[SOLVED] Will we get to see a Ryzen 4000 desktop APU?

thisisarnab.me

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Hey guys,

I need to build a rig for my girlfriend that will be focused on graphix designing, photoshop and a bit of gaming. I have a ryzen build with 3400g and wish to make another one for her but I just read about AMD's confirmation about the new Ryzen 4000 series mobile APUs. So my questions are as follow-

  1. Will the CES 2020 get to see 4000 series desktop APUs? If not what is the expected timeline?
  2. I've read about the rumours about the 4000 series be coming with 7nm and vega 10 graphics. If so, then will a vega 11 of 3400g be more efficient?
  3. Will 7nm make much of a difference?

Thanks in advance.
 
Solution
The Renoir APUs are expected to have more cores and cache than Picasso, so the CPU performance should be significantly better.

Based on how spotty out-of-the-box support for 3rd-gen still is on boards besides X570, it may be a while before you can pick up from a decent selection of boards able to run 4000-series APUs out-of-the-box.

thisisarnab.me

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The Renoir APUs are expected to have more cores and cache than Picasso, so the CPU performance should be significantly better.

Based on how spotty out-of-the-box support for 3rd-gen still is on boards besides X570, it may be a while before you can pick up from a decent selection of boards able to run 4000-series APUs out-of-the-box.
So that implies the upcoming B550 series won't be the immediate solution? I heard rumours about 2020 be the end of the street for AM4. I am willing to wait, but what about graphix solution? If the graphix solution is not improved I might go for the 3400g. What do you think?
 
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So that implies the upcoming B550 series won't be the immediate solution? I heard rumours about 2020 be the end of the street for AM4. I am willing to wait, but what about graphix solution? If the graphix solution is not improved I might go for the 3400g. What do you think?

AMD did announce they would "continue support" for AM4 until 2020. What was not said is they would definitely stop support or never make another processor for it after 2020.

But also unclear is just what "continue to support" means. It could mean nothing more than providing AGESA updates relevant to existing chipsets and processors without adding anything new for the platform.

I personally don't think it's wise to make any plans based on that statement.

I think AMD is looking to see just what Intel does with their new GPU technology. I can imagine it an interesting announcement release for Intel's new processors with integrated graphics if overshadowed by a pending AMD release of an APU with NAVI based iGPU. Just a for instance.
 
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thisisarnab.me

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AMD did announce they would "continue support" for AM4 until 2020. What was not said is they would definitely stop support or never make another processor for it after 2020.

But also unclear is just what "continue to support" means. It could mean nothing more than providing AGESA updates relevant to existing chipsets and processors without adding anything new for the platform.

I personally don't think it's wise to make any plans based on that statement.

I think AMD is looking to see just what Intel does with their new GPU technology. I can imagine it an interesting announcement release for Intel's new processors with integrated graphics if overshadowed by a pending AMD release of an APU with NAVI based iGPU. Just a for instance.
Even AGESA support until 2020 works fine for me. My best guess is there is no need to ditch AM4 at least until Zen 4 in 2021. The rig stays intact at least for 3-4 years. However could you guys shed some light on the graphix solution of the Renoir APUs comparing to the Picasso? If rumours are true then Vega 10 will be used in the upcoming APUs. Will it be wise to ditch vega11?
 
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thisisarnab.me

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That will depend on whether AMD will delay the 550 chipset long enough for board manufacturers to have time to include 4000-series APU support in launch BIOSes.
Sounds about right but seems that's not gonna happen. I guess just gotta wait through 2019 to get some insights about the graphix components of the 4000 series. Thanks for the insights.
 

thisisarnab.me

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You could get a Ryzen 2600 + a B450 mobo + some cheap GPU (with no external power cable). That way you will have more cores and threads than a 3400 APU and probably a better GPU (I guess something like an AMD RX 560 with 2GB/4GB DDR5).

But I can understand how Ryzen 4xxxG Apus could sound very apealling.
Lol yeah, a discrete gpu may be in future, but for now, can't reallly ignore the temptation.
 
Lol yeah, a discrete gpu may be in future, but for now, can't reallly ignore the temptation.


As others wrote already, theres no real way to know at ths point if or when the zen2 apus may launch.
If I were on AMD making decisions, I would try to have a new APU launched (based on zen2 - 7nm node) for AM4 socket around June~August 2020. Not because AMD need it, but because it will be a good option that may turn a lot of people on them while intel keep lacking cheap new CPUs/iGPU.

Sorry if im not clear enough, english is not my native language.
 
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thisisarnab.me

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As others wrote already, theres no real way to know at ths point if or when the zen2 apus may launch.
If I were on AMD making decisions, I would try to have a new APU launched (based on zen2 - 7nm node) for AM4 socket around June~August 2020. Not because AMD need it, but because it will be a good option that may turn a lot of people on them while intel keep lacking cheap new CPUs/iGPU.

Sorry if im not clear enough, english is not my native language.
Yeah okay I'll keep heads up for the Q2. Although 7nm is great but hoping for a better graphix solution. Your English does the job just fine. Thanks for the insights. 🙂
 
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