What’s new? Zen 3 and Intel Xeon

Zen 3 coming in 2020: AMD reveals details

AMD recently announced the first details of the Zen 3 architecture. The new processors are said to offer an enormous increase in performance and a higher clock rate than Zen 2 CPUs. This is made possible by a completely new chiplet design. A chiplet, called "Compute Cache Die" (CCD), previously consisted of two four-way clusters, called "Compute Core Complex" (CCX). With Zen 3, all eight computing cores are now located in one CCD and therefore one CPU chiplet. The advantage of this is a shared level 3 cache, which all cores can access directly and at the same speed.

AMD manufactures Zen 3 using the so-called 7nm+ process. The new processors are due to be released in the second half of 2020 and will be compatible with the current sockets. Work is already underway on Zen 4 (planned for 2021/2022) and Zen 5. It is not yet clear which technology will be used to manufacture them.

Sources: heise.de, golem.de, gamestar.de, pcgameshardware.de.

Great price pressure: Intel CPUs are getting cheaper

Intel recently introduced new Core-X and Xeon series processors. Although these are still produced using the 14nm process, they score points with higher base and boost clock rates and faster RAM. Despite the increase in performance, the new models cost only half as much as their predecessors. Intel is responding to the strong competition from AMD and is now offering its processors at a similar price to comparable AMD CPUs.

Shortly afterwards, Intel also lowered the prices for the ninth generation of "F" CPUs. This benefits the competition in the high-end gaming sector in particular, as the Core CPUs with the "F" suffix do not have an integrated graphics unit and are mainly used where a powerful graphics card is available anyway.

Sources: pcwelt.de, pcwelt.de.

Renewed delivery problems: Intel's 14nm CPUs 

Intel's CEO Bob Swan has confirmed that there are once again supply problems with 14 nm processors. Production capacity has been increased, but stocks are completely exhausted, meaning that there will be a shortage until the end of 2019. In addition, 10 nm production is rather sluggish and desktop and server CPUs will probably continue to be produced using the 14 nm process. Nevertheless, Intel has announced its intention to produce the first 7 nm processors in 2021 and there are increasing indications that 10 nm production will soon be extended to other models

Sources: gamestar.de, heise.de.

End of life: SQUARE 15 no longer available

The SQUARE 15 panel PC is being discontinued from the spo-comm range and is no longer available with immediate effect. We don't have a successor ready yet, but we are already busy making plans and, as we can already reveal, we don't want to leave it at just 15 inches.

Pssst: It's now 20204 and the SQUAREs are back!

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