The specifications and performance numbers of AMD EPYC 7000 series processors for servers have leaked out over at Videocardz. The upcoming lineup of Zeppelin based EPYC CPUs will ship with up to 32 cores and massive I/O capabilities.
AMD EPYC 7000 Series Server Family Detailed - EPYC 7601 Flagship Processor Boasts 32 Cores, 64 Threads and 3.2 GHz Boost Clocks
The EPYC server processors were unveiled at AMD's Financial Analyst Day along with other tech announcements. The processor lineup is based on the foundation of AMD's Zen core, utilizing a multi-chip package design. The chip is based on multiple Zeppelin dies that are fused with 8 Zen cores. AMD uses up to four Zeppelin dies on their flagship 32 core, 64 thread processor and that offers some disruptive numbers in terms of core count, thread count and I/O.
We will get back to the features in a bit but before we do, let's take a look at the lineup itself. The AMD EPYC family will be branded as the "EPYC 7000" series and features 12 models. From the 12, only three models are specifically designed to be compatible for single socket solutions while the rest can operate in 2P platforms.
The fastest of the EPYC 7000 series processor is the EPYC 7601 which comes with 32 cores and 64 threads. The clock speeds are maintained at 2.2 GHz base and 3.2 GHz boost frequencies. The TDP is maintained at 180W which is what we are going to get on Ryzen Threadripper processors too. In the single-socket lineup, the fastest chip is EPYC 7551P which also has 32 cores and 64 threads. It's clocked at 2.0 GHz base and 3.0 GHz boost and features a TDP of 180W.
Both processors have 64.0 MB of L3 cache and feature AMD's Infinity Fabric for faster chip to chip interconnect. The Infinity Fabric interconnect is a series of high-performance, scalable links that increases scaling in chips, providing more performance, improving product yields and reducing product cost. Rest of lineup is detailed below:
AMD EPYC 7000 Series Server Lineup:
| CPU Name | CPU Cores | CPU Threads | L3 Cache | Base Clock | Boost Clock | TDP | Pricing Range | Platform Support |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EPYC 7601 | 32 | 64 | 64 MB | 2.2 GHz | 3.2 GHz | 180W | >4000 USD | AMD 2P |
| EPYC 7551 | 32 | 64 | 64 MB | 2.0 GHz | 3.0 GHz | 180W | >3200 USD | AMD 2P |
| EPYC 7501 | 32 | 64 | 64 MB | 2.0 GHz | 3.0 GHz | 155/170W | >2700 USD | AMD 2P |
| EPYC 7451 | 24 | 48 | 48 MB | 2.3 GHz | 3.2 GHz | 180W | >2400 USD | AMD 2P |
| EPYC 7401 | 24 | 48 | 48 MB | 2.0 GHz | 3.0 GHz | 155/170W | >1700 USD | AMD 2P |
| EPYC 7371 | 16 | 32 | 32 MB | 3.1 GHz | 3.8 GHz | 155/170W | >1400 USD | AMD 2P |
| EPYC 7351 | 16 | 32 | 32 MB | 2.4 GHz | 2.9 GHz | 155/170W | >1100 USD | AMD 2P |
| EPYC 7301 | 16 | 32 | 32 MB | 2.2 GHz | 2.7 GHz | 155/170W | >800 USD | AMD 2P |
| EPYC 7281 | 16 | 32 | 32 MB | 2.1 GHz | 2.7 GHz | 155/170W | >600 USD | AMD 2P |
| EPYC 7251 | 8 | 16 | 16 MB | 2.1 GHz | 2.9 GHz | 120W | >400 USD | AMD 2P |
| EPYC 7551P | 32 | 64 | 64 MB | 2.0 GHz | 3.0 GHz | 180W | >2000 USD | AMD 1P |
| EPYC 7401P | 24 | 48 | 48 MB | 2.0 GHz | 3.0 GHz | 155/170W | >1000 USD | AMD 1P |
| EPYC 7351P | 16 | 32 | 32 MB | 2.4 GHz | 2.9 GHz | 155/170W | >700 USD | AMD 1P |
AMD EPYC 7000 Series Features, Performance and Platform Detailed
Coming to the platform itself, EPYC will be shipping with processors that feature up to 32 Zen cores as detailed above. The platform will support 8 memory channels and 128 lanes of high-bandwidth I/O. Each EPYC processor can support 16 DIMMs for up to 2 TB memory support and a 2P or Dual socket platform will feature 64 cores, 4 TB memory support and 128 PCI Express lanes.
AMD is not only going to take the fight to Intel in the single socket platform but also aims to disrupt the 2 socket market. An Epyc 1S platform will be able to offer up to 50 percent better processor performance compared to an Intel 2S solution. It will also consume lower power. Performance and pricing comparison of various AMD EPYC 7000 series processors versus the Broadwell-EP counterparts from Intel is provided in the image below, credits to Videocardz.
The benchmarks showcased by AMD are definitely impressive as EPYC is able to beat two socket Xeon configurations at similar or cheaper prices with better efficiency and more I/O capabilities. All processors of the EPYC 7000 series stack show disruptive performance results but it would be even better if we had gotten a comparison with Skylake-SP which is the actual competitor to the Naples / EPYC platform.
AMD says that there’s a 14% advantage of cores per rack that ship with their Naples platform compared to Intel’s. On Intel, a singular rack will consist of 4704 cores while AMD’s Zen based Naples Rack will ship with 5376 cores.
There’s also 14% advantage in VM (Virtual Machines) per socket. Memory bandwidth sees a 33% advantage as AMD has 8 channels while Intel’s Purley platform is configured for 6 channels per socket. Intel platform also supports 24 DIMMs while AMD can support up to 32 DIMMs. AMD is also suggesting highly competitive price to performance ratios on Naples processors that will give them a clear edge in the enterprise market.
Upcoming Intel and AMD Server Platform Comparison:
| Intel Xeon E5 Bronze / Silver | Intel Xeon E7 Gold / Platinum | AMD Naples Platform (2P) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Family Branding | Skylake-SP | Skylake-SP | AMD EPYC |
| Process Node | 14nm | 14nm | 14nm |
| PCH | Lewisburg PCH | Lewisburg PCH | SOC |
| Socket | Socket P (LGA 3647) | Socket P (LGA 3647) | SP3 LGA socket |
| Max Core Count | Up To 26 | Up To 32 | Up To 32 |
| Max Thread Count | Up To 52 | Up To 64 | Up To 64 |
| Max L3 Cache | 35.75 MB L3 | 38.5 MB L3 | 64 MB L3 |
| DDR4 Memory Support | 6-Channel DDR4 | 6-Channel DDR4 | 8-Channel DDR4 |
| TDP Range | 45-160W | 110-160W | 120-180W |
The AMD EPYC series will compete with Intel's Skylake-SP platform in 2017 followed by Cascade Lake-SP in 2018. AMD has plans to introduce their Rome server lineup based on the new Zen 2 cores later in 2018 which will feature a 48 core chip codenamed "Starship" as detailed in an earlier leaked road map. More details on that here. AMD is expected to release their EPYC 7000 series line up along with the Naples platform on 20th of June.
