Article Tom's Hardware Core i9 9900KS Preview

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Zucker2k

Golden Member
Feb 15, 2006
1,810
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Power efficiency is incredible for 14nm.
Edit: Consumes 50 watts less than the i9 9900K @ 5GHz.



Link
 
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DrMrLordX

Lifer
Apr 27, 2000
21,802
11,157
136
Well, I will agree that the core micro-architecture of the CPU cores, between Skylake and Kaby Lake was (allegedly) "the same". That doesn't mean that it's the same exact piece of silicon, just binned differently, because of the media-decoding block additions. It was a different die. (Edit: Therefore, not "the same CPU".)

I can mostly agree with that. Just that the distinction is, in most cases, immaterial (read: 1080p gaming, which seems to be a big focus of this thread). Also, again, the 9900KS doesn't even have that level of differentiation.

What is so remarkable is that while Intel have always had issues with clock speeds with die shrinks, AMD haven't.

Ehhh not true.

90nm->65nm was a disaster for AMD. I think 65nm was the last process they launched before spinning off GF? No wait it was 45nm. 45nm was relatively successful in comparison. AMD 65nm just plain sucked for them. Then later, the move from 32nm SOI to 28nm brought clockspeed regressions. Then moving from 28nm -> 28nm (different node) in going from Kaveri to Carrizo brought even further clockspeed regressions (though those regressions may have been more uarch-related than process-related). Then moving from either 28nm node to 14nm brought even more clockspeed regressions! AMD basically slid downhill from 5GHz+ to 4-4.1 GHz from 32nm to 14nm. Oh and let's try to ignore GF20nm because it officially reached a clockspeed of 20nm 0 MHz (RIP Nolan, Amur).

What they gained in the process was better density and better power consumption within a desirable clockspeed range. GF14LPP (and 12nm) were so much better power-wise than 32nm or either 28nm node between the 3-3.6 GHz range that it's not even funny. Without those changes, Zen would never have made any headway. Intel experienced similar improvements - better power within a desired clockspeed range - when moving to newer nodes that admittedly brought them lower clocks. 10nm promises more of the same assuming they can actually use it seriously.
 
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NostaSeronx

Diamond Member
Sep 18, 2011
3,688
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Then moving from 28nm -> 28nm (different node) in going from Kaveri to Carrizo brought even further clockspeed regressions (though those regressions may have been more uarch-related than process-related).
Kaveri(GF28SHP) and Carrizo(GF28A) are the same FEOL node. With GF28A having a denser BEOL stack than GF28SHP. The clock regression is technically process-related. Kaveri is virtually the "HPC" node with the 13-track library and Carrizo is virtually the "Mobile" node with the 9-track library. The node change is with 28HPA which is Bristol/Stoney. Which had the higher mobility implant.

//
It is a bit convoluted but there is 14LPP, 14LPP+, 12LP, 12LP+, and there is the Boost(14nm transistor/14LPP+/12LP implant in 14nm) and Boost+(12nm transistor/12LP+ implant in 12nm) implants. I believe Raven2(Picasso) is 14LPP Boost, and Raven1(Dali) is 12LP Boost+, for example.
Also, again, the 9900KS doesn't even have that level of differentiation.
Isn't it a different stepping, implied re-spin/new die. Meaning its binning profile has been improved for the mature process?
 
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amrnuke

Golden Member
Apr 24, 2019
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1,772
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Ehhh not true.

90nm->65nm was a disaster for AMD. I think 65nm was the last process they launched before spinning off GF? No wait it was 45nm. 45nm was relatively successful in comparison. AMD 65nm just plain sucked for them. Then later, the move from 32nm SOI to 28nm brought clockspeed regressions. Then moving from 28nm -> 28nm (different node) in going from Kaveri to Carrizo brought even further clockspeed regressions (though those regressions may have been more uarch-related than process-related). Then moving from either 28nm node to 14nm brought even more clockspeed regressions! AMD basically slid downhill from 5GHz+ to 4-4.1 GHz from 32nm to 14nm. Oh and let's try to ignore GF20nm because it officially reached a clockspeed of 20nm (RIP Nolan, Amur).

What they gained in the process was better density and better power consumption within a desirable clockspeed range. GF14LPP (and 12nm) were so much better power-wise than 32nm or either 28nm node between the 3-3.6 GHz range that it's not even funny. Without those changes, Zen would never have made any headway. Intel experienced similar improvements - better power within a desired clockspeed range - when moving to newer nodes that admittedly brought them lower clocks. 10nm promises more of the same assuming they can actually use it seriously.
Correct, I should have said AMD have not always had issues. Absolutely there are times they have dropped clocks with process shrinks, but the amazing thing is that with Zen -> Zen+ -> Zen2, as you get smaller the heat density issue become bigger, and it's amazing that they've been able to not only rapidly shrink processes but also increase clocks as they shrink. I think given what has happened with Intel over the last several years that's really commendable.
 

Zucker2k

Golden Member
Feb 15, 2006
1,810
1,159
136
Correct, I should have said AMD have not always had issues. Absolutely there are times they have dropped clocks with process shrinks, but the amazing thing is that with Zen -> Zen+ -> Zen2, as you get smaller the heat density issue become bigger, and it's amazing that they've been able to not only rapidly shrink processes but also increase clocks as they shrink. I think given what has happened with Intel over the last several years that's really commendable.
Are you giving AMD credit for process shrinks by Glofo and TSMC? I'd be more interested in how AMD fared when they were running their own fabs. AMD has the luxury of going with whichever semiconductor company is doing well that is not Intel, is that an achievement? Not going down with Glofo when there are better options would seem like a no-brainer to me.
 

amrnuke

Golden Member
Apr 24, 2019
1,181
1,772
136
Are you giving AMD credit for process shrinks by Glofo and TSMC? I'd be more interested in how AMD fared when they were running their own fabs. AMD has the luxury of going with whichever semiconductor company is doing well that is not Intel, is that an achievement? Not going down with Glofo when there are better options would seem like a no-brainer to me.
No, I'm giving them credit for a product that has increased clock speed, and stable power usage on sequential process shrinks. I'm not interested in how AMD fared when they were running their own fab and I fail to see how that matters to the end result.
 

samboy

Senior member
Aug 17, 2002
217
77
101
Intel likely has a long term business model issue with doing their own Fabs. On one hand we have moore's law (ok, petering out now) giving exponential growth in performance. The other side of the coin, that gets less attention, is corresponding cost of the next Fab has also being growing exponentially.

It's a game of who can amortize the cost effectively; this needs volume.

Intel realizes this and have, in recent times, started to sell some of their Fab capability. However, they have failed in their bet in taking on the rest of the world in expanding into Mobile phones, 5G modems etc; they mainly fabricate their own CPU's, chipsets and few peripherals. Not that they are a small player; but they are competing with other Fabs that produce all the mobile phone chip sets/processors (where the real volume is); AMD CPU's etc etc.

This was all worthwhile since they had the process lead and came out with the latest shrink first, giving them the advantage. This has now all been squandered with their 10nm debacle. It's a high risk/high reward game.

With the next generation fab being significantly more expensive than the last then this problem is only going to get worse.

Intel seems to have lost out this round; by no means is it game over. However, I can't see how Intel's in-house Fab strategy is going to be good in the long run unless they can expand the diversity and number of chips they manufacture to offset the ever increasing costs.

Intel doesn't seem to be in a good long term position in my opinion. A failed 10nm node is a huge deal and 7nm has even higher stakes (and need to amortize cost of Fab).

Personally I want both AMD and Intel to succeed; we all know what happens to prices when there is no competition.

(Hopefully not too off-topic! Apologies in advance)
 
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Zucker2k

Golden Member
Feb 15, 2006
1,810
1,159
136
No, I'm giving them credit for a product that has increased clock speed, and stable power usage on sequential process shrinks. I'm not interested in how AMD fared when they were running their own fab and I fail to see how that matters to the end result.
Oh okay, the process has nothing to do with it. Hehe

In your last post I quoted, you literally said:
it's amazing that they've been able to not only rapidly shrink processes but also increase clocks as they shrink
 

amrnuke

Golden Member
Apr 24, 2019
1,181
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Oh okay, the process has nothing to do with it. Hehe

In your last post I quoted, you literally said:
So AMD with their Ryzen line haven't had rapidly shrinking processes with increased clock speeds? I don't get the point you're trying to make, other than trying to catch me in a semantic trap (whatever).
 
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ondma

Platinum Member
Mar 18, 2018
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I think his point is that AMD is getting the silicon from another foundry. In any case, AMD has a much easier time getting equal or faster clockspeeds from die shrinks because they were starting with a quite low clockspeed on the original Zen.
 

Markfw

Moderator Emeritus, Elite Member
May 16, 2002
25,740
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I think his point is that AMD is getting the silicon from another foundry. In any case, AMD has a much easier time getting equal or faster clockspeeds from die shrinks because they were starting with a quite low clockspeed on the original Zen.
3.8 ghz is low ? and 4.1 ghz is much higher ? Its not even 10% My 1800x would do 3.8 (all core, every day) and my 3900x does 4.1 all core every day. You have quite the knack for overstatement or understatement
 
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amrnuke

Golden Member
Apr 24, 2019
1,181
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I think his point is that AMD is getting the silicon from another foundry. In any case, AMD has a much easier time getting equal or faster clockspeeds from die shrinks because they were starting with a quite low clockspeed on the original Zen.
OK, but Intel started at 3.6GHz boost on 32nm, 3.9 on 22nm, and 3.8 on 14nm, and now they're at 5GHz boost on 14nm+^18, so... they started at low boost speeds too.
 

Gideon

Golden Member
Nov 27, 2007
1,712
3,931
136
OK, but Intel started at 3.6GHz boost on 32nm, 3.9 on 22nm, and 3.8 on 14nm, and now they're at 5GHz boost on 14nm+^18, so... they started at low boost speeds too.
Claiming that Zen started from slow clockspeeds is quite dubious IMO.
Skylake (6700K) was released 1,5 years before Zen and had a top boost speed of 4.2 Ghz (compared to zen's 4.0 GHz with 4.1 XFR).
Kaby-Lake (7700K) was released only 2 months before Zen, and only the 7700K had 4.6Ghz boost. Even 7700 non-k was limited to 4.2, as was 7600K.

Yeah, Intel has been ahead, but AMD certainly hasn't started off from much lower. If anything, the clock-speed gap increased during the zen+ era, compared to ZENs initial launch.

Meanwhile 1.0.0.4 AGESA seems to improve all-core boost by 50Mhz, so that + the upcoming 3950X mean that AMD is slowly edging closer (and that's why Intel is releasing i9 9000KS).
 
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ondma

Platinum Member
Mar 18, 2018
2,770
1,350
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3.8 ghz is low ? and 4.1 ghz is much higher ? Its not even 10% My 1800x would do 3.8 (all core, every day) and my 3900x does 4.1 all core every day. You have quite the knack for overstatement or understatement
Talking about all core turbo/overclock. Considering that intel can do 5 ghz all core, *yes* low 4ghz all core that early zen could do (on a good sample, if I recall correctly some had to struggle to even reach 4.0 all core) is low. As for overstatement or understatement, I challenge you to find one statement of mine that is clearly false. You may not like what I say, or resent a contrasting viewpoint or context, but that is not my problem.
 

Markfw

Moderator Emeritus, Elite Member
May 16, 2002
25,740
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Talking about all core turbo/overclock. Considering that intel can do 5 ghz all core, *yes* low 4ghz all core that early zen could do (on a good sample, if I recall correctly some had to struggle to even reach 4.0 all core) is low. As for overstatement or understatement, I challenge you to find one statement of mine that is clearly false. You may not like what I say, or resent a contrasting viewpoint or context, but that is not my problem.
Did you read my reply ? both 3.8 overclocked on the 1800x and 4.1 ghz overclocked on the 3900x are all-core overclocked. Both of those are not the highest overclock, but since I run them@100% all day every day, I like temps in the 70's. As for the overstatement/understatement, it because you are comparing Intel to AMD. You seem to think that GHZ is everything, and its not. In some thinks, a Ryzen 8 core can beat an Intel 8 core at lower clocks. You seem to think everything revolves around GHZ, and it does NOT, and thats fact, not opinion.
 
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ArchAngel777

Diamond Member
Dec 24, 2000
5,223
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You seem to think that GHZ is everything, and its not.

I didn't get this from his posts. Zen 3000 series might have a slight IPC advantage over the Intel 9000 series, but it is slight, where the higher clocks of Intel edge out AMD for ultimate performance.

From a value stand-point, AMD is the clear winner. That is, it performs almost as fast as Intel (core for core) effectively (IPC * clock speed) and is priced competitively, not to mention the power consumption advantage. THAT said, the Intel 9900KS is still the fastest 8 core chip out there due to the all-core 5Ghz turbo, stock.

I know these forums have often been involved in brand wars (even more so with the GPU side), but I think this remains factual.

Intel is still the absolute performance king for mainstream at the cost of double power consumption and more $$$. This usually means that Intel is usually not the best choice for most people with a budget.

But, then there are people like me... I just want a 9900KS. I guess the idea of all turbo @ 5Ghz appeals to me. Would I notice the difference? Not likely. Is it worth the price increase? No, it isn't. But will I probably get one? Yep. To each their own.

I was REALLY hoping that Zen could hit 5Ghz clocks, as I would have went AMD on my next build.
 
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ArchAngel777

Diamond Member
Dec 24, 2000
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OK, but Intel started at 3.6GHz boost on 32nm, 3.9 on 22nm, and 3.8 on 14nm, and now they're at 5GHz boost on 14nm+^18, so... they started at low boost speeds too.

While true, it was apparent (to me at least) that Intel milked their product as long as possible. The Core i7 920 was capable of 4.2Ghz all cores on air cooling. I know, because I did it and still have that computer. That was 45nm.

I know that the 2500/2600K could hit 5Ghz, all cores. Sandy was really overclock friendly. I believe that was 32nm.

Certainly, there are a lot of factors to consider when marketing a product. Power and efficiency curves no doubt played a role and as we can see, they can arbitrarily change the target TDP to get more performance.

In any case... I am just throwing this out there, not contesting what you are saying.
 

DrMrLordX

Lifer
Apr 27, 2000
21,802
11,157
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I didn't get this from his posts. Zen 3000 series might have a slight IPC advantage over the Intel 9000 series, but it is slight, where the higher clocks of Intel edge out AMD for ultimate performance.

That is not always true. You have to look at the two microarchitectures on an application-by-application basis. For example, a stock 9900k with MCE that can easily hit 5 GHz in ST applications can do under 8s in an old SSE2 application like SuperPi 1.5 mod XS. A 3900x, when boosting to 4.6 GHz, struggles to do 9s. Clearly CoffeeLake wins there on a per-clock basis. Then you turn around and look at CBR15 ST - the same stock 9900k can pull a 211, while my own 3900x had exactly the same score the other day boosting to 4550 MHz or so (give or take). That is a big IPC advantage for Matisse in that particular application.
 

Nutdotnet

Diamond Member
Dec 5, 2000
7,721
3
81
Maybe... But a 3700x 8 core (85 watts) vs a 9900ks 8 core (142 watts) 57% more power ???? What is incredible about that ? That they are so handicapped on power ?

Since you did not provide a link, I am going to go look for it.

Edit: from their conclusion:

Intel has extended its lead in gaming over AMD's lineup, but you have to keep that in perspective. The Ryzen 9 3900X offers a lower price point and is more agile in heavily-threaded workloads, particularly in productivity applications. It's also comes with other advantages, like support for PCIe 4.0. If you're not chasing the bleeding edge of gaming performance or overclockability, the Ryzen 9 3900X still offers a compelling blend of price and performance in both gaming and productivity applications.
So, as we already knew it wins in games by a little, but gets destoyed at anything else at the same price or more. And usess 57A% more power (and heat)

So why again is this good ?

It can be good for those who already have a compatible motherboard no?
 

scannall

Golden Member
Jan 1, 2012
1,948
1,640
136
It's a good part. And if you are doing a new build, it's certainly worth considering. If I were doing a new build, I'd likely go with a 3900x because that would work best for my particular uses. Other people likely have different goals in mind, and the 9900KS may be best for them.

The upshot here though, is there is an actual choice to be made. There was no choice 3 years ago.
 

ondma

Platinum Member
Mar 18, 2018
2,770
1,350
136
I didn't get this from his posts. Zen 3000 series might have a slight IPC advantage over the Intel 9000 series, but it is slight, where the higher clocks of Intel edge out AMD for ultimate performance.

From a value stand-point, AMD is the clear winner. That is, it performs almost as fast as Intel (core for core) effectively (IPC * clock speed) and is priced competitively, not to mention the power consumption advantage. THAT said, the Intel 9900KS is still the fastest 8 core chip out there due to the all-core 5Ghz turbo, stock.

I know these forums have often been involved in brand wars (even more so with the GPU side), but I think this remains factual.

Intel is still the absolute performance king for mainstream at the cost of double power consumption and more $$$. This usually means that Intel is usually not the best choice for most people with a budget.

But, then there are people like me... I just want a 9900KS. I guess the idea of all turbo @ 5Ghz appeals to me. Would I notice the difference? Not likely. Is it worth the price increase? No, it isn't. But will I probably get one? Yep. To each their own.

I was REALLY hoping that Zen could hit 5Ghz clocks, as I would have went AMD on my next build.
Thank you for actually reading my post and making a reasonable response instead of putting words into my mouth and apparently thinking you can read my mind.
 

dahorns

Senior member
Sep 13, 2013
550
83
91
You seem to think that GHZ is everything, and its not. In some thinks, a Ryzen 8 core can beat an Intel 8 core at lower clocks. You seem to think everything revolves around GHZ, and it does NOT, and thats fact, not opinion.

This is an odd reply. The discussion taking place has been about GHZ (i.e., increasing frequency with process shrinks), not overall performance. Your post is a bit of a non-sequitur given that context.
 

Markfw

Moderator Emeritus, Elite Member
May 16, 2002
25,740
14,772
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This is an odd reply. The discussion taking place has been about GHZ (i.e., increasing frequency with process shrinks), not overall performance. Your post is a bit of a non-sequitur given that context.
No, I am trying to dispel the rumor that clocks rule, as some posters seem to maintain. This is NOT off-topic or non-sequitur as you say. Some are talking about ghz, and some about process shrinks. While this is a 9900ks preview, the comparison to AMD is not really OT.
 
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ArchAngel777

Diamond Member
Dec 24, 2000
5,223
61
91
That is not always true.

Yep and I agree with you. However, it was my intention to speak of averages across a suite of workloads. Most reviews seem to have given a few percentage points in favor of AMDs IPC when comparing across multiple benchmarks. But as you point out, this can vary wildly with specific workloads.

If there is a specific workload that someone needs (a professional that uses a specific app) you should really compare that specific app to make your purchase decision. But for most of us who are not in that situation, we are good with averaging it out among many different workloads.
 

ArchAngel777

Diamond Member
Dec 24, 2000
5,223
61
91
No, I am trying to dispel the rumor that clocks rule, as some posters seem to maintain.

Honestly, I still don't see where he says what you think he says. Most of us have been here long enough to know about Netburst P4 arch, and how clock speed was meaningless. However, in this case, both Zen 2 and *Lake are close enough in IPC that clocks are at least relavent to the discussion.

That said, I do agree with you that clock speed in and of itself is meaningless. But in this context? No, I think it has meaning and merit.
 
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