ti around or worst but a 1030 just to troubleshoot and such.

And even 3 vega compute cores have proven to be sufficient for games all the way up to 2013 or so and that still covers titles that are popular today like Skyrim and GTA V so it's not *completely* useless for get-you-by-while-you-wait kinda deal. It's nice that these might be enabled for processors that are also not cutting down on L3 cache since that is a small but noticeable performance dip for current gen APUs.

 

[yRaz]

I keep preaching how useful it is to have at least modest integrated graphics for someone doing troubleshooting for their own rigs: you shouldn't need to keep a junker 750ti around or worst but a 1030 just to troubleshoot and such.

And even 3 vega compute cores have proven to be sufficient for games all the way up to 2013 or so and that still covers titles that are popular today like Skyrim and GTA V so it's not *completely* useless for get-you-by-while-you-wait kinda deal. It's nice that these might be enabled for processors that are also not cutting down on L3 cache since that is a small but noticeable performance dip for current gen APUs.

I have an ati 4600 1gb I keep around for troubleshooting, it's currently in one of my servers. It can actually play everything pre-2010 at 1080p on med-high settings.

 

[Nobina]

I'd rather have a cheaper CPU without an iGPU. It has it's uses but it's rare that I need it. Having an old card for troubleshooting is not ideal but it's not like you'll be doing that often. I like how Intel has a version with and without an iGPU which is slightly cheaper so you can choose what you prefer.

 

[defaultluser]

I always assumed the reason the didn't do his with Zen 2 was because oft the low yields of the chiplets

Now that they have two chiplets on a lot of systems, it becomes a lot easier to handle bad GPUs (just disable a sing chip's section)

 

[Bulllee]

I feel so old.
Never played a game on a phone,tablet or even a laptop.

 

[Danny101]

So a distinct separate line of APUs becomes no more?