AMD has unveiled its latest addition to the Zen 4 family, the Ryzen Embedded 7000 series processors. These socketed CPUs are designed for embedded and edge applications in the 60~105 Watt space. The Ryzen Embedded 7000 series processors offer significant improvements over the previous generation Ryzen Embedded 5000 series parts. They feature up to 12 cores and 24 threads, TDPs ranging from 65 to 105 Watts, support for DDR5-5200 ECC memory, up to 28 lanes on-chip for PCIe Gen5, and integrated RDNA2 graphics. AMD is committed to providing up to seven years of support for these processors. Linux, particularly Ubuntu, is the preferred operating system for these embedded processors.

The Ryzen Embedded 7000 series processors come with a range of models, from the Ryzen Embedded 7645 to the Ryzen Embedded 7700X. The flagship model, the Ryzen Embedded 7945, is a 65 Watt part with 12 cores, 24 threads, a base frequency of 3.7GHz, a boost frequency of 5.4GHz, and 64MB L3 cache. Unfortunately, there are no technical benchmarks available yet, but AMD claims significant performance advantages over Intel Raptor Lake on Windows.

The chipset options for the Ryzen Embedded 7000 series are the X600, B650, and X670. It is worth noting that these processors do not have Ryzen AI, although there is a possibility that future generations may support it on Linux.

Overall, the AMD Ryzen Embedded 7000 series processors offer a powerful and efficient solution for embedded and edge applications. With their improved performance and support for Linux, they are likely to find popularity in the embedded space.

Source: Phoronix.

GEEKOM has released the A5, a mini PC powered by an AMD Ryzen 7 5800H processor, with 32GB RAM and a 512GB SSD.

The GEEKOM A5 mini PC boasts impressive features, including support for up to four 4K displays through two HDMI 2.0 outputs and two USB-C (USB 3.2 Gen 2) ports. It also offers 2.5Gbps Ethernet and WiFi 6 networking capabilities. The mini PC is equipped with three USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, one USB 2.0 port, and a 3.5mm audio jack.

Here are the detailed specifications of the GEEKOM A5 mini PC:

• SoC – AMD Ryzen 7 5800H 8-core/16-thread processor up to 3.2 GHz / 4.4 GHz (Turbo) with 16MB cache, AMD Radeon Vega 8 Graphics; TDP: 35W
• System Memory – 32GB RAM via dual-channel DDR4-3200 SODIMM
• Storage:
  • 512GB M.2 2280 PCIe Gen 3×4 NVMe SSD, upgradable to 2TB NVMe or SATA SSD
  • 2.5-inch SATA HDD slot (7mm thick max) up to 2TB
  • Full-size SD card slot
• Video Output:
  • 2 x HDMI 2.0 ports up to 4Kp60Hz
  • 2x DisplayPort via USB Type-C ports up to 8Kp30
• Audio – 3.5mm audio jack, digital audio via HDMI and USB-C
• Networking:
  • 2.5GbE RJ45 port
  • WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2
• USB:
  • 3x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports
  • 1x USB 2.0 Type-A port
  • 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C ports with DisplayPort alt mode
• Misc – Power button, Kensington Lock slot
• Power Supply – 19V/6.32A (120W Power Adapter) via DC jack
• Dimensions – 117 x 112 x 49.2 mm
• Weight – 652 grams

The GEEKOM A5 mini PC comes with an activated version of Windows 11 Pro and several accessories, including a user guide, a VESA mount, an HDMI cable, and a 120W power adapter. We had the opportunity to review a sample unit of the A5, and we can confirm that it utilizes a 512GB Lexar NVMe (PCIe Gen 3 x4) SSD, as shown in the teardown photos.

Overall, the GEEKOM A5 mini PC offers good specifications and features at an affordable price point. It seems like a good option for those interested in a low power server.

AMD has released its latest mobile chips, the Ryzen 5 7545U and Ryzen 3 7440U, which are the first laptop processors to feature AMD’s new Zen 4c CPU cores. These cores were previously seen in the EPYC server chips and the entry-level AMD Ryzen Z1 chip for handheld gaming PCs. The Zen 4c cores offer most of the same features as Zen 4 cores but take up less space and run at lower speeds. AMD claims that the Zen 4c cores take up 35% less physical space than Zen 4, allowing for more cores in the same amount of space or the same number of cores in a smaller space.

The Ryzen 5 7545U and Ryzen 3 7440U chips replace the previous Ryzen 5 7540U and Ryzen 3 7440U Phoenix chips. The new chips still have the same number of CPU cores (6 for Ryzen 5 and 4 for Ryzen 3), but now some of those cores are Zen 4c chips, which should bring efficiency improvements and similar performance at lower power levels. The top speeds for the Zen 4c cores are not known, but they are estimated to be about 30% slower than Zen 4 cores.

The updated Ryzen 7040U lineup includes the following chips:

• Ryzen 7 7840U: 8 x Zen 4 cores, 8 / 16 cores / threads, 3.3 GHz / 5.1 GHz base / boost CPU frequency, 24MB cache, Radeon 780M graphics, DDR5 / LPDDR5 RAM, USB4 support, 15-30W TDP.
• Ryzen 5 7640U: 6 x Zen 4 cores, 6 / 12 cores / threads, 3.5 GHz / 4.9 GHz base / boost CPU frequency, 22MB cache, Radeon 760M graphics, DDR5 / LPDDR5 RAM, USB4 support, 15-30W TDP.
• Ryzen 5 7540U: 6 x Zen 4 cores, 6 / 12 cores / threads, 3.2 GHz / 4.9 GHz base / boost CPU frequency, 22MB cache, Radeon 740M graphics, DDR5 / LPDDR5 RAM, USB4 support, 15-30W TDP.
• Ryzen 5 7545U: 2 x Zen 4 cores, 4 x Zen 4c cores, 6 / 12 cores / threads, 3.2 GHz / 4.9 GHz base / boost CPU frequency, 22MB cache, Radeon 740M graphics, DDR5 / LPDDR5 RAM, USB4 support, 15-30W TDP.
• Ryzen 3 7440U (old): 4 x Zen 4 cores, 4 / 8 cores / threads, 3 GHz / 4.7 GHz base / boost CPU frequency, 12MB cache, Radeon 740M graphics, DDR5 / LPDDR5 RAM, USB4 support, 15-30W TDP.
• Ryzen 3 7440U (new): 1 x Zen 4 core, 3 x Zen 4c cores, 4 / 8 cores / threads, 3 GHz / 4.7 GHz base / boost CPU frequency, 12MB cache, Radeon 740M graphics, DDR5 / LPDDR5 RAM, USB4 support, 15-30W TDP.

Source: Liliputing.

AMD has announced the release of the Ryzen Threadripper 7000 series, bringing significant updates to their Threadripper processors. The new series offers up to 96 Zen 4 cores, requiring RDIMM memory for Threadripper platforms moving forward. This update caters to both high-end desktop (HEDT) enthusiasts and professionals.

Compared to the previous Threadripper PRO 5000 series processors, the Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7000 WX-Series is a substantial upgrade. While the previous series topped out at 64 cores and 128 threads, the new series allows for up to 96 cores and 192 threads, matching the core counts found in AMD’s EPYC Genoa processors. The Zen 4 Threadripper processors can clock up to 5.3GHz, offer up to 384MB of cache, and include features like AVX-512 and 128 PCIe 5.0 lanes.

The Threadripper PRO 7000 WX-Series parts can reach up to 350 Watts. The AMD Ryzen Threadripper 7000 series processors are in a league of their own at the top-end. Intel currently does not have any Core i9 Extreme Edition processors, and their much-delayed Intel Xeon W-3400 series only goes up to 56 cores. Even if one were to consider the Xeon Scalable “Sapphire Rapids,” there is still a core count limitation. The Threadripper 7000 series processors are expected to provide an interesting battle against the Xeon Scalable processors, especially the Xeon Max.

The AMD Ryzen Threadripper 7000 series is divided into separate platforms for PRO and HEDT. The Threadripper PRO platform, with the WRX90 chipset, offers PRO manageability features, 8-channel memory support, 148 PCIe lanes, and support for Threadripper PRO processors. In the HEDT space, there is the TRX50 chipset, which lacks PRO management features, supports only four-channel memory, has 92 PCIe lanes, and is compatible with both PRO and HEDT Threadripper processors.

The Ryzen Threadripper 7000 series (non-PRO) includes processors with up to 64 cores. The Threadripper 7980X, with a 350 Watt TDP and a maximum turbo boost of 5.1GHz, leads the non-PRO line-up. Other options include the 24-core Threadripper 7960 and the 32-core Threadripper 7970X.

Source: Phoronix.

Phoronix reports that Linux will now indicate via /proc/cpuinfo if AMD virtualization (SVM) is disabled. This is a quality of life improvement for home lab virtualization when using AMD CPUs. Previously, checking for the presence of Intel virtualization support and its status could easily be done by looking at the flags in /proc/cpuinfo. However, SVM was always shown in /proc/cpuinfo regardless of whether it was disabled in the BIOS. This oversight is finally being corrected in the upcoming Linux 6.7 kernel cycle, with the possibility of back-porting the fix to existing kernel series.

The patch, developed by Red Hat’s Paolo Bonzini, has been queued into TIP’s x86/cpu branch. This patch will now read the appropriate MSR to verify if SVM has been disabled on AMD and Hygon processors. If SVM is disabled, the CPU capability will be cleared, and it will no longer show in /proc/cpuinfo. Previously, the only indication of AMD SVM being disabled was appearing in the kernel log or KVM virtualization failing to work. This small but useful change makes it much easier to check if virtualization is available via the widely-used /proc/cpuinfo interface.

Source: Phoronix.

Linux 6.5 now defaults to the AMD P-State EPP driver for Zen 2 and newer Ryzen systems, as long as the system supports ACPI CPPC. However, the AMD EPYC server processors still continue to use ACPI CPUFreq by default. Given the increasing interest in the AMD Ryzen 7000 series for budget and small-to-medium-sized business (SMB) servers, the performance impact of Linux 6.5 with more server workloads was analyzed.

Phoronix has tested the changes, and testing was conducted comparing the performance of Linux 6.4 against Linux 6.5, both out-of-the-box and using the Ubuntu Mainline Kernel PPA for easy reproducibility. The default change involves going from ACPI CPUFreq Schedutil to AMD P-State EPP with the powersave governor. Additional tests were done with the performance governor for maximum performance. AMD P-State is available on earlier Linux kernel versions but is not set to be used out-of-the-box until Linux 6.5 and later. The testing was done using the ASRock Rack 1U4LW-B650/2L2T, a 1U Ryzen AM5 server platform that supports Ryzen 7000 series processors and ECC memory. No other changes were made to the server during testing, except for swapping out the Linux kernel and running secondary tests with the performance governor. The CPU clock frequency differences in the automated system table were minimal and did not affect the testing results.

The article provides valuable insights for those interested in using Ryzen processors for server applications.

Source: Phoronix.