AMD will give consoles a Die-shrink first
As you guys probably know, console APUs have become big business for AMD. Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo are all using one. These are still based on a 28nm fabrication process. However TSMC is getting its 20nm fabrication node up and running.
Now everybody expected AMD to die-shrink their APUs for the PC market first, but it's the console SoCs that will be favored. As TPU reports today:
Unlike NVIDIA, which may use the new process to shrink its GPUs, or launch bigger chips based on its "Maxwell" architecture, AMD will treat its console SoCs with optical-shrinks to the new nodes first, so the company could immediately eke out better margins, as console gamers upgrade to Xbox One or the PlayStation 4. AMD's SoC for the Xbox One, could be the first in line for this optical shrink to 20 nm. This chip features a transistor count of 5 billion, and houses eight 64-bit x86 CPU cores, and a 768 SP GPU based on the Graphics CoreNext architecture; 48 MB of on-die cache, and a quad-channel DDR3 IMC. The chip also features an integrated core logic. AMD's chip for the PlayStation 4 features design inputs from Sony. The chip features the same CPU component, but a 1152 SP GPU, and a 256-bit wide GDDR5 memory interface, wired to 8 GB of memory that's virtualized for both system- and graphics-memory. The 20 nm shrinks of both chips are expected to lower not just manufacturing costs, but also step up energy-efficiency, which could then let Microsoft and Sony save additional costs on other components, such as power and cooling.
Via TPU and Expreview.
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Senior Member
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1080p 60fps?
Sony and Microsoft themselves don't even want that.
http://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/anton-shilov/ubisoft-microsoft-and-sony-demand-pc-games-to-be-locked-at-30fps/
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Would be nice if they added a reserved extra 100mhz or something to the cpu and gpu as a turbo for the times when the frames get choppy, they should keep it reserved but not let devs use it so they can make the gameplay smoother.
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I don't see how this could help Nintendo without them building a entirely new console unless they use this to upgrade the GPU in the Wii-U.
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For nintendo all it would do is reduce heat and power they could probably cheap out on the psu a bit and if the fab is cheaper it would reduce the overall cost of the system.
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And why wouldn't it be less unique if they added more SP, xbone needs it badly - at least to PS4 level..
Rest is all the same, nothing changed.