Thread: The CPU Thread

Bullet Club

I'll probably just lurk for a while
 
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Here's a thread about the greatest CPU of them all: the Motorola 68000!

And some other, lesser CPUs. News, information and discussion about CPUs. Goes well with the GPU thread.

This first bit of news is more motherboard related, but obviously effects the CPU.

AMD's AM5 platform will support DDR5 and PCIe 5 at launch in 2022​


You'll also be able to bring across your CPU cooler.

AMD has confirmed its new AM5 platform will support both PCIe 5.0 as well as DDR5 memory, and that it will land on our desktops in 2022. AMD released its first Ryzen processor five years ago and is celebrating the fact by getting Robert Hallock and John Taylor to sit down and have a chat about the architecture which transformed AMD's place in the CPU market.

It's not as dry as it might sound, because AMD has used this opportunity to confirm a few things: Its 3D V-Cache chips are still on the way early next year, and that its next-generation AM5 platform will support the latest I/O and memory technologies.

After a quick trip down memory lane where Robert Hallock recalls the first time he got his hands on the first Ryzen CPU, he goes on to state, "In 2022 Ryzen will have a new platform and some key ingredients are DDR5, PCI Express Gen 5, and cooler compatibility with existing AM4 coolers."

AMD has spoken about DDR5 support for Zen 4 in slides for a while now but hadn't said whether its next-gen platform would support PCIe 5.0. Confirming that now makes sense, if only because Intel's 12th-gen Alder Lake platform will ship with support for both DDR5 and PCIe 5.0.

To be fair, it would have been surprising for AMD to let its I/O lead slip for a whole generation, given it has supported PCIe 4.0 since Zen 2 launched in 2019, while Intel only brought in support for the standard just this year. PCIe 4.0 may not have done much for graphics cards, but its impact on storage, with PCIe 4.0 SSDs, has been profound and PCIe 5.0 doubles the available bandwidth. That's never a bad thing.

The last point that Hallock makes is also worth mentioning, as cooler compatibility is important for anyone looking to upgrade to Zen 4 as a PC platform when it's launched. You're going to need a new motherboard and new DDR5 RAM, so being able to carry over your CPU cooler means you should be able to save a little bit of cash and not have to wait for a company to release adapters.

We don't have an exact date for when these chips are going to land, although given the 3D V-Cache chips are going to be released at the start of the year, we can probably expect Zen 4 and AM5 to drop between July and November in 2022.

Source: PC Gamer
 
My 8600k has being shit for a while but i have to wait at least another year for the complete pc upgrade, i'm not gonna format my pc for a single piece only (yeah, i'm that lazy) and intel is about to release their new stuff.
 
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I'm on an 8700k at 5ghz and am waiting for the next RAM gen and mobos to be established to upgrade.
 
I held off on building a new system for over a year, my i7-6700 struggling to handle what I throw at it, and since I stick with builds for at least a few years DDR5 and PCIe 5 are locked in as must-haves for me. Now I have to decide between waiting another six or so months for Zen 4 or biting the bullet on a pricey, power-hungry Alder Lake I'll probably regret. 😔
 
I'm still very happy with my 5800x. This is the first time I've gone AMD in close to 20 years.
Rockin the same CPU and also my first AMD since the Athlon. In the 90's I was a K6 fanboy, bt damn did Intel come back with a vengeance.

I wanted to get a 5900X, but they were waaay overpriced when I built my PC earlier this year. So far the 5800X has been plenty of grunt for everything I have thrown at it.
 
Rockin the same CPU and also my first AMD since the Athlon. In the 90's I was a K6 fanboy, bt damn did Intel come back with a vengeance.

I wanted to get a 5900X, but they were waaay overpriced when I built my PC earlier this year. So far the 5800X has been plenty of grunt for everything I have thrown at it.
Yup, all of what you just said. Except it wasn't the price that prevented me from getting a 5900x, but availability. Simply couldn't find one.
 
Keep lamenting not getting a 5900x when I'm plodding along with my i5 4690k, at stock, because I can't be bothered to OC it again. The first OC was cleared when I tried an automatic thing in the BIOS (I think it was auto OC - I was curious) and it fucked everything. Had to reset. OCing GPUs is so much easier.
 
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Keep lamenting not getting a 5900x when I'm plodding along with my i5 4690k, at stock, because I can't be bothered to OC it again. The first OC was cleared when I tried an automatic thing in the BIOS (I think it was auto OC - I was curious) and it fucked everything. Had to reset. OCing GPUs is so much easier.
OC'ing CPU and memory are both such a bitch if you're not willing to settle for the auto-OC method.
 
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OC'ing CPU and memory are both such a bitch if you're not willing to settle for the auto-OC method.
Auto-OC puts my PC in an unbootable state. I have to use the onboard reset.

With the things I play I don't feel held back anyway. RE2/3 weren't ideal, but apparently they just don't like Intel CPUs. Everything else has been fine so far.
 
Auto-OC puts my PC in an unbootable state. I have to use the onboard reset.

With the things I play I don't feel held back anyway. RE2/3 weren't ideal, but apparently they just don't like Intel CPUs. Everything else has been fine so far.
Yea, the auto OC isn't the best. Sometimes you get lucky, but it's certainly no sure thing.

When I first put my computer together last winter, I was intent on pushing everything to the max. But, after many failed attempts, I settled on a moderate boost, tested it out, and really found there to be no need for more, so I left it at that. Lol
 
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OC'ing CPU and memory are both such a bitch if you're not willing to settle for the auto-OC method.
Honestly it's almost not worth OCing these days. So much work for small gains. I don't even bother with them anymore other than the memory and I have zero issues with games.
 



This video covers some of the best CPUs of 2021, but also features the biggest disappointment of the year (at least, the biggest CPU disappointment). If you're trying to figure out which CPU to buy for a new PC build, these benchmarks and mini-reviews will help you make that selection. Benchmarks include previously released data on video editing, fastest Adobe Premiere render CPUs, best CPUs for Blender and 3D art, best gaming CPUs, best budget CPUs (for gaming and otherwise), and more. Our testing looks at compression, decompression, code compile, programming, and additional data points. The goal for this round-up is to provide a top-down view of the current CPU market and assist as you shop for Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and end of year holiday PC building.
 
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Intel's lead won't last long, but it's good to see the competition back.

An interesting note about the 12900K is that it's commonly mocked as being a furnace because of its max power draw, but it idles a good bit below the 5950x and 5900x and apparently averages less power draw in some comparisons, gaming included.

Seen a few of them now, but JayzTwoCents had a decent video covering it a few weeks back. Summarizes how the average user would probably see less power consumption with Alder Lake towards the end, around the 13:30 timestamp (important difference in the two systems mentioned at the beginning of the video):

 
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My 3900x is still treating me well.

It's nearly 2022, and I'm still kicking it on a quad core Xeon. Went with it to save some cash in like 2015... still gets the job done. Money well spent

get on my level :coffee:

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I was somehow hoping my 4790k @ 4.7Ghz could carry me for 10 years, given that I've been crushing everything above 60fps at 1440p but Battlefield appears to finally raise the bar on processing for games. With both consoles having 8-core CPUs, it just seems like something AAA ports are going to be leveraging more and more for the remainder of the generation.

With Alder Lake looking so strong, I think I'm going to grab a bundle at Microcenter this weekend. 12600K should be perfect, but I've heard Intel's having a tough time selling their new CPUs out the gate. I'm almost tempted to go greedy and wait a bit longer to see if there's a big discount on the 12700k.
 
I feel so conflicted when it comes to my CPU. Bought an i7 8700k back in 2018. Have had no real qualms. However, benchmarks seem to be weird. Once OC'd it appears that differences can be from minimal(likely on more GPU bound titles) to vast. Yet the bigger differences appear on titles that have higher fps. Maybe an average of 5 fps in difference. Maybe I wait for the next AMD CPU to drop? the 12 series is interesting but is suffering from 1st gen problems.
 
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I feel so conflicted when it comes to my CPU. Bought an i7 8700k back in 2018. Have had no real qualms. However, benchmarks seem to be weird. Once OC'd it appears that differences can be from minimal(likely on more GPU bound titles) to vast. Yet the bigger differences appear on titles that have higher fps. Maybe an average of 5 fps in difference. Maybe I wait for the next AMD CPU to drop? the 12 series is interesting but is suffering from 1st gen problems.

I also have the 8700k, running at 5ghz. Games are still running pretty well on it. But I think that an upgrade will be necessary towards the end of next year. Gonna wait and see what will drop.
 

Intel once again warns of chip shortage continuing until 2023​


At least another year of this.

As the Omicron variant spreads rapidly around the globe and hopes of a quick end to the pandemic fade into the rearview mirror, so too does our hope for a quick end to widespread chip supply shortages. Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger, in an interview with Nikkei Asia stated that he doesn't expect the ongoing chip shortage to ease before 2023. The plans for your new gaming rig might have to be delayed even longer.

Gelsinger's comments came during his South East Asia business trip, where Intel announced a 7.1B investment to expand its manufacturing in Malaysia. He teased even more Intel investment to come, saying: "I expect to announce our next major U.S. site and our next major European site in the near future as well." It's good to see all major semiconductor manufacturers taking some of their huge profits and investing them, so that the world has some buffer to protect against future supply shocks.

The problem is, these facilities don't just spring up overnight. Gelsinger himself said that additional manufacturing capacity can take at least three years to yield results. Intel's previously announced expansions in the USA, Israel and Ireland are still a long way from beginning production.

Several big tech CEOs have made statements over the last few months with predictions of supply improvements in 2022, or even oversupply, but with the Omicron variant rapidly spreading, it feels like expectations are being reset. There's a feeling of one step forward and two steps back. And it's not just the pandemic. There's the USA-China trade war, China-Taiwan and Russia-Ukraine concerns, protectionism and even weather, such as that which affected Texas earlier in 2021.

It's not all doom and gloom though. Disruptions to global supply chains are partly due to strict lockdowns and precautionary quarantines, something that governments are increasingly less likely to impose on a large scale. Keeping factories up and running is obviously critical for global supply chains. Malaysia's Senior Minister of International Trade and Industry Mohamed Azmin Ali stated: "I have assured Pat (Gelsinger) that there will be no longer lockdowns, only targeted ones." This seems to be a trend, especially since it's looking more and more like Covid-19 will become endemic.

Still, sadly, it seems as though a return to normalcy in 2022 is looking more and more unrealistic. Consoles continue to disappear as soon as they are listed, DDR5 memory is pretty much unavailable and the GPU story isn't going away. The GPU issue is as much a demand problem as it is a supply one. On that front, things should get better as mining demand begins to drop off as we get closer to Ethereum's planned shift to a Proof of Stake consensus mechanism.

The investments that began at the of the pandemic will gradually start to bear fruit in 2022 and 2023. Let's hope PC gamers have a happier 2022 holiday season. Building a new gaming rig right now isn't impossible, but it's still far more expensive than it should be.

Source: PC Gamer
 
"...hopes of a quick end to the pandemic..."

"And it's... even weather, such as that which affected Texas earlier in 2021."

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Oh screw off, PC Gamer. That isn't journalism. They could at least try to be a little creative with their marketing tricks, there's no effort at all here.

Intel's 12th gen chips are widely available and seeing minor price cuts in some places already.

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This is what happens when the masses ignore all the evidence before their eyes and blindly follow sociopathic liars for two straight years. There's blood in the water and everyone wants a bite.

I don't think this is going to work simply because everyone's trying to screw the little guy at the same time. GPUs, Z690 motherboards and DDR5 RAM aren't cheap, they've obviously chilled the PC building market. Even AMD's 5000 series CPUs are still easy to get ahold of after some significant price cuts.
 
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Microcenter is practically giving 12700Ks away at $300. The day after the price cut mine still had over 200 in stock. I bought one with an MSI Pro DDR4 motherboard, which was the only one they had other than a pair of ASRock's, which I've heard to avoid. I would've wanted a better MB to pair with a higher end CPU like this but it seems like this one should be fine.

Coming from a 4790k, my GTX 1080 got a nice framerate bump in Battlefield 2042 and even when it's in the lower frames I was seeing before, it's still noticeably much smoother. Nice to see my GPU utilization at 100% and CPU at 25% instead of the other way around in this game.

Windows 11 is alright, weird having everything in the task bar centered and a new start menu but it's cool.
 
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I'd upgrade my cpu, but I'd need to upgrade mobo and ram as well. And suddenly I'm so tired

Yeah, this is why I always have long periods of time between my CPU upgrades. Costs for a new mobo and new RAM, but also switching the parts - nah, I don't like that. Slapping in a new GPU is way less of a hassle.
 
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This video covers the specs, price, and release date of Intel's non-K CPUs, like the i5-12400F, i5-12400, i3-12300, i3-12100, and more. We'll also talk about the differences between the Z690 chipset and H670, B660, and H610 chipsets. This chipset comparison will help you evaluate whether it's worth the extra money to get Z690 versus one of the cheaper options.


 
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Intel has officially announced its new Core i9-12900KS processor, an unlocked version of its flagship Core i9-12900K that ups the maximum boosted clock speed even higher to 5.5GHz for what the company claims is "the world's fastest desktop processor" and "the ultimate gaming experience."

The Core i9-12900KS has a lot in common with its predecessors' hardware, including the same 16 cores (split up between eight Performance-cores and eight Efficient-cores) and 24 threads and 30MB of L3 cache memory. But Intel has boosted the base power from 125W to 150W and allowed the Core i9-12900KS to run unlocked, allowing it to hit up to 5.5GHz on up to two cores (compared to the maximum 5.2GHz speed on the regular i9-12900K).

For those keeping track at home, AMD also recently claimed the title of the "world's fasted gaming CPU" earlier in March when it announced the availability for its new Ryzen 7 5800X3D processor. Like Intel, AMD is offering a souped-up version of its older model (in this case, the Ryzen 7 5800), although AMD's differs by introducing a new, 3D V-Cache technology to deliver speeds that it claimed would be able to top the Core i9-12900K.

The Ryzen 7 5800X3D is significantly cheaper than the Core i9-12900KS, with a $449 price tag compared to Intel's $739 sticker price. But Intel does AMD solidly on sheer processing frequency — the Ryzen 7 5800X3D only touts a maximum boosted clock speed of 4.5GHz, compared to the 5.5GHz maximum speed on Intel's new chip.

How the Ryzen 7 5800X3D stacks up again the newly announced Core i9-12900KS, however, will have to wait until both chips arrive in April and can be put to the test head to head. AMD will also get another shot at the crown later this year, too, when its Ryzen 7000 desktop chips arrive in the second half of 2022.

The Core i9-12900KS will be available starting April 5th for a recommended consumer price of $739. That marks a significant increase over the recommended $589 price tag for the Core i9-12900K, which itself is almost impossible to find at Intel's recommended price (most retailers charge at least $600, if not more, for the Core i9-12900K today). In other words, you should probably expect to have to shell out some extra cash beyond that $739 number for the Core i9-12900KS when it arrives next month.
 
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