AMD Launches EPYC 9004 "Genoa" Processors - Up To 96 Cores, AVX-512, Incredible Performance
AMD is talking up massive gains for EPYC Genoa not only in raw performance but also performance-per-Watt.
With now CPU SKUs up to 96 cores / 192 threads, AVX-512, and all of the other Zen 4 improvements, there is some massive generational uplift over EPYC Milan and the current Xeon Ice Lake numbers look incredibly weak in comparison.
Intel Xeon Sapphire Rapids is set to be finally announced in January while we'll see how long it takes before we get our hands on those next-generation Xeon Scalable processors. In any event, Sapphire Rapids looks like it will have some mighty competition ahead while current-generation Xeon Ice Lake gets annihilated by Genoa.
The SKU table for AMD EPYC Genoa is nice and remains much smaller than Intel's often complex mix of processors. At the low-end is the EPYC 9124 and 9174F CPUs that are sixteen core. The EPYC 9174F is a rather interesting part in that it has a 4.1GHz base frequency and 4.4GHz boost frequency -- the highest clocked part of all the EPYC Genoa SKUs being revealed today. But for this high hitting frequency-optimized SKU, it has a 320 Watt TDP or a cTDP up to 400 Watts.
And then there is the usual 24 / 32 / 48 / 64 core EPYC Genoa processors as well. The closest successor to the EPYC 7763 "Milan" 64-core CPU is the AMD EPYC 9554 that is 64 cores / 128 threads with a 3.1GHz base frequency and 3.75GHz boost frequency while having a 360 Watt default TDP and a cTDP of 320 to 400 Watts.
In pushing past 64 cores, there is now the 84-core EPYC 9634 that has a 290 Watt default TDP and a 2.25GHz base / 3.7GHz. The current flagship AMD EPYC Genoa processor is the EPYC 9654 that is 96 cores / 192 threads with a 2.4GHz base frequency and 3.7GHz boost frequency. The flagship EPYC 9654 has a 360 Watt TDP and a configurable TDP from 320 to 400 Watts. As with prior generation EPYC processors, there are the P suffix SKUs that are for only 1P server deployments.
As for pricing on the new 4th Gen EPYC processors, the flagship EPYC 9654 will retail for around $11,805 USD while the EPYC 9654P 1P variant is expected around $10,625. Meanwhile the EPYC 9554 64-core version akin to the EPYC 7763 prior generation part is expected to retail for around $9,087 USD -- not much more than the EPYC 7763 that had been in the $8k range. The pricing while higher than prior generation processors is competitive in comparison to Intel Xeon Scalable prices and with the hefty generational performance uplift. AMD EPYC Milan(X) processors will continue to be available for those looking at lower cost server platforms and sticking to DDR4 ECC server memory, etc. My AMD EPYC 9554/9654 Linux review with benchmarks also has performance-per-dollar metrics for showing how the CPU pricing for Genoa is in good shape relative to Xeon Scalable 3rd Gen and the AMD EPYC 7003 series.
AMD talks up some mighty improvements with the EPYC 9004 "Genoa" processors while let's continue on with the article looking at our first-hand performance benchmarks of the EPYC 9554 and 9654 processors on Linux.
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