AMD Updates Ryzen Cell CPU Numbering System Forward of Mendocino APU Launch

Whereas all eyes are on the upcoming launch of AMD’s new Ryzen 7000 desktop processors, the chipmaker additionally has its wheels in movement for the way forward for its cellular product lineup. And whereas we’re nonetheless fairly a bit away from the primary Zen 4 cellular elements, extra instant on AMD’s roadmap is their Zen 2-based Mendocino SoC, which is geared toward mainstream laptops. Mendocino APUs are set to launch subsequent quarter, and to organize for that launch, AMD at this time is updating their cellular processor numbering scheme to accommodate these future merchandise.

The brief model of issues is that whereas the brand new numbering system is kind of much like AMD’s earlier system (e.g. Ryzen Cell 6000), the corporate is now dedicating a digit to characterize the model of the Zen structure used. With AMD set to have Zen 2 (Mendocino), Zen 3 (Rembrandt), and ultimately Zen 4 (Phoenix) cellular APUs all available on the market on the similar time, AMD has determined that they should higher disclose the structure used beneath – a “mandatory evil”, as former AnandTech CPU editor Dr. Ian Cutress put it, to keep away from any improprieties (perceived or in any other case) that AMD is deceptive prospects by providing a number of variations of the Zen structure.

So with out additional ado, right here is your decoder for AMD’s Ryzen Cell product line for the subsequent few years.

Ranging from the highest, the first digit is now explicitly a mannequin 12 months digit. AMD is choosing up from the place they left off right here with the present Ryzen Cell 6000 sequence merchandise, and beginning issues with the 7000 sequence for mannequin 12 months 2023 merchandise. It will, in flip, be incremented to eight after which 9 for mannequin 12 months 2024 and mannequin 12 months 2025 respectively.

“Mannequin 12 months” is the operative time period right here, because the Mendocino APUs can be the primary merchandise to make use of the brand new numbering system, despite the fact that they’re launching within the tail finish of 2022. So much like vehicles, AMD is operationally giving themselves some leeway to fold end-of-year merchandise into the next calendar 12 months.

In accordance with AMD’s APU mixing, this additionally offers AMD additional room to recycle/refresh present elements for future mannequin years by incrementing the mannequin 12 months quantity. To make sure, AMD is already doing this with elements just like the Renoir/Zen 2-based Ryzen Cell 5000 chips, which in flip has led to among the confusion AMD is trying to resolve with their new numbering system. A method or one other, OEMs need to have elements with “present” mannequin 12 months numbers, and as AMD isn’t going to be doing top-to-bottom overhauls of its cellular APU structure each single calendar 12 months, that is the compromise to permit AMD to refresh their {hardware} as improvement and market situations permit.

In the meantime the second digit is remaining because the market phase of the chip, indicating if it’s a Ryzen 3, 5, 7, or 9 half (or an Athlon Silver/Gold half). AMD has used this digit fairly loosely over time, broadly incrementing it for higher-segment elements, and that follow is ready to proceed below the brand new numbering system. Meaning 9 and seven will probably be Ryzen 9 and seven respectively, whereas 8 will probably be break up between each Ryzen 9 and Ryzen 7. In the meantime Ryzen 5 will use 5 and 6, and Ryzen 3 will use 3 and 4. Lastly, 1 and a pair of will probably be reserved for low-end Athlon Silver and Gold elements, respectively.

Following that, the third digit is the Zen structure model. This finally ends up being very easy, with every model of the Zen structure taking the matching worth, e.g. Zen 2 is a 2 and Zen 3 is a 3.

As said earlier, that is the largest and most vital change to AMD’s numbering scheme. With the upcoming launch of the Zen 2-based Mendocino APUs, it’s in AMD’s greatest pursuits to ensure they’re clearly disclosing the CPU structure getting used, so that buyers will not be being duped by considering they’re getting a chip based mostly on a more moderen structure like Zen 4. With AMD seemingly set to solely replace a fraction of its chip lineup every calendar 12 months – and the mannequin 12 months digit basically being nugatory for figuring out the structure used – that is how AMD will be capable to have a single product stack comprised of various chip architectures whereas nonetheless making the required disclosures to keep away from deceptive customers.

Rounding out the digits, the fourth digit is the characteristic isolation/minor efficiency phase for a chip. Even with 9 main market/peformance segments, AMD typically gives a few chips in every phase, and never all the time with an identical options. So, at any time when AMD’s product stack turns into deep sufficient that it ought to turn into mandatory, the fourth digit will probably be used as the ultimate ingredient to point whether or not that is the upper or decrease chip inside that market phase.

Notably, there are at the moment solely two values deliberate for the fourth digit: 0 and 5. 0 would be the decrease phase half, and 5 the quicker. And, ought to AMD must introduce a good finer diploma of differentiation, then there’s loads of room for added values.

AMD’s main instance, for the second, is utilizing this digit to distinguish between Barcelo (Zen3 + Vega) and Rembrandt (Zen3 + RDNA2) APUs, each of which will probably be bought as a part of the Ryzen Cell 7000 sequence. Since each are based mostly on the Zen 3 CPU structure, structure alone can’t be used to distinguish the chips. And fairly than taking part in video games with the most important phase to attempt to separate the 2 chips (e.g. making Rembrandt solely Ryzen 7 and Barcelo solely Ryzen 5), AMD as an alternative makes use of the fourth digit to mark which chip is which.

Observe that AMD can even be doing this with Zen 4 Ryzen Cell elements, as Phoenix and Dragon Vary will each be Zen 4 elements with totally different options. On this case, the high-end Dragon Vary elements will take up the xxx5 digit. This additionally implies that between the third and fourth digits, each structure/platform could have its personal two digit mixture, be is 7×20 for Mendocino, 7×35 for Rembrandt, or 7×40 for Phoenix.

Lastly, the suffix will proceed to point the TDP of the chip. That is unchanged from AMD’s present use of suffixes. So HX would be the top-end 55W+ elements, HS the 35W elements, U the 15-28W elements, and lower-case e their 9W elements meant for fanless laptops. AMD is dropping the H suffix, nevertheless; whereas the corporate doesn’t speak about future merchandise, it is a less-than-subtle trace that the 45W SKUs are going away in favor of sustaining clear groupings of 55W and 35W elements.

In the meantime SKUs particularly aimed for Chromebooks can even retain their C suffix to distinguish them from AMD’s regular chips designed for full-fledged laptops. For the second, all of AMD’s Chromebook chips are 15-28W.

Taken altogether, it’s straightforward sufficient to see/venture how future AMD chips will probably be numbered. A rebadged model of the Rembrandt-based Ryzen 7 6800HS, for instance, would find yourself being one thing just like the Ryzen 7 7735HS. Becoming a member of that, a Mendocino chip would find yourself being alongside the traces of the Ryzen 3 7320. And farther down the road when AMD launches their Zen 4 cellular APUs, you’ll have one thing just like the Ryzen 9 7945HX (to be bought alongside the marginally slower Ryzen 9 7845HX and the decrease energy Ryzen 9 7940HS). And brought to an absurd diploma, this method does give AMD room to do some significantly loopy mixtures, reminiscent of resurrecting the Zen+ based mostly Picasso in 2025 for the Ryzen 9 9915HX.

Pragmatically talking, in the event you’re not a daily AnandTech reader you’re unlikely to recollect the complete scope of AMD’s cellular chip numbering system – and even AMD is aware of as a lot. However by utilizing a constant numbering system that progressively will increase in worth with the efficiency of a chip, AMD must be higher in a position to talk what’s below the hood and the way their chips are supposed to evaluate to one another.

Pictured Above: A Ryzen Cell decoder wheel AMD distributed to the press. It is much less daunting than it appears