Comment by jlawer | Hacker News Reader

Comment by jlawer | Hacker News Reader

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Potentially is a yield issue / segmentation issue.

Releasing the top SKU as a 12 core instead of 16 core part gives AMD:

1.) Still the highest core count "Mainstream" part. I would expect Intel to fire back with a higher IPC / thread performance part rather then try and ramp core counts. Outside of productivity, content creation and server workloads I really don't see the need for anything past 6-8 cores right now.

2.) Lets AMD keep the flawless chiplets for Ryzen 7 where there will be high demand. While providing a way to move more 6 core chiplets. They can change the product mix once yields improve. I would imagine that there is likely better margin on Ryzen 7 (1x chiplet) rather then the R9 (2x chiplet).

3.) Keeps more of the Threadripper line viable for those that need high cores (especially if you don't require the extra memory bandwidth).

4.) Sells a bunch of CPUs now, while keeping the ability to quickly respond to Intel if needed (or as a spoiler around the Intel 10nm release)

1) Intel won't be able to, at least not until they finally manage to get the new architecture out. Heat is already a huge issue for intel.

2) AMD might be saving perfect core chiplets, but probably mostly for use in EPYC as the margins are higher.

4) I expect 16 core am4 to arrive someday.

Good point on EPYC, I had assumed these would be using a different design like earlier generations, but the chiplet design makes this not only possible, but likely where the best chiplets are going.

I agree that 16 core will arrive this generation, but I could also see it being 6 months or so. I have also wondered if it is waiting for a second generation I/O die with an enhanced memory controller to feed the extra cores.

Thanks for this analysis, although I wouldn't agree that R9 profit margin is lower than Ryzen 7. It would depend on the yield though, so if yields are low for 8 core chiplets, the R7 would cost more to make than if yields are higher.

It's interesting though that Ryzen 9 is almost the highest clocked part of the bunch.

AMD did not want to release the expected 16 core yet, but had to release some "monster" to get at those hype-affected buyers. So they clocked/binned those 6-core chips accordingly, to make this core-lacking monster more attractive. It also makes sense to sell as many silicon chips in Ryzen 9 package as possible, instead of selling them in Ryzen 5 package - more luxurious, better margin. Of course, anybody who cares about value and does some research before buying expensive high-end parts will wait for the Intel-AMD exchange to play out, or for the 16-core to be announced, and only then buy the best option.

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