News Smach Z Gets More Powerful Ryzen Embedded CPU, 32GB RAM and 480GB SSD

[Admin]

The Smach Team has announced an improved version of the Smach Z handheld gaming console.

Smach Z Gets More Powerful Ryzen Embedded CPU, 32GB RAM and 480GB SSD : Read more

 

[GetSmart]

The reality at Gamescom 2019, such as sudden shutdown while playing Doom 2016.

Many visitors experienced game crashing or would not start, and always running out of battery charge too quickly like this video with sudden black screen because of "empty battery" (can read the entire account of what happened at his blog. Also cannot charge while playing any game at the same time.

 

[mihen]

I wonder why they went with the 32GB of slower ram over less faster ram for an IGP. Maybe they didn't need the bandwidth under the power constraints. 32GB seems a bit high for this type of system.

 

[GetSmart]

I wonder why they went with the 32GB of slower ram over less faster ram for an IGP. Maybe they didn't need the bandwidth under the power constraints. 32GB seems a bit high for this type of system.

Integrated GPUs always performs better with faster memory. As for that 32GB memory, the battery runtime only lasts 74 minutes (tested by Youtube reviewer The Phawx) and that is with AMD Ryzen Embedded V1605B SoC. Well, just imagine how the battery runtime would be like with an "upgraded" AMD Ryzen Embedded V1807B SoC.

 

[Rogue Leader]

Nothing like upgrading the CPU/GPU on vaporware.

I'll eat my hat if this thing ever sees retail.

 

[GetSmart]

Nothing like upgrading the CPU/GPU on vaporware.

This move, in my opinion, feels more like Smach Z is trying to bring back some attention (includes marketing reach) to their stillborn project. Here are some account from the person who captured on video that sudden shutdown. Yet more account from the same person at Gamescom 2019 also. Very similar to that blog posted earlier.

I'll eat my hat if this thing ever sees retail.

There is a way to know whether Smach Z is in manufacturing or not. Cannot reveal here at the moment, but you can PM me at the Discord if you are curious.

 

[cryoburner]

"Estimated delivery Apr 2017"

I think they're more than a little overdue. : P

When they announced switching to the V1605B nearly a year and a half ago in early 2018, they were supposedly nearly ready to release the device then. According to Tom's Hardware's article...

The Smach Z development team told us that the device is currently undergoing final fixes and tweaks, and will soon head into the manufacturing phase with the goal of starting shipment in May. Mass shipment is planned to follow in July.

As for the hardware updates...

Logic tells us that the move from the V1605B to the V1807B should increase pricing across all three Smach Z models.

Logic tells me that this first-gen 14nm Ryzen embedded hardware has now been out for a while, and they may be able to get the V1807B for a similar price to what the V1605B would have cost over a year ago. I wouldn't be surprised if we saw 7nm Zen2 embedded processors before too long. Perhaps they actually intend on moving to one of those chips?

Going with anything more than 16GB of RAM seems a bit silly for a device like this though. Current games are unlikely to benefit from more, and any future titles that eventually do would probably not run acceptably on this hardware anyway. Sure, RAM might cost less than half of what it did when these specs were last updated, but having extra ram drawing power and doing little else is probably less than ideal in a portable device with limited battery capacity.

 

[GetSmart]

"Estimated delivery Apr 2017"

I think they're more than a little overdue. : P

When they announced switching to the V1605B nearly a year and a half ago in early 2018, they were supposedly nearly ready to release the device then. According to Tom's Hardware's article...

Just more continuous delays and those shipping estimates are examples of their numerous lies since their KickStarter campaign started. Smach Z had no concrete plans to get into manufacturing anytime soon during those yesteryears (heck they did not have any assembly facility nor factory until year 2019).

As for the hardware updates...

Logic tells me that this first-gen 14nm Ryzen embedded hardware has now been out for a while, and they may be able to get the V1807B for a similar price to what the V1605B would have cost over a year ago. I wouldn't be surprised if we saw 7nm Zen2 embedded processors before too long. Perhaps they actually intend on moving to one of those chips?

Highly unlikely because if it was that simple then Smach Z would have updated to one of those newer AMD Picasso generation SoCs. The biggest problem with Smach Z is their terrible choice and transfixation on using embedded SoCs instead of mobile SoCs since their very first failed KickStarter campaign (with AMD Embedded G-Series SoC). Likewise that embedded SoC choice continued in their current KickStarter campaign (first with AMD Embedded R-Series RX-421BD and later moving to AMD Ryzen Embedded V1605B). And the result of that terrible choice is noticeable, especially with that custom battery meter software (in other words not part of Windows mobile power management). Switching to a newer 7nm SoC will impose even more lengthy delays, not just from development side (which Smach Z is notorious slow) but they would wait for the embedded version which usually arrives much later than the mobile versions (just look at the length of time from AMD's Ryzen mobile launch until AMD's Ryzen Embedded launch). Heck have not seen embedded versions of AMD's Picasso generation SoCs yet..

Going with anything more than 16GB of RAM seems a bit silly for a device like this though. Current games are unlikely to benefit from more, and any future titles that eventually do would probably not run acceptably on this hardware anyway. Sure, RAM might cost less than half of what it did when these specs were last updated, but having extra ram drawing power and doing little else is probably less than ideal in a portable device with limited battery capacity.

That's only a very small part of Smach Z's problem (can be remedied by changing the memory configuration). There is an amateurish mistake (which I'm not going to reveal yet) as well.

 

[urbanman2004]

Unfortunately, the Steam Deck took the wind out of their sails...