AM4: One Socket to Rule Them All?
DESPITE THE IMMINENT ARRIVAL of AMD’s new Polaris graphics architecture, the world is also talking about the company’s processors again. And not with a sense of schadenfreude, but with genuine interest and excitement. So with the new AM4 socket set to for
One of the reasons I’m excited by the prospect of AMD’s new socket and Zen microarchitecture is because it has the feel of classic AMD stuff. I’m not talking about the Bulldozer etal days of overpromising on barely-iterative new technologies—I’m talking about taking risks and having interesting new takes on where it can take processing technology.
The new AM4 socket is the base for its upcoming Zen architecture, with the potentially powerful eight-core, 16-thread Summit Ridge in the vanguard of its high-performance new desktop range. It’s also the base for its new Bristol Ridge APUs. Historically, AMD and Intel have segregated their motherboards between high-end desktop (HEDT) chips and CPUs with integrated graphics. Not so with AM4.
It manages that by putting even more logic on to the processors—removing the southbridge from the motherboard and placing all those interconnects into the CPU. All your PCIe lanes, SATA, and USB connectivity will be routed through the processor, along with the integrated DDR4 memory controller. It was AMD bringing the memory controller on to the CPU, with the Hammer architecture, that cemented its place as a key player in microprocessors, and it feels like AM4 could be another turning point.
There is resistance, though. Not least from motherboard manufacturers, who have almost become hamstrung, with ever more logic going on- die; only being able to differentiate their products on price and features, rather than performance. But there is resistance from end users, too; some seeing the idea of cheaper motherboards only serving to give AMD an excuse to charge artificially high prices for its CPUs, and others seeing it as locking down users into rigidly segmented areas, taking away build choices. No cheap processors paired with fullyfeatured motherboards any more; it’s AMD’s way or the highway.
But choice has to remain. It’s not like there will be only one AM4 board created by each manufacturer, some sort of one-size-fits-all generic-o-board. You’ll still get some with more SATA and USB sockets, or more PCIe slots for your GPU or SSD. The likelihood of having an AM4 motherboard with a new A12 Bristol Ridge APU, but rocking a bunch of USB ports or PCIe slots you can’t use, seems low. There’s also been no official confirmation manufacturers won’t be able to add third-party controllers on to the boards themselves in some way.
AMD will still deliver choice, then, especially with such a clear upgrade path coming from simplifying its offerings down to a single socket. And I’m also excited about motherboards with such little logic that the mini ITX brigade might well be falling over themselves to build with them. We just have to hope those claims of greater than 40 percent IPC uplift actually come to pass, and we can finally put to bed the miserable days of Bulldozer.