Discussion RDNA 5 / UDNA (CDNA Next) speculation

[GTracing]

Cuz it doesn't exist.

well Jack is wrong.

Do you have any source for this? I seriously doubt you have more insight into AMD's graphics roadmap than the head of their graphics division.

 

[adroc_thurston]

Do you have any source for this?

Sort of.

I seriously doubt you have more insight into AMD's graphics roadmap than the head of their graphics division.

Jack just said things that are not quite real. GPGPU and client GFX will still be two very very distinct IP families. No unification whatsoever.

 

[GTracing]

Sort of.

Jack just said things that are not quite real. GPGPU and client GFX will still be two very very distinct IP families. No unification whatsoever.

I don't know man, he clearly said that they're unifying RDNA and CDNA into the same architecture. I find it very hard to believe that he's wrong.

So, part of a big change at AMD is today we have a CDNA architecture for our Instinct data center GPUs and RDNA for the consumer stuff. It’s forked. Going forward, we will call it UDNA. There'll be one unified architecture, both Instinct and client [consumer].

AMD announces unified UDNA GPU architecture — bringing RDNA and CDNA together to take on Nvidia's CUDA ecosystem

Two become one.

www.tomshardware.com

 

[Win2012R2]

I don't know man, he clearly said that they're unifying RDNA and CDNA into the same architecture. I find it very hard to believe that he's wrong.

He was intentionally vague, this could mean great many different things, not even simple roadmap was provided, or he could be just a liar have misspoken or was misunderstood or misquoted. And that's the best we've got right now - a load of bull.

Look at how Sony later gone public with "Project Amethyst", they seem to be driving AMD's consumer GPU roadmap more than AMD's vision, truly sad state of affairs.

 

[adroc_thurston]

they seem to be driving AMD's consumer GPU roadmap more than AMD's vision, truly sad state of affairs.

Semicustom orders have about zero influence on AMD GFX roadmap (and never really did).
Well, outside of the usual Microsoft-DirectX relationship but that's been going strong for 25+ years.

 

[Win2012R2]

Semicustom orders have about zero influence on AMD GFX roadmap (and never really did).

This time (perhaps) it's different (tm)?

 

[adroc_thurston]

This time (perhaps) it's different (tm)?

Nothing ever is different, Cerny just yaps random stuff pretending they still do anything (they do not).

 

[Win2012R2]

Well, he's done a fine job with PS5...

 

[adroc_thurston]

Well, he's done a fine job with PS5...

AMD did.
The core fundamental IP of Zen2 and RDNA2 was just good.

 

[Win2012R2]

AMD did. The core fundamental IP of Zen2 and RDNA2 was just good.

Yeah, but despite using "same" IP it did not work out as well for Xbox, did it?

Wide and slow got busted by small and fast, that's design choices that had to be ultimately decided not by AMD.

 

[adroc_thurston]

but despite using "same" IP it did not work out as well for Xbox, did it?

Yeah it did. Xbox issue is no games (and when they have 'em, complete failure at marketing).

Wide and slow got busted by small and fast

It's not really that much wider and slower.

that's design choices that had to be ultimately decided not by AMD.

You get the pick the config but that's pretty much the extent of things.

 

[Win2012R2]

You get the pick the config but that's pretty much the extent of things.

Yeah, but that's like saying - "you get the pick of wine from the list but that's pretty much the extent of things", that's pretty darn important to get it right!

It's not really that much wider and slower.

12 TF vs 9-ish did not work out as well as Xbox dudes hoped, and cost them more too.

 

[adroc_thurston]

that's pretty darn important to get it right!

GPU/SOC configs are real easy to change in the modern EDA-driven semicon landscape.
Something like Strix was redefined thrice.

12 TF vs 9-ish did not work out as well as Xbox dudes hoped, and cost them more too.

Sure did, Series X multiplats generally have higher pixel counts on output image, but no one really cares since xbox has no games.

 

[jpiniero]

You need area to make GPUs work.

Correct. Be interesting to see what AMD does if RDNA 4 doesn't sell without Fire Sale prices.

and on N3P they will get at best 50% quicker than PS5 Pro, hardly next gen.

That would not surprise me, although perhaps there would be a Series X type model too.

 

[Win2012R2]

True next gen will have to be fully RT capable, as in full path tracing or bust.

Sony in my view will decide to wait longer, at least 2028 - heck, maybe 2030, anything Xbox releases will be too close to PS5 Pro and unlikely cheaper, and PS5 now is the lowest common denominator platform for a very very long time.

 

[jpiniero]

Sony in my view will decide to wait longer, at least 2028 - heck, maybe 2030

I thought so too, but apparently that is not the case. Perhaps Sony will just continue to sell the Base PS5 alongside the PS6 as a cheaper option.

 

[Win2012R2]

Perhaps Sony will just continue to sell the Base PS5 alongside the PS6 as a cheaper option.

What for?

They've won the console war, PS5 is a very decent machine that will be ok for a few years past 2026, that's almost 2030, maybe by that point some new breakthroughs in RT will be made to get it all working in a small cheap package.

 

[jpiniero]

What for?

Best guess is that since Microsoft is making a new console, Sony felt compelled to respond.

 

[Win2012R2]

Best guess is that since Microsoft is making a new console, Sony felt compelled to respond.

But they can't make anything more than 50% better than PS5 Pro, and it's highly doubtful they will even bother given their new "Xbox is everything" matra, their hardware won't sell, Microsoft is a software company.

 

[jpiniero]

But they can't make anything more than 50% better than PS5 Pro, and it's highly doubtful they will even bother given their new "Xbox is everything" matra, their hardware won't sell, Microsoft is a software company.

Not improving the CPU on the PS5 Pro is shaping up to be a big problem.

 

[Win2012R2]

Not improving the CPU on the PS5 Pro is shaping up to be a big problem.

It's a console, users will just have to put up with 30 fps, it was sensible decision they've made, next gen will have opportunity to get some kick ass CPU improvements which will be needed by then.

 

[adroc_thurston]

True next gen will have to be fully RT capable, as in full path tracing or bust.

that's never gonna work at console level of costs and membw.
RTRT isn't panning out either way anyhow.

 

[Win2012R2]

that's never gonna work at console level of costs and membw.

Hence, we need some software breakthrough to make it possible

 

[adroc_thurston]

we need some software breakthrough to make it possible

There ain't any, it's the age of pure incrementalism.

 

[blckgrffn]

It's a console, users will just have to put up with 30 fps, it was sensible decision they've made, next gen will have opportunity to get some kick ass CPU improvements which will be needed by then.

They could have easily done Zen 4c but Apple like they are holding CPU and ram capacity for PS6.

A Zen 4c and 24/32GB of ram PS5 Pro would make it extremely challenging to move the bar enough to be compelling. Now they have “easy” wins to pair with another marginal GPU upgrade to give ecosystem customers a justifiable upgrade.

I don’t know think it will be nearly as epic as PS5 over PS4 though, the quality of life afforded by modern cpu + SSD is hard to match when coming from hdd and netbook cpu.