Report: Ryzen "Raven Ridge" APU Not Using HBM2 Memory

[starshipeleven]

It's true that not all apu chipsets in the past supported dual channel memory (even if they had two dimm slots), but unless you prove that the chipset used in the envy doesn't support dual channel memory, I won't believe it.

Sigh no the issue is on the OEM side.

APU chipsets that didn't support dualchannel where the low-end Beema and Carrizo-L, Carrizo and later all supported dualchannel in the chip, but most were single-channel due to board design (i.e. OEM choice). see an article here https://www.extremetech.com/computin...e-amds-carrizo

Main reason OEMs made single-channel Carrizo laptops were because they were recycling the same board design of Carrizo-L (and of Beema to some extent), just swapping the processor (as AMD made them pin-compatible in a desperate attempt to sell something), and this saves an enormous amount of money in design, hardware QA, testing, and manufacturing as they are using the same assembly lines used by the older boards (or just making a board revision from Bema boards, not a whole new board).

That's why there was so much cringing when they came out. Even Carrizo APUs would totally rock if they weren't hobbled to single-channel and had unlocked TDP to 35w instead of 15w. But yet you find totally retarded designs like that, and instead of unlocking the goddamn APU the OEM added a weak "dedicated" GPU on a 15w APU.



That's why I'm inclined to believe the claim that this laptop too is single-channel due to board design.

[starshipeleven]

That's not the case. Here are the configurations available from HP store:

• 8 GB DDR4-2400 SDRAM (2 x 4 GB)Included in price
• 12 GB DDR4-2400 SDRAM (1 x 4 GB, 1 x 8 GB)+$70.00
• 16 GB DDR4-2400 SDRAM (2 x 8 GB)+$150.00

What part of " single-channel with dual DIMM slots" you did not understand?
Let me rephrase:

Even if the laptop has 2 physical slots for RAM, electrically they are on the same "ram channel" (which is electrical connections, not a physical slot), so they can't be used in dual channel configuration.

For example, on a desktop system (dual channel) with 4 RAM slots you have 2 slots on a "ram channel" and other 2 slots on another "ram channel". So if you have only 2 RAMs you place them in the wrong slots the system will use them as single channel.

[ckonte]

What part of " single-channel with dual DIMM slots" you did not understand?
Let me rephrase:

Even if the laptop has 2 physical slots for RAM, electrically they are on the same "ram channel" (which is electrical connections, not a physical slot), so they can't be used in dual channel configuration.

For example, on a desktop system (dual channel) with 4 RAM slots you have 2 slots on a "ram channel" and other 2 slots on another "ram channel". So if you have only 2 RAMs you place them in the wrong slots the system will use them as single channel.

Come on, what's the point of the 2x4Gb configuration if it's not dual channel?
Anyway many tech sites reported that memory is dual channel. Don't you trust them? It's fine, just wait a few weeks until more information will be available, but please do not spread misinformation.

[stiiixy]

Quoting a shop option doesnt explain a technical offering mate.

[starshipeleven]

Come on, what's the point of the 2x4Gb configuration if it's not dual channel?

It's cheaper? You know, many sellers still have stocks of 4GB modules to dump somewhere.

Anyway many tech sites reported that memory is dual channel.

[citation needed]

please do not spread misinformation.

I only stated well-known facts:
- Having 2 RAM slots is NOT a guarantee that the system is dual channel
- The overwhelming majority of APUs in the past were hobbled by single-channel configurations

I don't know nor care about this particular product being dual channel or not, I'm just correcting misconceptions.
Do your own research on shit you buy keeping in mind the abovementioned facts, and this means that if you want that laptop to be dual channel you must have multiple reliable sources claim so.

Just looking at number of RAM slots is not sufficient to declare it dual or single channel.

[OneBitUser]

It's cheaper? You know, many sellers still have stocks of 4GB modules to dump somewhere.

[citation needed]

I only stated well-known facts:
- Having 2 RAM slots is NOT a guarantee that the system is dual channel
- The overwhelming majority of APUs in the past were hobbled by single-channel configurations

I don't know nor care about this particular product being dual channel or not, I'm just correcting misconceptions.
Do your own research on shit you buy keeping in mind the abovementioned facts, and this means that if you want that laptop to be dual channel you must have multiple reliable sources claim so.

Just looking at number of RAM slots is not sufficient to declare it dual or single channel.

Check out these benchmarks here: https://techreport.com/review/32877/...apu-reviewed/3
IFF those results are not falsified or flawed in some major way then the Envy x360's memory is indeed dual channel DDR4-2400.

This pleases me very much, because I shared your concerns about notebook manufacturers bungling yet another AMD platform.

[haplo602]

I don't know enough to refute your statement, I just know that OEMs always placed AMD APUs in single channel even when they had 2 slots, and this is a fact you can confirm easily by googling and seeing all the cringing at that.

It was done on the models hat had a fixed 4GB/8GB "module" soldered on the Mobo ... they had an expansion slot for another DIMM. the x360 afaik has 2 dimm slots ... also the service guide states the system is dual channel ...

yes I am aware that the service guide might lie as well ... but some of the models actually had single channel specs only in the service guide ...

[ckonte]

It's cheaper? You know, many sellers still have stocks of 4GB modules to dump somewhere.

[citation needed]

I only stated well-known facts:
- Having 2 RAM slots is NOT a guarantee that the system is dual channel
- The overwhelming majority of APUs in the past were hobbled by single-channel configurations

I don't know nor care about this particular product being dual channel or not, I'm just correcting misconceptions.
Do your own research on shit you buy keeping in mind the abovementioned facts, and this means that if you want that laptop to be dual channel you must have multiple reliable sources claim so.

Just looking at number of RAM slots is not sufficient to declare it dual or single channel.

Sorry, I put a link to anandtech in my previous post but it didn't work.
Here it is: https://www.anandtech.com/show/11963/hp-announces-envy-x360-15-with-ryzen-mobile

HP has paired it with up to 8 GB of DDR4 RAM in dual-channel mode.

I never said that having 2 slot is a garantee that the system is dual channel, but you cannot say it's not dual channel neither.
At least I have a reliable source.

[GreenReaper]

What do you know, someone "leaked" (aka planted) a SiSoft result for an integrated AMD graphics solution with 28 compute units and what looks like one 2GB chip of HBM2 (not sure what else runs at 182GB/sec bandwidth). Though it's odd the "Expected Score Range" isn't a range, like the other results.

Could it be the fabled Desktop APM? Or a particularly clever fake? Answers on a forum...

[grok]

The Threadripper product has 2 dummy dies under the IHS and I'm sure they could toss some graphics in there using Infinity fabric. Keep in mind "R9" graphics would be around a RX470 - 570 with their current products and the rumored smaller Vega would be around there. The cooling systems for TR4 that would be able to accommodate such a product are just now coming out.

The market for that product would be fairly limited, but there are people who have the cash and the need for all those cores, but who would be happy with 1080p gaming performance.

I'm fairly sure there was official literature about this, back from before the "EPYC" name was revealed.
Two Zeppelin dies and a 32 CU Vega, on the big socket.

This can be for HPC : at last the HSA vision can be realized (better than a Kaveri + R9 290 tech demo)
Think POWER9 + Volta with NVlink 2.0 between them ; this will be much cheaper. But not that many teraflops. Best for workloads where the back-and-forth between CPU and GPU is the bottleneck, or if you'd like the GPU to seamlessly access hundreds gigs of system DRAM.

In fact I wonder if this will support dual socket?

For a workstation I think it's fairly useless, if you only need the CPU cores for work and GPU for gaming. Just go with a 1920X/1950X (or later) and a cheap dedicated GPU.
If you'll benefit from HSA workloads or freed slots (or just want to watercool the big APU and use it) then it'll make much sense.