Intel announces laptop gaming chips with AMD Radeon graphics

[QuorTek]

Think the AMD models is the road ahead in general, rest is just getting their stuff under control and I really believe we are going into a new era of awesoem tech and maybe getting away from the ancient ways of what we have now from companies in general.

[scaryjim]

... This won't compete with Raven Ridge ...

I assume you mean it'll be in much higher priced laptops than Raven Ridge, rather than it won't have as good performance!?

I certainly imagine it will encourage more OEMs to provide gaming laptops with AMD graphics, as long as Intel are sensible about what CPUs they couple it with...

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

I assume you mean it'll be in much higher priced laptops than Raven Ridge, rather than it won't have as good performance!?

I certainly imagine it will encourage more OEMs to provide gaming laptops with AMD graphics, as long as Intel are sensible about what CPUs they couple it with...

Why would it compete though?? Look at the pricing of the Intel parts with eDRAM - this part will have multiple dies and HBM2 so is more comparable to an Intel CPU,and an AMD dGPU with expensive onboard memory. It will be more like a proper dGPU setup for higher end laptops,where AMD would struggle to get into most situations when compared to Nvidia anyway,especially since Nvidia has most of the mobile dGPU marketshare. The fact is,it is far cheaper for companies to update their current Intel based laptops with a pin compatible Nvidia dGPU rather than redesign it for an AMD dGPU which is not going to probably beat it in performance/watt anyway.

When it comes to using the IGP with bog standard system RAM,AMD is still going to be ahead of Intel and this is a much larger volume area,rather than dGPUs in laptops which are significantly less volume.

[scaryjim]

That would assume that AMD are making the GPU rather than licensing the design, which from the text of the press release it sounds like the GPU is an Intel designed part. That raises the question, what clock rate can a Vega GPU hit on an Intel 10nm process??

Hmmm, that's not how I read it - in particular the description as a "custom-to-Intel third party discrete graphics chip" (emphasis mine, obvs. ) suggests to me that Intel will simply be buying chips from AMD, rather than licensing a design and then fabbing it themselves. Be interesting to see which way they actually go...

... I just hope Intel aren't writing the drivers!

Well, they're definitely writing the ones that control the power management and inter-chip communication... Given it's a Radeon graphics component though, you'd hope they'll be getting AMD to provide the graphics drivers...!

[Bagnaj97]

Something, something, "glued together"

[watercooled]

Wait, didn't Intel go on-record saying such rumours were untrue? http://www.barrons.com/articles/inte...ogy-1495064908

What's the official word for 'lying through their teeth'?

[scaryjim]

Wait, didn't Intel go on-record saying such rumours were untrue?

Erm, yeah, they said they hadn't "licensed AMD's graphics technologies". Which, as far as I can tell, still stands. They've simply purchased a graphics chip from AMD to arrange in a heterogenous MCM.

I note no-one's claiming they licensed HBM2, for instance...? Same difference.

[flufflogic]

Between this and Disney naming a price for all of Fox bar their sports and news divisions, it has been a super weird day.

[OilSheikh]

Radeon express returns with HyperMemory ?

[DanceswithUnix]

Erm, yeah, they said they hadn't "licensed AMD's graphics technologies". Which, as far as I can tell, still stands. They've simply purchased a graphics chip from AMD to arrange in a heterogenous MCM.

From the "article":

... , we worked with the team at AMD’s Radeon Technologies Group. In close collaboration, we designed a new semi-custom graphics chip, which means this is also a great example of how we can compete and work together, ...

Note "we designed" which sounds to me like an Intel chip, with Intel inter-die comms protocols and bought in graphics core. Even if it was an AMD design, surely Intel would fab the thing, they have spare capacity including at 14nm I expect if they wanted though I suspect they will want 10nm power savings.

[scaryjim]

... Note "we designed" which sounds to me like an Intel chip, with Intel inter-die comms protocols and bought in graphics core. ...

*shrug* perhaps, but that sounds like a change of working process for AMD's semi-custom group if it's the case. AFAICT the only thing Intel about the graphics block is going to be the interconnect to the CPU via whatever substrate they're using, and even that could just be a special use of PCIe. The fact that Intel designed the chip with AMD/RTG's semi-custom group doesn't mean it isn't still essentially an AMD chip.

Intel have explicitly said they haven't licensed AMD's graphics technology, and they've described the GPU in these packages as a "third party discrete graphics chip". Neither of which would be true under the scenario where this is an Intel chip using licensed AMD technology. Now, I'm as cynical as most people about the likelihood of Intel giving us the whole story, but when there's a very simple and logical alternative scenario that fits the available information....

[Xlucine]

"close collaboration" isn't a very definitive statement - it could mean anything from intel and AMD combining the best bits of their graphics IP in one chip, up to AMD just giving intel a pinout and a crate of engineering samples

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

The specs have been leaked and a few benchmarks:

https://wccftech.com/intel-kaby-lake...pecifications/

1536 shaders?? WTF??

[Xlucine]

Somewhere between a 560 and 570 isn't bad for an iGPU - that's probably about 1050 level, and don't thin&light laptops normally sport an MX150?

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

This poster has been accurate in the past with certain leaks:

https://forums.anandtech.com/threads...#post-39157213

That 3DMark score does seem pretty high!! I will need to see it to believe it!!

[lumireleon]

no wonder Raja-K took a holiday off until January....all was done with Vega