News PS5 CPU Inside? AMD Says Eighty 4700S Systems Coming

[Admin]

AMD says that eighty systems based on its shadowy 4700S Desktop Kit are coming from SIs.

PS5 CPU Inside? AMD Says Eighty 4700S Systems Coming : Read more

 

[Valantar]

The die size alone tells us that this is a partially disabled PS5 chip. The GPU is something like 2/3rds of the area of that die. Making a semi-custom variant of that - a new silicon design, something that costs millions if not billions of dollars to make a reality - without a GPU but at the same die size makes absolutely zero sense, especially in a supply constrained situation like today. If such a thing was made - which is highly unlikely, after all they have APU designs already, they could just use one of those instead, which are cheaper, smaller, and faster - there is no way on earth they wouldn't cut out the gpu entirely. They're not making a design with 66% blank silicon - they're not that stupid.

 

[deesider]

It would be a pity if they don't release a version with some type of iGPU enabled, even if it is only a portion of the original. Unless it would not be compatible with standard DDR memory?

 

[saunupe1911]

This will make for an awesome micro PC with a handle case that can be used for traveling when you need something more powerful than a gaming laptop.

 

[Jim90]

Makes sense that these may well be chips that didn't meet the full requirements for the PS5 and so this is one way to avoid throwing away 100% of the cost. If, on the other hand, these components would have been suitable for the PS5 then I guess a polite WTF would be in order, given the shocking difficulty - still - of actually purchasing a one...but methinks that wouldn't scenario make sense...surely?

 

[mdd1963]

"EIghty 4700S Systems Coming!"

Do they mean simply 80 total units?

Or perhaps 80 different models/configurations?

 

[jasonelmore]

So AMD gets to keep PS5 wafer defects and sell them? I was under the impression that manufacturers like Sony purchase these chips by the wafer, rather than by how many chips are functional. Perhaps these custom silicon contacts are different or I'm mistaken, but it seems odd to me AMD would have the right to sell a Sony-designed custom SoC.

 

[digitalgriffin]

I was excited about this until I realized it's hampered graphically so it can't be a cheap gaming machine.

And you have to add an expensive graphics card running on a 4x slot. So you are hampered there. You can't add sata/M2/no cards for Nas and firewalls like pfSense.

Grab a 3000g/3200g/3400g and be done with it for less money and more flexibility. Or a 3600 overclocked with a good graphics card for above the same money.

 

[digitalgriffin]

So AMD gets to keep PS5 wafer defects and sell them? I was under the impression that manufacturers like Sony purchase these chips by the wafer, rather than by how many chips are functional. Perhaps these custom silicon contacts are different or I'm mistaken, but it seems odd to me AMD would have the right to sell a Sony-designed custom SoC.

Nope. It's by working chips or units and are often sold in trays.

 

[Jim90]

Nope. It's by working chips or units and are often sold in trays.

That's what I was thinking too, though without knowing the details I'm wondering if Sony's IP input into the APU design would be more controlled in favour of Sony...to 'some' extent?
That aside, it would be interesting to know just how tied AMD still are - if at all - to fulfilling the PS5 and XBox contracts? Have they completed both requirements? If yes, should we be expecting the rest of their portfolio to be getting ramped up by now?....particularly their 6xxx GPU series? (we're still not really seeing that - it's too early to say if the crypto crash is the primary reason for any perceived current change)

 

[Valantar]

It would be a pity if they don't release a version with some type of iGPU enabled, even if it is only a portion of the original. Unless it would not be compatible with standard DDR memory?

Given that the PS5's GPU is semi-custom and not a straightforward RDNA2 design, driver support would be absolute hell. I don't see them making bespoke gpu drivers for a low volume non-standard GPU any time soon.

 

[hotaru.hino]

It would be a pity if they don't release a version with some type of iGPU enabled, even if it is only a portion of the original. Unless it would not be compatible with standard DDR memory?

It's not compatible because the APU's memory controller is built for GDDR6. To swap to DDR would require a new chip design.

EDIT: or have an intermediary chip, but that requires a new design since nobody (AFAIK) makes a GDDR to DDR converter.

That's what I was thinking too, though without knowing the details I'm wondering if Sony's IP input into the APU design would be more controlled in favour of Sony...to 'some' extent?

I don't think Sony has any real IP hold on the APU, considering the Xbox Series APUs are basically the same thing but with different RDNA CU counts and clock speeds. If anything, Sony and Microsoft are simply asking AMD if they can deliver a part based on some requirements. Sony and Microsoft can slap their names on it if they want to, but there's nothing stopping AMD from doing what they want with the chips themselves.

 

[cryoburner]

I don't think Sony has any real IP hold on the APU, considering the Xbox Series APUs are basically the same thing but with different RDNA CU counts and clock speeds. If anything, Sony and Microsoft are simply asking AMD if they can deliver a part based on some requirements. Sony and Microsoft can slap their names on it if they want to, but there's nothing stopping AMD from doing what they want with the chips themselves.

I suspect Sony may have an agreement with AMD not to sell PS5 chips with the graphics portion enabled. Otherwise, we would probably see processors like this with at least some of the graphics hardware intact. Even if there were not enough working cores available to perform like a PS5, (roughly equivalent to a 5700 XT or 2070), there would still be a lot of room for them to disable cores and release processors with integrated hardware on par with mid-range to lower-end dedicated cards, well above what their current APUs can do. And since these are being sold as nonstandard hardware on special boards utilizing GDDR6 for system memory, you wouldn't have the memory system holding back what that hardware could do. It would likely make for a viable product for compact gaming systems, and I wouldn't expect it to be too hard for them to get that hardware working with Radeon Drivers.

 

[hotaru.hino]

I suspect Sony may have an agreement with AMD not to sell PS5 chips with the graphics portion enabled. Otherwise, we would probably see processors like this with at least some of the graphics hardware intact. Even if there were not enough working cores available to perform like a PS5, (roughly equivalent to a 5700 XT or 2070), there would still be a lot of room for them to disable cores and release processors with integrated hardware on par with mid-range to lower-end dedicated cards, well above what their current APUs can do. And since these are being sold as nonstandard hardware on special boards utilizing GDDR6 for system memory, you wouldn't have the memory system holding back what that hardware could do. It would likely make for a viable product for compact gaming systems, and I wouldn't expect it to be too hard for them to get that hardware working with Radeon Drivers.

It would make sense to neuter something about the APUs before selling them off to avoid making a "competing product" or something. After all the last thing you want your supplier to do is become a manufacturer of the kind of thing you're trying to sell.

 

[renz496]

So AMD gets to keep PS5 wafer defects and sell them? I was under the impression that manufacturers like Sony purchase these chips by the wafer, rather than by how many chips are functional. Perhaps these custom silicon contacts are different or I'm mistaken, but it seems odd to me AMD would have the right to sell a Sony-designed custom SoC.

probably AMD make some deal with sony. sony probably will not going to pay defective unit but in turn they allow AMD to sell those defective unit....as long as they disable the GPU portion completely.