Intel to create new 8th Generation CPUs with AMD Radeon graphics

[Arthur]

The rumours were true after all!

 

Source: Ars Technica

 

In a bid to build better chips for gamers and other PC enthusiasts, Intel has announced the 8th-generation H-series mobile processors will have a feature that's nothing short of astonishing: they'll integrate AMD GPUs.

 

The 8th-generation mobile processors currently on the market are U-series chips. These are 15W processors using a revised version of the 7th-generation Kaby Lake architecture. The GPUs of these chips are part of the same piece of silicon as the CPU. In moving from 7th to 8th generation, the number of CPU cores and threads doubled to four and eight respectively. Aside from some minor changes however, the GPUs' portions are largely unchanged since the 6th-generation Skylake.

 

H-series chips have a bigger power envelope; for the 7th generation, the chip can draw up to 45W. In the past, they've used that higher power rating to support more cores and higher clock speeds—they've had four cores and eight threads for several generations now—but they've sported substantially the same integrated GPUs as the low-power parts.

 

For the 8th generation, that's going to change. The chip package will contain multiple pieces of silicon: an Intel CPU, a custom-built AMD Radeon GPU, and stacked second-generation High Bandwidth Memory (HBM2). Connecting the GPU and its memory is Intel's new "Embedded Multi-Die Interconnect Bridge" (EMIB), a high-speed, short-range interconnect that Intel has designed to join different chips within a single package. Intel says that EMIB enables the creation of faster, thinner packages, enabling the multi-chip module to fit into slimline laptop form factors.

 

EMIB uses pieces of silicon to join the chips, rather than the circuit board traces found in conventional multi-chip modules. These pieces of silicon enable much denser packing of the interconnects. Overall, Intel claims that using EMIB shaves about 2.9 square inches (1,900 square millimeters) from the system motherboard and halves the power usage of a traditional design.

 

Single-chip integrated processors typically include complex power management systems to balance the power needs of the CPU and GPU while still striving to ensure that the chip as a whole remains within its power envelope. The new Intel chip will extend this kind of power management to the discrete embedded GPU. The Intel part of the package will still have its own integrated graphics; as is commonplace now on mobile systems, the integrated graphics will be used for tasks such as video decoding and regular desktop graphics workloads, firing up the AMD chip for gaming and other more intensive tasks.

 

The announcement is, of course, a little surprising. Intel and AMD have long been rivals, competing head to head across most of the processor market. This kind of collaboration and tight integration is new for both companies. But it also makes sense for them.

 

With the U-series moving up to 4C8T designs, Intel needs a way to push the H-series chips higher to justify their price premium. Adding more cores and threads would be possible but would make little sense for most buyers. Offering integrated-yet-discrete graphics, on the other hand, has some appeal. Embedding the AMD GPU gives the H-series part their edge over the U-series, doing so in a way that's much more relevant to many of the buyers of H-series chips than a mere increase in core count would be.

 

Edited November 6, 2017 by Arthur

[Arthur]

https://newsroom.intel.com/editorials/new-intel-core-processor-combine-high-performance-cpu-discrete-graphics-sleek-thin-devices/

 

Edited November 6, 2017 by Arthur

[DJ-1701]

Intel and AMD?! What next, Cats and Dogs best friends?! Apple, Google and Microsoft living in peace?! PC and Console gamers being sociable to one another?! Half Life 3 confirmed?!

[FN-GM]

Mind blown!

[Arthur]

Mind blown!

x2! [emoji50]

 

Intel is also going to start making high-end discrete GPUs...

 

https://www.anandtech.com/show/12017/intel-to-develop-discrete-gpus-hires-raja-koduri-as-chief-architect

 

This means we'll be able to add Intel graphics to AMD-based PCs. [emoji846]

Edited November 9, 2017 by Arthur

[Arthur]

Woah!

 

www.anandtech.com/show/12226/intels-hades-canyon-nucs-with-radeon-graphics-are-official-799999-shipping-in-spring-2018

 

Unlike Skull Canyon, which has only one SKU (NUC6i7KYK) with the Core i7-6700HQ, Intel is launching Hades Canyon in two versions. The more powerful of the two is the $999 VR-ready NUC8i7HVK sporting the 100W TDP unlocked Core i7-8809G. The other SKU is the $799 NUC8i7HNK with the 65W TDP Core i7-8705G. The rest of the features are identical across the two SKUs.

 

The footprint of the Hades Canyon NUCs (221mm x 142mm x 39mm / 1.2L) is slightly bigger than the Skull Canyon NUC (216mm x 116mm x 23mm / 0.69L). It is not surprising, given the wealth of extra I/O and the additional cooling requirements for the higher TDP processor. The power adapter also receives a hefty uptick in specifications, moving from 120W to 230W. Customizable RGB lighting for the lid is an attractive feature in the gaming market.

 

It must be noted that all the six display outputs in the Hades Canyon NUCs are driven by the Radeon GPU. The Intel iGPU is still active in the 'headless' mode, and features like QuickSync and the internal protected audio/video path can be used. Intel confirmed that the platform is capable of playing back UltraHD Blu-rays with HDR. It will also be PlayReady 3.0-compatible, enabling the system to access and play back premium 4K content. We have seen a trend in desktops to place a HDMI port in the front panel for easier hook up of virtual reality head-mounted displays, and both of the Hades Canyon NUCs have adopted it. Given the VR-ready marketing tag for the NUC9i7HVK, it is a welcome move.

 

 

[Arthur]

First reviews.

 

 

 

Edited March 29, 2018 by Arthur