AMD's EPYC server CPUs offer a 40% cost saving over a single-die equivalent

[WYP]

It looks like EPYC is a huge design win for AMD!



Read more on the cost benefits of AMD's EPYC CPUs.

 

[AlienALX]

I think the best thing about AMD's design is the failure rates will be much, much lower due to using small dies in numbers. And any of these small dies that fail can simply be used for something else. If Intel's large die fails to the point it can't meet minimum spec on that chipset (so let's say they were trying to cut a 6950x and could use it as a 6800k if it failed) then the whole thing goes in the bin.

Yeah, it was very smart of Jim Keller to design it the way he did. Genius, even.

 

[Chopper3]

I think the best thing about AMD's design is the failure rates will be much, much lower due to using small dies in numbers. And any of these small dies that fail can simply be used for something else. If Intel's large die fails to the point it can't meet minimum spec on that chipset (so let's say they were trying to cut a 6950x and could use it as a 6800k if it failed) then the whole thing goes in the bin.

Yeah, it was very smart of Jim Keller to design it the way he did. Genius, even.

You know that's not how Intel's fab setup works right? If say their 28c Xeon fails on a number of cores they just sell it as a lower-core'd SKU - so if 1 core is dead it becomes a 24c part, on an 18c Xeon if 3 cores fail then they sell it as a 14c part etc.

 

[NeverBackDown]

Pretty impressive. This should really help AMD be profitable

 

[AlienALX]

You know that's not how Intel's fab setup works right? If say their 28c Xeon fails on a number of cores they just sell it as a lower-core'd SKU - so if 1 core is dead it becomes a 24c part, on an 18c Xeon if 3 cores fail then they sell it as a 14c part etc.

Yes but the problem is if it doesn't even meet the lowest part on X299 what can they do with it? make it a desktop part? I strongly doubt that, given the core is much larger and probably wouldn't even fit onto a desktop CPU part.

With Epyc/Threadripper/Ryzen they can use a part all the way down to a £99 CPU. So absolutely nothing at all goes to waste. I mean FFS they are even using fully functional dies as place mats !

Intel can not do that. That is the problem with making monolithic cores. It's the same when Nvidia make the Titan X. The only thing it can become is a 1080Ti and if it's not good enough for that it goes in the bin. This is why they charge such a high price for it.

 

[Thelosouvlakia]

With Epyc/Threadripper/Ryzen they can use a part all the way down to a £99 CPU. So absolutely nothing at all goes to waste. I mean FFS they are even using fully functional dies as place mats !

AMD has said that the "place mats" on the Threadripper chips is just cut silicon wafers for stability... Well either that or completely failed cpu dies...

 

[NeverBackDown]

The extra unused dies are just metal plates for structural integrity during fabrication. It's not a killed die.

 

[AlienALX]

I would imagine it's whatever they have to hand tbh. AMD have even cut down high end parts just to make stock on low end parts before now.