AMD Tech Day at CES: 2018 Roadmap Revealed, with Ryzen APUs, Zen+ on 12nm, Vega on 7nm
by Ian Cutress on February 1, 2018 8:45 AM ESTAMD Ryzen Price Drops, New Wraith Prism
One of the elements we reported on almost immediately was AMD’s decision to drop the suggested retail pricing of its current Ryzen desktop processors. Since the launch last year, Ryzen processors have varied quite dramatically from then to now: the processors started off at the launch pricing, but through the summer and into the winter, many retailers were offering discounts, without any catches. Throughout this time, AMD maintained that their launch-day pricing structure was still in place, and it was up to distributors and retailers to dictate the exact pricing, and as far as AMD was concerned, the price at which these processors were sold to distributors had not changed. This did not stop some of the media from speculating wildly in spite of AMD’s official line.
So fast forward to CES 2018, and the first official price list change for Ryzen really does shake up the landscape. For the top mainstream processors, there are deep discounts to be had, with up to $150 coming off the price of the Ryzen 7 1800X. The full list is as follows:
| AMD Ryzen New Pricing | |||||
| Processor | Socket | Type | Cores/Threads | Old SEP | New SEP |
| Ryzen TR 1950X | TR4 | HEDT | 16 / 32 | $999 | No Change |
| Ryzen TR 1920X | TR4 | HEDT | 12 / 24 | $799 | No Change |
| Ryzen TR 1900X | TR4 | HEDT | 8 / 16 | $549 | $449 |
| Ryzen 7 1800X | AM4 | CPU | 8 / 16 | $499 | $349 |
| Ryzen 7 1700X | AM4 | CPU | 8 / 16 | $399 | $309 |
| Ryzen 7 1700 | AM4 | CPU | 8 / 16 | $329 | $299 |
| Ryzen 5 1600X | AM4 | CPU | 6 / 12 | $249 | $219 |
| Ryzen 5 1600 | AM4 | CPU | 6 / 12 | $219 | $189 |
| Ryzen 5 1500X | AM4 | CPU | 4 / 8 | $189 | $174 |
| Ryzen 5 1400 | AM4 | CPU | 4 / 8 | $169 | No Change |
| Ryzen 5 2400G | AM4 | APU | 4 / 8 | N/A | $169 |
| Ryzen 3 1300X | AM4 | CPU | 4 / 4 | $129 | No Change |
| Ryzen 3 1200 | AM4 | CPU | 4 / 4 | $109 | No Change |
| Ryzen 3 2200G | AM4 | APU | 4 / 4 | N/A | $99 |
If we line up a direct AMD vs. Intel with this new pricing, it is clear that there are a couple of battle grounds. The Ryzen 7 1800X, now at $349, squares up with the Core i7-7700K at $350, the previous generation high-end overclockable processor. The Ryzen 7 1700, our suggested mainstream AMD processor in 2017 is now $299, undercutting the Core i7-8700 while still having more cores. The Ryzen 5 1600 at $190 is now aligned with the Core i5-8400 at $187, and for this price the Ryzen 5 1600 offers simultaneous multi-threading whereas the Intel processor does not.
Down at the low end are the new processors with Vega graphics, the Ryzen 5 2400G at $169 and the Ryzen 3 2200U at $99, which are priced against the Core i5-8400 at $187 and Core i3-8100 at $117 respectively.
To put this into perspective, Intel used to publish its price list weekly, but after accidentally leaking the details of processors before launch, have migrated it to monthly (though they seem to have missed January?). Nonetheless, Intel rarely changes the suggested retail pricing of its mainstream processors.
What is not mentioned in this table is which processors come with which coolers. AMD’s best-selling products come with variants of the Wraith cooler provided in box, which would be considered a separate cost on the Intel lineup.
Wraith PRISM Launched, Wraith Max Reduced
As part of the price drop announcement, AMD is introducing a new variant of their Wraith cooler family to system integrators. The Wraith PRISM will sit above the Wraith Max and Wraith Spire in the family, going above the Max with a rainbow LED ring instead of just a red one, and illuminated fan blades. AMD is citing enhanced motherboard compatibility for the LEDs, and it still uses the same mounting mechanism since AM2. There will be an overclockable fan profile, or a silent operation mode capable of 39 decibels.
The only ‘downside’ to the cooler is that it will not be on general sale, or be bundled with any processors. In order to get one, it will be up to system integrators to use it and for users to buy a pre-built system. As a result, the cost will be up to the system integrator.
Edit Feb 2nd: Apologies on my part, this paragraph is wrong. I had erroneously remembered what AMD had told us. It has since been clarified: AMD will be communicating its Wraith PRISM strategy later through Q1.
The other element on cooler updates is a price drop for the Wraith Max. This is the one Wraith cooler that AMD does actually sell at retail, representing a 125W near-silent cooler with a shroud and a red LED ring around the fan. When AMD launched the cooler for $60 last year, a few of us baulked at the price: it’s a nice cooler to have, but it is not a $60 value. AMD is now going to have a suggested retail price of $45, which is more nearer the mark, but the cooler market is a competitive place for this sort of thing.
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mode_13h - Thursday, February 1, 2018 - link
Also, cardiovascular risk factors are known to affect brain health.mode_13h - Thursday, February 1, 2018 - link
Everything is fine... until one day, it's not. I have a co-worker somewhat like you describe (though he probably ate a bit better than that). He had a massive heart attack. He's still with us, but such an event is probably more costly and disruptive to one's life than simply taking better care of yourself.mode_13h - Thursday, February 1, 2018 - link
BTW, coffee is probably a net-positive, as long as you keep the cortisol in check and don't add lots of sugar.MFinn3333 - Saturday, February 3, 2018 - link
It is incredibly easy to get Vitamin D outside of the Pacific Northwest or similiar environments..."If you're fair skinned, experts say going outside for 10 minutes in the midday sun—in shorts and a tank top with no sunscreen—will give you enough radiation to produce about 10,000 international units of the vitamin. "
mode_13h - Thursday, February 8, 2018 - link
Um, so exactly how does this help in winter, where the only exposed skin most people have is on their face and hands?And getting a couple hours/day of direct sun exposure on your face is going to take its toll on skin aging and cancer risk.
mode_13h - Thursday, February 1, 2018 - link
Too much. About 2000 IU/day is optimal for minimizing all-cause mortality. Perhaps more can be supplemented in short spurts, however.It might be possible to safely exceed 2k IU/day if also supplementing magnesium and/or vitamin K, since one of the down-sides of overdosing Vitamin D is calcification of blood vessels.
Anyway, Vitamin D isn't the only proven immune booster. Garlic is another good one.
ckbryant - Saturday, February 3, 2018 - link
Endocrinology professor once said that the nations with the highest incidences of skin cancers (Australia) also have the lowest rates of population with low vitamin D, even in the Southeast United States people are going outside less and less; especially in the older populations. Not to mention the younger age groups with the phone attached to their face 24/7, and most people over 65 will need 2000-5000units of Vit D3 supplementation/day. However, in extreme cases a once weekly dose of Vit D2 1.25mg (50,000 units) once weekly for 12 weeks then reassessing lab values will render >45ng/dl will will be about where most people need to be. Then daily normal supplementation can continue from there. Endo professor said people who smoke need to avoid Vit A, and Copper supplementation unless they are in high risk of Macular Degeneration due to the increased risk in smokers of Vit A and Copper supplementation causing increased correlation of cancer. However he always emphazies that study x and study y can generate relevant data, and one study can "disprove findings" of another, because CORRELATION does NOT prove CAUSATION.letmepicyou - Friday, February 2, 2018 - link
Yeah, here's another tidbit for you all to research...SELENIUM. 95% of American diets are severely deficient in Selenium. Selenium is an immune system regulator. Best source of Selenium = Brazil Nuts. In fact, not one to spread conspiracy theories (ok, yes I am), but I read a rather in-depth article once by an AIDS researcher that claimed that AIDS isn't even caused by HIV (like conventional "wisdom" claims), but rather every subject he took samples from and tested that had AIDS actually was severely deficient in Selenium in their body. Since I've been eating 1 brazil nut a day, I haven't been sick in YEARS. Most I've ever had was a sniffle, but it goes no further into my RT than my nose. Check it out.mode_13h - Thursday, February 8, 2018 - link
Too much selenium is strongly linked to development of insulin resistance. So, be careful with long-term selenium supplementation and Brazil nut consumption. One/day is probably fine, but not much more.AndrewJacksonZA - Monday, January 8, 2018 - link
Get well soon Ian!!