amd mobile processor line. The most powerful mobile processors

Now smartphones can process a mountain of information if desired. Their processor power is enough to solve absolutely any problem. At the same time, modern chipsets consume a minimal amount of electricity, for which we should thank the improved technical process. Our rating of smartphone processors will tell you about the most powerful and interesting models. Devices based on them can be blamed for anything, but certainly not for lack of power!

Good to know!

Samsung Exynos 9820

• Year of manufacture: 2019
• Technical process: 8 nm
• Architecture: 2*Custom + 2*Cortex A75+ 4*Cortex A55
• Video accelerator: Mali-G76 MP12

Geekbench result: 4382/9570 points

An interesting fact was the appearance of the Samsung chipset in third place as the most powerful processor. Previously, the company’s solutions in synthetic tests were inferior not only to Qualcomm, but also to Huawei, but in this case the Koreans’ numbers were higher.

The new product is built on an 8-nanometer technical process, the cores are divided into 3 groups - two proprietary fourth-generation cores, two productive Cortex A75 and four energy-efficient Cortex A55. Like other manufacturers, the company has focused on improving the performance of neural networks, the security of user data, as well as improving the performance of the camera and supporting a large number of sensors. So the new product can work with 5 cameras including infrared for face scanning and a resolution of no more than 22 megapixels or two front cameras of 16 megapixels. In addition, the chipset supports 4K displays, shooting in 8K at 30 fps, 4K up to 120 fps.

Advantages:

• Instantly configure camera settings for working with AR and VR.
• Supports shooting in 8K.
• Work with 5 cameras.
• Economical battery consumption.
• Improved encoding of users' personal data.
• 4K video processing up to 150 fps.
• Support for 4K displays.
• Works with UFS 2.1/3.0 SSDs.

Flaws:

• 8 nm process technology – even with the most ideal optimization, these chipsets cannot compete with 7 nm models in energy efficiency.
• Of the 8 cores, only the first two can be called new; the remaining 6 cores were migrated from previous processors without any changes, that is, the new product can hardly be fully considered as such - rather, it is an improved old processor.

Samsung S10, S10+, S10e

Huawei KIRIN 980

• Year of manufacture: 2018
• Technical process: 7 nm
• Architecture: 2*Cortex-A76 + 2*Cortex A76 + 4*Cortex A55
• Video accelerator: Mali-G76 MP10

Geekbench result: 3390/10318 points

The new processor from Huawei was technically the first created using the 7 nm process technology, however, having presented it to the world, the company was late with the release, giving the laurels to Apple. The cores are divided into three groups - two high-performance, two energy-efficient and four medium-performance. To ensure that exactly the cores needed are used in a particular task, the company has implemented Flex-Scheduling technology, thanks to which performance has increased by 37% compared to last year’s Kirin 970. Not without a new graphics accelerator, which is not only more powerful, but also automatically increases the clock speed in games.

Just like Huawei's competitors have improved the machine unit, it is 120% faster than its predecessor. In this case, these are not just words. Every year, all manufacturers focus on cameras and the fact that thanks to the work of AI, the pictures really turn out better in any conditions is difficult to dispute. This is best seen from Huawei. Already with last year's Kirin 970, the company achieved first place in the most prestigious camera rating from DxOMark. With the new processor, we can expect to surpass the previous level. A lot has been written about the photographic capabilities of the chipset, or more precisely its neural unit. To simplify, Huawei does the following - it does not chase top performance in tests, but it makes really excellent chipsets for photos and videos, and again there will be no difficulties with launching games or any other tasks. In many cases, this is what is required by users who look at real possibilities, not numbers.

Advantages:

• The best processor for photos and videos.
• Two neural network modules.
• Supports high-speed LPDDR4X RAM up to 16GB.
• Flex-Scheduling is a technology for choosing the “right” cores for specific tasks, which results in excellent energy efficiency and fast loading of any applications.
• HDR10+ support.
• Support for the new standard - Wi-Fi 802.11ay.
• Work with 48 MP cameras or dual 22 MP modules.
• 4K recording at 60 fps.

Flaws:

• The graphics coprocessor is weaker than its competitors - this is not a minus for users, since there is GPU Turbo technology for automatic overclocking, which compensates for the difference.
• The company used “old” cores and improved them, that is, in fact, this is an updated processor, and not a fundamentally new development.
• No 5G support.

The most popular smartphones: View 20, Huawei P30, Huawei Mate 20

Mediatek Helio P90

• Year of manufacture: 2018
• Technical process: 12 nm
• Architecture: 2* Cortex-A75 + 6*Cortex A55
• Video accelerator: PowerVR GM 9446

Geekbench result: 2025/6831 points

MediaTek has long been associated among users with processors for budget and occasionally mid-price smartphones. The company is struggling to create a competitive flagship-level model, but is not doing it very well. So MediaTek did not make it into the top 10 most productive chipsets, but took 11th place with the Helio P90 released in 2019. The model has an eight-core structure, which, although it is divided into two and six cores, is in fact all of them high-performance. Not surprisingly, the P90 was able to outperform the Snapdragon 710 described below, which has exactly the same cores, but with six cores focusing on energy efficiency.

In general, the new product from MediaTek is quite interesting - it supports the fastest RAM and UFS 2.1 solid-state drives, and like its competitors, it can work with a single 48 MP camera or a dual-module solution of 24 and 16 MP. An interesting feature is support for displays with a resolution of 2520*1080 and an aspect ratio of 21:9. The chipset has three image processing units and updated AI with support for AI Fusion function is responsible for ensuring that tasks are distributed among all units - this increases the speed of data processing. One of the features of this technology is that the screen adapts in real time to the selected application - in particular, when making a video call and switching from full-screen video mode to preview, users will not notice any delays.

Advantages:

• Eight powerful cores for maximum performance.
• Updated AI block for working with photos.
• Supports high-speed LPDDRX memory up to 8 GB.
• Supports modern cameras up to 48 MP.
• Shooting slow-motion video with fps 480 in HD format.

Flaws:

• Not the best energy efficiency.
• No 4K shooting.
• Old generation graphics coprocessor.

The most popular smartphones: BV9800

Qualcomm Snapdragon 710

• Year of manufacture: 2018
• Technical process: 10 nm
• Architecture: 2* Cortex-A75 + 6*Cortex A55
• Video accelerator: Adreno 616

Geekbench result: 1897 / 5909 points

A mid-level processor that took 12th place in the ranking of the most powerful chipsets. The model became the first in the 700 series. Before this, Qualcomm had a clear division: the 800 series is a flagship level with maximum capabilities, the 600 series is a mid-level with cut-down GPU and CPU cores, and the 400 series is a budget line with a minimum of capabilities. The 700 series processors and in particular the Snapdragon 710 are all the latest chips from the main line and at the same time a fairly affordable price.

The new product runs on two high-performance cores and six energy-efficient ones. Taking into account the new graphics system, the model shows excellent performance in games and at the same time low energy consumption. In addition, it can process photos with high quality - it reduces noise, supports two dual cameras up to 16 MP, and 4K video. The company did not forget about AI, in this case the manufacturer did not waste time on trifles and installed Hexagon 685 machine cores, that is, the same as in 2018 - Snapdragon 845. The result is a fairly inexpensive chipset, which, if inferior to flagships, is only slightly . For those looking for a mid-price smartphone with excellent performance, energy efficiency and photo processing, the Snapdragon 710 will be a real find.

Advantages:

• Affordable price.
• Supports two cameras up to 16 MP.
• Low power consumption.
• Powerful AI for photo creation.
• Supports 4K at 30 fps and HDR.
• Working with biometric sensors.
• Quick Charge 4+ support.

Flaws:

The most popular smartphones: Samsung Galaxy A8s, 16, Xiaomi Mi8 SE

Conclusion

It is worth noting that our rating did not include the Snapdragon 845 and 660, Kirin 970, Apple A11, Exynos 8895, Helio X30 chipsets due to the fact that they were all released at the end of 2017 or the beginning of 2018. Despite their relevance, many readers are familiar with them, and there are a huge number of smartphones based on them. For this reason, we chose powerful new products, which does not entail recommendations for purchasing devices based solely on them. But if you want a smartphone with the latest and most powerful chipset, then the models presented above are the best of their kind.

Removed from selection

Samsung Exynos 8 Octa 8890

• Year of manufacture: 2016
• Technical process: 14 nm
• Architecture: Samsung Exynos M1 + ARM Cortex-A53 (ARMv8-A)
• Video accelerator: Mali-T880, 12 cores, 650 MHz

Geekbench result: 5940 points

If not the best processor for a smartphone, then at least one of those worthy of this title. It’s not for nothing that all variations of the South Korean Galaxy S7 are equipped with it. Is it possible to blame this flagship for lack of power? The chipset can easily handle 4K video at 60 fps. It consists of eight cores. The maximum frequency is 2290 MHz. But it rarely comes to raising it to such a level, since lower frequencies are quite enough to solve most problems.

Unfortunately, the processor also has certain problems. It just so happens that South Korean chipsets are not equipped with the best video accelerator (GPU). Here too, the Mali-T880, despite its 12 cores, performs strictly to the “good” rating, but nothing more. This is proven by tests in GFXBench, where in terms of graphics, the Samsung Exynos 8 Octa 8890 is ahead of some other chipsets reviewed today.

Advantages

• Supports video in 2160p resolution at 60 frames/s;
• Not very hot;
• Low energy consumption;
• High scores in benchmarks.

Flaws

• The memory test does not show the best results;
• The graphics accelerator could perform better.

The most popular smartphones: Samsung Galaxy S7, Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, Samsung Galaxy Golden 4

Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MSM8996

• Year of manufacture: 2015
• Technical process: 14 nm FinFET
• Architecture: Qualcomm Kryo
• Video accelerator: Adreno 530, 624 MHz

Geekbench result: 4890 points

Qualcomm does not have its own production facilities. However, it has many patents at its disposal. And with them, developing a processor close to ideal is not difficult, after which all that remains is to place an order for production from other companies. I am pleased with both the computing power and the capabilities in terms of graphics processing. Many flagships released in 2016 were equipped with this chipset. And none of their customers complained about the graphics in mobile games!

The chip consists of only four cores. However, this did not stop it from scoring record scores in benchmarks - not least thanks to the graphics accelerator. The maximum frequency of this processor is 2150 MHz. At the hardware level, the chipset supports HDMI 2.0, USB 3.0, and Bluetooth 4.1. In short, the processor could easily cope even with the tasks assigned to a laptop! It also features support for a camera with a resolution of up to 28 megapixels - which is why the company, whose flagship smartphones have just such a sensor, chose this processor.

Advantages

• Very high resolution camera support;
• Capable of processing Full HD video at up to 240 frames/s;
• Supports 10-bit 4K video;
• Windows devices use DirectX 11.2;
• Very high clock speed;
• Not very high energy consumption;
• High scores in benchmarks;
• The memory test leads to high results;
• Excellent performance in games.

Flaws

• Sometimes it gets quite hot.

The most popular smartphones: Moto Z Force, Elite X3, ZenFone 3, 10, Samsung Galaxy S7, Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, Sony Xperia X Performance, Sony Xperia XR, Xiaomi Mi5 Pro, Z11

HiSilicon Kirin 95

• Year of manufacture: 2016
• Technical process: 16 nm
• Architecture:
• Video accelerator: Mali-T880, 4 cores

Geekbench result: 6000 points

This chipset is manufactured using a 16-nanometer process technology, which indicates its decent energy efficiency. The maximum frequency here has been increased to 2.5 GHz. The creators had to take this step because of the Mali-T880 graphics accelerator, which does not cope with its task in the best way.

The Chinese chipset consists of eight cores, four of which can be called auxiliary. Paired with a GPU, it is capable of playing 4K video at 60 fps. But the processor is only capable of playing back - independently creating video recordings - in 1080p resolution. And this despite the fact that the chip even supports dual cameras, the total resolution of which is 42 megapixels. It is also able to recognize Bluetooth 4.2 and USB 3.0 modules.

Advantages

• Supports many modern wireless technologies;
• Almost record clock speed;
• There are no big problems with overheating;
• Can decode 4K video at 60fps;
• Supports dual high definition cameras.

Flaws

• The graphics accelerator shows poor results.

The most popular smartphones: Huawei P9, Huawei P9 Plus, Huawei Honor V8, Huawei Honor Note 8.

HiSilicon Kirin 950

• Year of manufacture: 2015
• Technical process: 16 nm
• Architecture: 4x ARM Cortex-A72 + 4x ARM Cortex-A53
• Video accelerator: Mali-T880, 4 cores, 900 MHz

Geekbench result: 5950 points

In 2015-2016, this processor was used by many Huawei smartphones. The chipset consists of eight cores, the power of four of them can reach 2300 MHz. It would seem that the result is quite good. But not everything is so simple. The weak point of the chip is the graphics accelerator. The first version of Mali-T880 is used here. It copes well with video decoding - in theory, you can even run 4K video at 60 frames/s. But in games this GPU performs disgustingly, especially by flagship standards.

However, you can’t find fault with the computing power of this chipset, which is why it made it into our top processors. The product supports Bluetooth 4.2 and USB 3.0 standards, although the Chinese giant has not really produced smartphones with such high-speed interfaces, preferring to save money. Also, in theory, the processor copes with the data stream from, which has a total resolution of 42 megapixels.

Advantages

• Supports USB 3.0 and Bluetooth 4.2;
• High computing power;
• Support for modern memory formats;
• Not very expensive to produce;
• Decodes high definition video;
• Capable of handling a dual 42-megapixel camera.

Flaws

• The graphics accelerator could be much better;
• Cannot provide the camera with 4K video recording.

The most popular smartphones: Huawei Honor 8, Huawei Honor Note 8, Huawei Mate 8, Huawei Honor V8.

Apple A9X APL1021

• Year of manufacture: 2015
• Technical process: 16 nm
• Architecture: Apple Twister 64-bit ARMv8-compatible
• Video accelerator: PowerVR Series 7X, 12 cores

Geekbench result : 5400 points

Why do game developers primarily focus on Apple smartphones and tablets? Is it really only their owners who can afford to buy a toy? No, everything is much simpler. This is the technique that games work best on. The Apple A9X APL1021 processor is equipped with an almost ideal graphics accelerator, which can solve absolutely any problem! If Apple wanted, it could even implement a 4K video recording feature at 60 frames per second!

As for computing power, everything is fine here, although the processor still does not score record scores in benchmarks. It would seem that only two cores are used here. But for solving everyday problems this is quite enough. Not least because of the better optimized operating system.

Advantages

• High power of two cores;
• Excellent 12-core graphics accelerator;
• Full support for 4K video at 60 fps;
• Support for many modern technologies;
• Recognizes modern memory formats.

Flaws

Apple iPad Pro

MediaTek MT6797 Helio X25

• Year of manufacture: 2016
• Technical process: 20 nm
• Architecture: 2x ARM Cortex-A72 + 4x ARM Coptex-A53 + 4x ARM Coptex-A53
• Video accelerator: Mali-T880MP4, 4 cores, 850 MHz

Geekbench result: 4920 points

A processor with a fairly complex structure. It consists of ten nuclei belonging to two varieties. The two cores are the most powerful - they belong to the Cortex-A72 type, and their clock speed can reach 2500 MHz. The remaining computing cores belong to the Cortex-A53 type. Moreover, half of them are overclocked to a frequency of 2000 MHz, while the rest are limited to 1550 MHz.

All this allows the processor to score a lot of points in benchmarks. And the result would have been even higher if not for the graphics accelerator. This element here is seriously limited in its capabilities. Yes, it supports full work with 4K video, including its creation, but only at 30 fps. And in games the GPU copes with its task even worse. As for other characteristics, we should highlight support for 32-megapixel cameras and the Bluetooth 4.1 standard. The maximum display resolution of a smartphone with such a chipset can reach 2560 x 1600 pixels.

Advantages

• Support for 32 MP camera;
• Very high computing power;
• Relatively low energy consumption;
• Although limited, there is support for 4K video;
• Low cost chipset.

Flaws

• The GPU performs poorly in games;
• No Bluetooth 4.2 support.

The most popular smartphones: Meizu Pro 6, K6000 Premium, Xiaomi Redmi Pro, Speed ​​8, Apollo.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 MSM8953

• Year of manufacture: 2016
• Technical process: 14 nm
• Architecture: ARM Cortex-A53 (ARMv8)
• Video accelerator: Adreno 506

Geekbench result: 4900 points

One of Qualcomm's most popular creations. It is endowed with a huge number of smartphones from the mid-budget and even top segments. The manufacturer did not bother with the architecture, giving the chipset eight identical cores. The maximum clock frequency is 2000 MHz, which is quite enough for the average user.

The graphics accelerator here is optimized for processing video content. Theoretically, a smartphone built on the basis of this processor is capable of playing and recording 4K video at 60 frames per second. But in games some problems begin. Although their presence is surprising, because the GPU even has support for DirectX 12, which is activated on devices with Windows on board. The chipset also supports a dual camera, the total resolution of which does not exceed 24 megapixels. The only thing missing here is USB 3.0 support. However, smartphone creators do not like to integrate such high-speed connectors into their creations.

Advantages

• Dual camera supported;
• Fast charging technology is well implemented;
• High power of all eight cores;
• Full support for 4K video content at 60 fps;
• Relatively low cost.

Flaws

• Camera resolution cannot exceed 24 megapixels;
• No Bluetooth 4.2 support;
• Display resolution cannot exceed 1920 x 1200 pixels;
• In games, the chipset does not perform well.

The most popular smartphones: Huawei G9 Plus, ASUS ZenFone 3, Fujitsu Easy, Huawei Maimang 5, Vibe P2, Motorola Moto Z Play, Samsung Galaxy C7.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 620 APQ8076

• Year of manufacture: 2016
• Technical process: 28 nm
• Architecture: 4x ARM Cortex-A72 + 4x ARM Cortex-A53
• Video accelerator: Adreno 510

Geekbench result: 4886 points

This chipset is also known as the Snapdragon 652. It is one of the last processors that is still produced on the 28nm process. The creators are not at all embarrassed by the relatively large size of the chip, since it is built mainly into tablets.

The processor consists of eight computing cores. The clock frequency of four of them can reach 1800 MHz. This is quite enough for the tablet to solve basic tasks without any hesitation. The chipset also includes the Adreno 510 graphics accelerator. There are no special complaints about it, because no one will expect excellent graphics performance from the tablet. It should be noted that theoretically the chip supports video processing in 2160p resolution at 30 frames/s. It also boasts support for Bluetooth 4.1 and proprietary Quick Charge 3.0 fast charging technology.

Advantages

• Supports devices with high screen resolutions;
• Great computing power;
• Albeit limited, but still support for 4K video;
• Built-in fast charging technology.

Flaws

• No Bluetooth 4.2 support;
• Still not the best graphics accelerator.

Most popular devices: Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 Plus 8.0, Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 Plus 9.7.

MediaTek MT6797M Helio X20

• Year of manufacture: 2016
• Technical process: 20 nm
• Architecture: 2x ARM Cortex-A72 + 4x ARM Cortex-A53 + 4x ARM Cortex-A53
• Video accelerator: Mali-T880MP4, 4 cores, 780 MHz

Geekbench result: 5130 points

Many mobile processors have four or even eight cores. In the case of the MediaTek MT6797M Helio X20, their number has been increased to ten. As a result, the performance of the chipset is very high. Especially in applications that do not require serious graphics processing. It should be noted that only two computing cores are particularly powerful here - their clock frequency reaches 2300 MHz. The remaining nuclei are divided into two groups. One can please you with a frequency of 1850 MHz, while the other has this parameter fixed at 1400 MHz. But the result in any case is very good, which is confirmed by synthetic tests, and by the smartphones themselves - the interface on them does not slow down at all thanks to the chipset.

As for the graphics accelerator, everything is much worse here. Theoretically, it copes with viewing and recording 4K video at 30 frames per second. But in games you immediately feel a lack of power. Modern games will run on a smartphone with such a processor, but with simplified graphics. Especially if the device has a screen with Full HD resolution or higher. It should also be noted that the processor supports almost any mobile camera - as long as the module resolution does not exceed 32 megapixels.

• Year of manufacture: 2015
• Technical process: 28 nm
• Architecture: ARM Cortex-A72 + ARM Cortex-A53 (ARMv8)
• Video accelerator: Adreno 510

Geekbench result: 4610 points

There are two versions of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 620 processor, also known as the Snapdragon 652. The first is the MSM8976, which was released in 2015. A year later, a slightly more improved version was released - APQ8076, which some received. The products are practically no different from each other. They have eight cores, half of which are capable of increasing the frequency to 1800 MHz. Both processors are equipped with a far from ideal Adreno 510 graphics accelerator.

Qualcomm's creation is capable of supporting smartphones whose display has a resolution of no higher than 2560 x 1600 pixels. As for the camera, it is possible to process data coming from a dual module, the total resolution of which does not exceed 21 megapixels. Everything is fine with the module and its capabilities for processing data coming from dual-channel LPDDR3 memory.

Advantages

• High performance;
• View 4K video at 30 fps;
• Theoretical possibility of recording video in 1080p and 120 frames/s;
• Not very high cost;
• Dual camera support;
• Screen resolution can reach 2560 x 1600 pixels.

Flaws

• Bluetooth 4.2 is not supported;
• The maximum camera resolution cannot be very high.

The most popular smartphones: X6S A, Vivo X7, Vivo X7 Plus, LeEco Le2, G5 SE, R9 Plus, Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro (2016), ZTE Nubia Z11 Max, Xiaomi Mi Max

This article presents only the best AMD processors in 2017.

If you don't want to independently understand all the characteristics of each processor model or are not sure that you can choose the best option, pay attention to our CPU rating from AMD.

Contents:

A good processor is the main indicator of power and. AMD is one of the leaders in the processor market.

AMD produces the following types of processors:

• CPU – central computing units
• GPU – a separate device that renders video. Often used in gaming computers to reduce the load on the central unit and to provide better video quality;
• APU – central processors with a built-in video accelerator. They are also called hybrid, because such a component is a combination of the central one and in one crystal.

#5 - Athlon X4 860K

The AMD Athlon line is designed for the Socket FM2+ socket. X4 860K is the best and most productive model of the entire series, which contains three processors:

• Athlon X4 860K;
• Athlon X4840;
• and model Athlon X2.

The Athlon family is designed for desktop personal computers. All models in the line are distinguished by good multi-threading.

The best results in the Athlon group were shown by the X4 860K model.

The first detail to note is the support for virtually , which consumes no more than 95 watts along with quiet operation and no loss in performance.

If the processor has been overclocked using special programs, an increase in noise in the operation of the cooling system may be observed.

Key Features:

• Family: Athlon X4;
• Number of processor cores: 4;
• Clock frequency – 3.1 MHz;
• There is no unlocked multiplier;
• Core type: Kaveri;
• Approximate cost: $50.

There is no integrated graphics in the CPU.

The X4 860K processor is capable of supporting fast operation of general-purpose systems only.

Testing of the CPU operation was carried out using the AIDA64 utility. Overall, the model shows good results for a mid-class processor.

If you're looking for an affordable, multitasking CPU for your home computer, the Athlon X4 860K is one of the suitable options.

testing Athlon X4 860K

No. 4 – AMD FX-6300

AMD's FX-6300 is a CPU that supports the Piledriver architecture. Processors with this architecture have already become worthy competitors to new products from Intel.

All processors from AMD FX group have excellent overclocking potential.

FX-6300 Features:

• Series: FX-Series;
• Supported connector: Socket AM3+;
• Number of cores: 6;
• No integrated graphics;
• The clock frequency is 3.5 MHz;
• Number of contacts: 938;
• The cost of the model is on average $85.

A characteristic feature of the processor is its flexibility.

The clock frequency declared by the developer is 3.5 MHz, which is a rather mediocre figure among.

However, this CPU provides the ability to overclock the frequency to 4.1 MHz.

boxing devices of the FX series from AMD

Acceleration of work occurs during intense loads. Most often in the process of rendering videos or working with games.

It should be noted that this CPU model is equipped with a dual-channel memory controller.

CPU speed testing was carried out in Just Cause 2.

The final results showed that the Athlon X4 860K supports a maximum graphics resolution of 1920 x 1200 pixels.

The computer also used an integrated GTX 580 graphics card.

In the figure below you can see a comparative analysis of the performance of other processors that were tested under identical software and hardware environment conditions.

test result of Athlon X4 860K

No. 3 - A10-7890K

The A10-7890K is a hybrid CPU from AMD. Despite the announcement of the development of a fundamental new technology and generation of processors, AMD decided to release another model in the A10 line.

The company positions this series of devices as an excellent choice for desktop PCs.

The A10-7890K is a best-in-class playback solution.

Of course, the graphics settings will have to be lowered, but as a result you will get good performance without severe overheating of the PC hardware.

packaging model A10-7890K

This processor has a built-in Radeon graphics unit that allows you to:

The processor comes with a Wraith cooler, which features very quiet operation. Also, the cooler supports backlight mode. A10-7890K Specifications:

• CPU Family - A-Series;
• Clock frequency: 4.1 MHz;
• Type of connector: Socket FM2+;
• Number of cores: 4 cores;
• There is an unlocked multiplier;
• Number of contacts: 906;
• Estimated cost – $130.

The main advantage of the A10-7890K is improved interaction with Windows 10.

The detailed characteristics of the processor are shown to us in the figure below:

detailed characteristics of APU A10-7890K

Results of testing the component with a standard test:

Cinebench R15 test result

As you can see, the tested component has surpassed in its parameters some AMD models in the A-10 and Athlon line.

At the same time, the results obtained were not enough to outperform analogues from Intel.

#2 - Ryzen 5 1600X

The first two places in our TOP are occupied by models of the Ryzen line. It is in the last few years that the architecture of these processors has become key for Advanced Micro Devices Corporation.

The presented Zen microarchitecture is gradually returning the manufacturer to its leading position in the market.

Ryzen 5 is a direct competitor to the group's processors. The CPU performs best in gaming systems. This is also stated by the CEO of AMD.

Specifications:

• AMD Ryzen 5 Family;
• 6 cores;
• No integrated graphics;
• There is an unlocked multiplier;
• Clock frequency 3.6 MHz;
• Socket AM4 connector;
• The cost is about $260.

Most modifications of the 1600X lack the native . Users will have to purchase this component separately.

The base frequencies do not cross the established 3.6 MHz mark. When operating in turbo mode (as a result of overclocking the processor), the clock frequency reaches 4.0 MHz.

All fifth-generation Ryzen models support SMT - surface mount technology.

This way, the CPU can be easily mounted on the surface of the PCB without the need to trim parts of the component.

Ryzen 5 package

During testing of the CPU, even with the most resource-intensive programs, the maximum CPU temperature did not exceed 58 degrees. , Test results:

1600X model performance test

Along with the line of powerful CPUs, AMD also released a special firmware for their initial configuration - AGESA.

The utility allows you to reconfigure memory to avoid delays and interruptions in work.

No. 1 - Ryzen 7 1800X

The Ryzen 7 1800X is an excellent choice for building a powerful PC or for multi-tier data server support.

AMD is currently developing another powerful member of the Ryzen family.

In March 2017, the Ryzen 2000 X APU model was announced, which should go on sale at the end of the year.

Specifications:

• Family: AMD Ryzen 7;
• 8 cores;
• Clock frequency 3.6 MHz with the ability to overclock to 4 MHz;
• Unlocked multiplier support;
• No support for integrated graphics;
• The average price is $480.

The 1800X can simultaneously execute up to 16 threads of program code. The processor works with SMT multi-threading technology.

All Zen cores provide efficient use of others. Increased throughput by supporting three-level cache memory.

Comparison of test results of the Ryzen 7 1800X with competitive models from Intel.

This article will compare laptop processors from two leading semiconductor manufacturers - Intel and AMD. The products of the first of them are equipped with an improved processor part and in this regard have a higher level of performance. In turn, AMD solutions boast a more powerful graphics subsystem.

Division into niches

Comparison and Intel for laptops would be best done in three niches:

• Budget-class processors (they are also the most affordable).
• Mid-level CPUs that combine both high speed and acceptable energy efficiency.
• Chips with maximum performance levels. In this case, performance, autonomy and energy efficiency fade into the background.

If in the first two cases AMD can provide a worthy alternative to Intel, then the latter company has reigned supreme in the premium segment for quite some time. The only hope in this regard is new processor solutions based on the Zen architecture, which AMD should present next year.

Entry-level Intel products

Until recently, this niche from Intel was occupied by products from the Atom line. But now the situation has changed and entry-level laptops are now based on processors. The most modest products in this class include only 2 cores, and the most advanced - 4. The following models are relevant for the 3rd quarter of 2016, which are shown in Table 1.

Table 1 - Current CPU models from Intel for entry-level mobile PCs.

	Model name	Number of cores, pcs	Technical process, nm	Level 3 cache, MB	Frequencies, GHz	Thermal package, W	CPU cost, $	HD Graphics video card model

There are essentially no fundamental differences between these CPU models. They are aimed at solving the simplest problems and have a minimum level of performance. Also, this manufacturer of semiconductor solutions has a strong point in the processor part, but the integrated graphics subsystem is very weak. Another strength of these products is their high degree of energy efficiency and the resulting improved autonomy.

Mid-range solutions from Intel

Core i3 and Core i5 are mid-range Intel processors for laptops. A comparison of their characteristics indicates that the first family is closer to entry-level solutions, and the second, under certain circumstances, can compete with the most productive chips of this company. Detailed specifications of this product family are given in Table 2.

Table 2 - Parameters of Intel processors for mid-range laptops.

	Model name	Number of cores/ logical flows, pcs.	Production technology, nm	Level 3 cache, MB	Frequencies, GHz	Power, W	Video card HD Graphics

The characteristics of CPUs of this class are almost identical. The key difference is the improved energy saving of the 7U54. As a result, autonomy in this case will also be better. Otherwise, there are no significant differences between these processors. The price for all chips of this family is the same - $281.

Premium processors for laptops from Intel

For the latest generation laptops, this indicates that the most powerful solutions include i7 family CPUs. Moreover, in architectural terms, they are practically no different from middle-class products. Even the video card models in this case are the same. But a higher level of performance compared to mid-range processors is ensured by higher clock speeds and an increased size of Level 3 volatile memory. The main parameters of chips of this family are shown in Table 3.

Table 3 - Main characteristics of i7 family CPUs.

The difference between these products is that in the second case, energy efficiency is improved, but the performance will ultimately be lower.

AMD entry-level mobile processors

For laptops from the two leading manufacturers of these products, it indicates that Intel, as noted earlier, has a better processor part, and AMD has an integrated graphics subsystem. If the priority in a new laptop is an improved video system, then it is better to pay attention to laptops from a second manufacturer. Specific chip models with technical specifications are given in Table 4.

Table 4 - The latest AMD processors for entry-level laptops.

	Model name	Frequency range, GHz	Level 2 cache, MB	Thermal package, W	Number of cores, pcs	Integrated Graphics

For the most part, these chips have almost identical technical parameters. The key difference here is only in the frequency range and the model of the integrated built-in accelerator. It is based on these parameters that you need to make a choice. If you need maximum autonomy, then we choose products with lower performance. If autonomy comes to the fore, then you will have to sacrifice dynamism for this.

AMD chips for organizing mid-range laptops

FX-9XXXP and A1X-9XXXP are for laptops. Comparison of their characteristics with entry-level products indicates that they already have 4 computing units versus 2, which are available in entry-level products. Also in this case it can be a worthy competitor to entry-level discrete accelerators. But the weak processor part is the factor today that significantly reduces the performance of laptops based on these chips. Therefore, you can only look in their direction if you need the fastest possible graphics subsystem at the minimum cost of a mobile computer. The main specifications of this CPU family are listed in Table 5.

Table 5 - AMD CPU parameters for mid-range laptops.

	CPU markings	Clock frequencies, GHz	Graphics accelerator	Thermal package, W

The hardest comparison to make between laptop processors is in the entry-level product segment. On the one hand, Intel solutions in this case have a lower cost and an improved processor part. In turn, AMD offers mobile PCs with an improved graphics subsystem. It is based on the last parameter that it is recommended to buy when choosing an entry-level laptop Pavilion 15-AW006UR from HP. All other things being equal to competing solutions, the video card in this case will have a certain performance margin, and the processor is not that much inferior to the Intel CPU. For a mid-level mobile PC, it is recommended to choose the Aspire E5 - 774 - 50SY from Acer. It has an i5 chip installed - 7200U, which is only slightly inferior to flagship products. And its other technical specifications are at an acceptable level, as for a middle-class laptop. A comparison of laptop processors in the niche of the most productive solutions indicated that it is best to purchase mobile computers based on 7th generation i7 chips. The most affordable, but also very equipped laptop option is the IdeaPad 510-15 IKB from Lenovo. This is what is recommended to buy when choosing the most productive mobile PC. At the same time, the price is quite affordable for this class of devices, and the equipment is excellent.

Results

A comparison of laptop processors from two leading chip manufacturers today clearly and clearly indicates that in most cases the leading positions are occupied by products from Intel. AMD, in turn, lags significantly behind its direct competitor. The only market segment where parity is still maintained is entry-level mobile products, where AMD has a worthy alternative. In all other cases, it would be more correct to purchase laptops based on Intel CPUs. The current situation can be radically changed by the release of processors based on the Zen architecture in 2017. But whether AMD will be able to do this - time will tell. Now, in the niche of mid-level and premium mobile PCs, it is most correct to rely on solutions from Intel. Although their price is somewhat high, the level of performance more than compensates for this shortcoming.

At a special event before CES 2018, AMD released new mobile processors and announced desktop chips with integrated graphics. And Radeon Technologies Group, a structural division of AMD, announced Vega mobile discrete graphics chips. The company also revealed plans to switch to new technological processes and promising architectures: Radeon Navi graphics and Zen+, Zen 2 and Zen 3 processors.

New processors, chipset and cooling

The first Ryzen desktops with Vega graphics

Two desktop Ryzen models with integrated Vega graphics will go on sale on February 12, 2018. The 2200G is an entry-level Ryzen 3 processor, while the 2400G is a mid-range Ryzen 5 processor. Both models dynamically boost clock speeds by 200 and 300 MHz from base frequencies of 3.5 GHz and 3.6 GHz, respectively. In fact, they replace the ultra-budget models Ryzen 3 1200 and 1400.

The 2200G has only 8 graphics units, while the 2400G has 3 more. The frequency of the 2200G graphics cores reaches 1,100 MHz, and the 2400G is 150 MHz more. Each graphics unit contains 64 shaders.

The cores of both processors have the same code name as mobile processors with integrated graphics - Raven Ridge (literally Raven Mountain, a rock formation in Colorado). But nevertheless, they are connected to the same LGA AMD AM4 socket as all other Ryzen 3, 5 and 7 processors.

Reference: Sometimes AMD calls processors with integrated graphics not CPU (Central Processing Unit, English Central processing unit), and APU (Accelerated Processor Unit, English. Accelerated processing unit, in other words, a processor with a video accelerator).
AMD desktop processors with integrated graphics are marked with a G at the end, after the first letter of the word graphics ( English graphics). Mobile processors from both AMD and Intel are marked with the letter U at the end, after the first letter of the words ultrathin ( English ultra-thin) or ultra-low power ( English ultra-low power consumption) respectively.
At the same time, you should not think that if the model numbers of the new Ryzen begin with the number 2, then the architecture of their cores belongs to the second generation of the Zen microarchitecture. This is not true - these processors are still in the first generation.

	Ryzen 3 2200G	Ryzen 5 2400G
Cores	4
Streams	4	8
Base frequency	3.5 GHz	3.6 GHz
Increased frequency	3.7 GHz	3.9 GHz
Level 2 and 3 cache	6 MB	6 MB
Graphics blocks	8	11
Maximum graphics frequency	1 100 MHz	1 250 MHz
CPU socket	AMD AM4 (PGA)
Base Heat Dissipation	65 W
Variable heat dissipation	45-65 W
Codename	Raven Ridge
Recommended price*	5,600 ₽ ($99)	9,500 ₽ ($99)
Release date	February 12, 2018

New Ryzen mobiles with Vega graphics

Last year, AMD already brought the first mobile Ryzen to the market under the code name Raven Ridge. The entire Ryzen mobile family is designed for gaming laptops, ultrabooks and tablet-laptop hybrids. But there were only two such models, each in the middle and high-end segments: Ryzen 5 2500U and Ryzen 7 2700U. The junior segment was empty, but the company corrected this right at CES 2018 - two models were added to the mobile family: Ryzen 3 2200U and Ryzen 3 2300U.

AMD Vice President Jim Anderson demonstrates the Ryzen mobile family

The 2200U is the first dual-core Ryzen CPU, while the 2300U is standard quad-core, but both run four threads. At the same time, the base frequency of the 2200U cores is 2.5 GHz, and the lower 2300U is 2 GHz. But with increasing loads, the frequency of both models will rise to the same level - 3.4 GHz. However, laptop manufacturers can lower the power ceiling, because they also need to calculate energy costs and think through the cooling system. There is also a difference in cache size between the chips: the 2200U has only two cores, and therefore has half the cache of levels 1 and 2.

The 2200U has only 3 graphics units, but the 2300U has twice as many, as well as processor cores. But the difference in graphics frequencies is not so significant: 1,000 MHz versus 1,100 MHz.

	Ryzen 3 2200U	Ryzen 3 2300U	Ryzen 5 2500U	Ryzen 7 2700U
Cores	2	4
Streams	4		8
Base frequency	2.5 GHz	2 GHz		2.2 GHz
Increased frequency	3.4 GHz			3.8 GHz
Level 1 cache	192 KB (96 KB per core)	384 KB (96 KB per core)
Level 2 cache	1 MB (512 KB per core)	2 MB (512 KB per core)
Level 3 cache	4 MB (4 MB per complex of cores)
RAM	Dual channel DDR4-2400
Graphics blocks	3	6	8	10
Maximum graphics frequency	1,000 MHz	1 100 MHz		1 300 MHz
CPU socket	AMD FP5 (BGA)
Base Heat Dissipation	15 W
Variable heat dissipation	12-25 W
Codename	Raven Ridge
Release date	January 8, 2018		October 26, 2018

The first mobile Ryzen PRO

For the second quarter of 2018, AMD has planned the release of mobile versions of Ryzen PRO, enterprise-level processors. The characteristics of the mobile PROs are identical to the consumer versions, with the exception of the Ryzen 3 2200U, which did not receive a PRO implementation at all. The differences between desktop and mobile Ryzen PRO are in additional hardware technologies.

Ryzen PRO processors are complete copies of regular Ryzen, but with additional features

For example, TSME, on-the-fly hardware encryption of RAM, is used to ensure security (Intel only has software-intensive SME encryption). And for centralized management of a fleet of machines, the open standard DASH (Desktop and mobile Architecture for System Hardware) is available - support for its protocols is built into the processor.

Laptops, ultrabooks and hybrid tablet-laptops with Ryzen PRO should primarily be of interest to companies and government agencies that plan to purchase them for employees.

	Ryzen 3 PRO 2300U	Ryzen 5 PRO 2500U	Ryzen 7 PRO 2700U
Cores	4
Streams	4	8
Base frequency	2 GHz		2.2 GHz
Increased frequency	3.4 GHz	3.6 GHz	3.8 GHz
Level 1 cache	384 KB (96 KB per core)
Level 2 cache	2 MB (512 KB per core)
Level 3 cache	4 MB (4 MB per complex of cores)
RAM	Dual channel DDR4-2400
Graphics blocks	6	8	10
Maximum graphics frequency	1 100 MHz		1 300 MHz
CPU socket	AMD FP5 (BGA)
Base Heat Dissipation	15 W
Variable heat dissipation	12-25 W
Codename	Raven Ridge
Release date	Second quarter 2018

New AMD 400 series chipsets

The second generation of Ryzen relies on the second generation of system logic: the 300th series of chipsets is replaced by the 400th. The flagship of the series, as expected, was the AMD X470, and later simpler and cheaper sets of circuits, such as the B450, would be released. The new logic has improved everything related to RAM: it has reduced access latency, raised the upper frequency limit, and added headroom for overclocking. Also in the 400 series, USB bandwidth has increased and the processor's power consumption has improved, and at the same time its heat dissipation.

But the processor socket has not changed. The AMD AM4 desktop socket (and its mobile non-removable version AMD FP5) is a special advantage of the company. The second generation has the same connector as the first. It will not change in the third and fifth generations. AMD promised, in principle, not to change AM4 until 2020. And for the 300 series motherboards (X370, B350, A320, X300 and A300) to work with the new Ryzen, you just need to update the BIOS. Moreover, in addition to direct compatibility, there is also reverse compatibility: old processors will work on new boards.

Gigabyte at CES 2018 even showed a prototype of the first motherboard based on the new chipset - the X470 Aorus Gaming 7 WiFi. This and other boards based on X470 and lower chipsets will appear in April 2018, simultaneously with the second generation of Ryzen on the Zen+ architecture.

New cooling system

AMD also introduced the new AMD Wraith Prism cooler. While its predecessor, the Wraith Max, was illuminated in a single color red, the Wraith Prism features motherboard-controlled RGB lighting around the perimeter of the fan. The cooler blades are made of transparent plastic and are also illuminated in millions of colors. Fans of RGB backlighting will appreciate it, and haters can simply turn it off, although in this case the point of buying this model will be negated.

Wraith Prism - a complete copy of Wraith Max, but with backlighting in millions of colors

The remaining characteristics are identical to the Wraith Max: direct contact heat pipes, programmable airflow profiles in overclocking mode and virtually silent operation at 39 dB under standard conditions.

There is no information yet on how much the Wraith Prism will cost, whether it will come bundled with processors, or when it will be available for purchase.

New Ryzen laptops

In addition to mobile processors, AMD is also promoting new laptops based on them. In 2017, the HP Envy x360, Lenovo Ideapad 720S and Acer Swift 3 models were released on mobile Ryzen. In the first quarter of 2018, the Acer Nitro 5, Dell Inspiron 5000 and HP series will be added to them. They all run on last year's mobile Ryzen 7 2700U and Ryzen 5 2500U.

The Acer Nitro family is all about gaming machines. The Nitro 5 line is equipped with 15.6-inch IPS displays with a resolution of 1920 × 1080. And some models will be equipped with a discrete Radeon RX 560 graphics chip with 16 graphics units inside.

The Dell Inspiron 5000 line of laptops offers models with display diagonals of 15.6 and 17 inches, equipped with either hard drives or solid-state drives. Some models in the line will also receive a discrete Radeon 530 graphics card with 6 graphics units. This is a rather strange configuration, because even the integrated graphics of the Ryzen 5 2500U have more graphics units - 8 pieces. But the advantage of a discrete card may be higher clock speeds and separate graphics memory chips (instead of the RAM section).

Price reduction for all Ryzen processors

Processor (socket)	Cores/Threads	Old price*	New price*
Ryzen Threadripper 1950X (TR4)	16/32	56,000 ₽ ($999)	-
Ryzen Threadripper 1920X (TR4)	12/24	45,000 ₽ ($799)	-
Ryzen Threadripper 1900X (TR4)	8/16	31,000 ₽ ($549)	25,000 ₽ ($449)
Ryzen 7 1800X (AM4)	8/16	28,000 ₽ ($499)	20,000 ₽ ($349)
Ryzen 7 1700X (AM4)	8/16	22,500 ₽ ($399)	17,500 ₽ ($309)
Ryzen 7 1700 (AM4)	8/16	18,500 ₽ ($329)	17,000 ₽ ($299)
Ryzen 5 1600X (AM4)	6/12	14,000 ₽ ($249)	12,500 ₽ ($219)
Ryzen 5 1600 (AM4)	6/12	12,500 ₽ ($219)	10,500 ₽ ($189)
Ryzen 5 1500X (AM4)	4/8	10,500 ₽ ($189)	9,800 ₽ ($174)
Ryzen 5 1400 (AM4)	4/8	9,500 ₽ ($169)	-
Ryzen 5 2400G (AM4)	4/8	-	9,500 ₽ ($169)
Ryzen 3 2200G (AM4)	4/4	-	5,600 ₽ ($99)
Ryzen 3 1300X (AM4)	4/4	7,300 ₽ ($129)	-
Ryzen 3 1200 (AM4)	4/4	6,100 ₽ ($109)	-

Plans until 2020: Navi graphics, Zen 3 processors

2017 was a completely turning point for AMD. After years of troubles, AMD completed development of the Zen core microarchitecture and released the first generation of CPUs: the Ryzen, Ryzen PRO and Ryzen Threadripper family of PC processors, the Ryzen and Ryzen PRO mobile family, and the EPYC server family. In the same year, the Radeon group developed the Vega graphics architecture: Vega 64 and Vega 56 video cards were released on its basis, and by the end of the year, Vega cores were integrated into Ryzen mobile processors.

Dr. Lisa Su, CEO of AMD, assures that the company will release 7 nanometer processors before 2020

The new products not only attracted the interest of fans, but also captured the attention of ordinary consumers and enthusiasts. Intel and NVIDIA had to hastily counter: Intel released six-core Coffee Lake processors, the unplanned second “so” of the Skylake architecture, and NVIDIA expanded the 10th series of video cards on the Pascal architecture to 12 models.

Rumors about AMD's future plans accumulated throughout 2017. Until now, Lisa Su, CEO of AMD, has only noted that the company plans to exceed the 7-8% annual rate of productivity growth in the electronics industry. Finally, at CES 2018, the company showed a “road map” not just until the end of 2018, but right up to 2020. The basis of these plans is improving chip architectures through the miniaturization of transistors: a progressive transition from the current 14 nanometers to 12 and 7 nanometers.

12 nanometers: second generation Ryzen on Zen+

The Zen+ microarchitecture, the second generation of the Ryzen brand, is based on the 12-nanometer process technology. In fact, the new architecture is a modified Zen. The GlobalFoundries manufacturing standard is being converted from 14nm 14LPP (Low Power Plus) to 12nm 12LP (Low Power). The new 12LP process technology should provide chips with a 10% performance increase.

Reference: The GlobalFoundries network of factories are former AMD manufacturing facilities that were spun off into a separate company in 2009 and merged with other contract manufacturers. In terms of contract manufacturing market share, GlobalFoundries shares second place with UMC, significantly behind TSMC. Chip developers - AMD, Qualcomm and others - order production both from GlobalFoundries and other factories.

In addition to the new technical process, the Zen+ architecture and chips based on it will receive improved AMD Precision Boost 2 and AMD XFR 2 (Extended Frequency Range 2) technologies. In mobile Ryzen processors you can already find Precision Boost 2 and a special modification of XFR - Mobile Extended Frequency Range (mXFR).

The second generation will see the release of the Ryzen, Ryzen PRO and Ryzen Threadripper family of PC processors, but so far there is no information about updating the generations of the Ryzen and Ryzen PRO mobile family, and the server EPYC. But it is known that some models of Ryzen processors will have two modifications from the very beginning: with graphics integrated into the chip and without it. Entry- and mid-level models Ryzen 3 and Ryzen 5 will be released in both versions. And the high level Ryzen 7 will not receive any graphical modification. Most likely, the code name Pinnacle Ridge (lit. sharp mountain ridge, one of the peaks of the Wind River Range in Wyoming) is assigned to the core architecture for these particular processors.

The second generation of Ryzen 3, 5 and 7 will begin selling in April 2018 along with the 400 series chipsets. And the second generation of Ryzen PRO and Ryzen Threadripper will be late until the second half of 2018.

7 nanometers: third generation Ryzen on Zen 2, discrete Vega graphics, Navi graphics core

In 2018, the Radeon group will release Vega discrete graphics for laptops, ultrabooks and laptop tablets. AMD does not share any special details: it is known that discrete chips will work with compact multi-layer memory like HBM2 (integrated graphics use RAM). Separately, Radeon emphasizes that the height of the memory chips will be only 1.7 mm.

Radeon exec shows off integrated and discrete Vega graphics

And in the same 2018, Radeon will transfer graphics chips based on Vega architecture from the 14 nm LPP process technology directly to 7 nm LP, completely jumping over 12 nm. But first, new graphics units will be supplied only for the Radeon Instinct line. This is a separate family of Radeon server chips for heterogeneous computing: machine learning and artificial intelligence - the demand for them is ensured by the development of unmanned vehicles.

And already at the end of 2018 or the beginning of 2019, ordinary consumers will wait for Radeon and AMD products on the 7-nanometer process technology: processors based on Zen 2 architecture and graphics based on Navi architecture. Moreover, the design work for Zen 2 has already been completed.

AMD partners are already familiarizing themselves with Zen 2 chips and will create motherboards and other components for the third generation Ryzen. AMD is gaining such momentum due to the fact that the company has two teams “jumping” over each other to develop promising microarchitectures. They started with parallel work on Zen and Zen+. When Zen was completed, the first team moved to Zen 2, and when Zen+ was completed, the second team moved to Zen 3.

7 nanometers “plus”: fourth generation Ryzen on Zen 3

While one AMD department is solving the problems of mass production of Zen 2, another department is already designing Zen 3 at a technological standard designated as “7 nm+”. The company does not disclose details, but indirect data suggests that the process will be improved by complementing the current deep ultraviolet lithography (DUV, Deep Ultraviolet) with a new hard ultraviolet lithography (EUV, Extreme Ultraviolet) with a wavelength of 13.5 nm.

GlobalFoundries has already installed new equipment for the transition to 5 nm

Back in the summer of 2017, one of the GlobalFoundries factories purchased more than 10 lithographic systems from the TWINSCAN NXE series from the Netherlands ASML. With partial use of this equipment within the same 7 nm process technology, it will be possible to further reduce power consumption and increase chip performance. There are no exact metrics yet - it will take some more time to debug the new lines and bring them to acceptable capacity for mass production.

AMD expects to begin organizing sales of chips at the 7 nm+ standard from processors based on the Zen 3 microarchitecture by the end of 2020.

5 nanometers: fifth and subsequent generations of Ryzen on Zen 4?

AMD has not yet made an official announcement, but we can safely speculate that the next frontier for the company will be the 5 nm process technology. Experimental chips based on this standard have already been produced by a research alliance of IBM, Samsung and GlobalFoundries. Crystals using a 5 nm process technology will no longer require partial, but full use of hard ultraviolet lithography with an accuracy above 3 nm. This is exactly the resolution that the TWINSCAN NXE:3300B lithography system from ASML purchased by GlobalFoundries provides.

A layer one molecule thick of molybdenum disulfide (0.65 nanometers) exhibits a leakage current of only 25 femtoamps/micrometer at 0.5 volts.

But the difficulty also lies in the fact that at the 5 nm process it will probably be necessary to change the shape of the transistors. The long-proven FinFETs (fin-shaped transistors, from English fin) may give way to promising GAA FETs (shape of transistors with surrounding gates, from English gate-all-around). It will take several more years to set up and deploy mass production of such chips. The consumer electronics sector is unlikely to receive them before 2021.

Further reduction of technological standards is also possible. For example, back in 2003, Korean researchers created a 3-nanometer FinFET. In 2008, a nanometer transistor was created at the University of Manchester based on graphene (carbon nanotubes). And in 2016, Berkeley Lab research engineers conquered the sub-nanometer scale: such transistors can use both graphene and molybdenum disulfide (MoS2). True, at the beginning of 2018, there had not yet been a way to produce an entire chip or substrate from new materials.