Raven Ridge APU brings a spark of competitiveness
In a local launch event featuring the Ryzen CPUs and the RX 500 Series GPUs, AMD provided us a glimpse of what to expect this side of the year. That includes yet to be launched gaming notebooks powered by the Ryzen CPU and the upcoming VEGA GPUs. We are talking about the Raven Ridge APU here, together with other gaming related topics discussed with the AMD representatives.
AMD VEGA, SUMMIT RIDGE
We actually had the chance to talk with Ryan Sim, AMD’s Channel Sales Director and the National Sales Manager, Sonny Sy. In an interview, they stated the company’s outlook for the coming months and how exciting it is for the consumers. First up, we are confirming the AMD Ryzen powered notebooks coming in hot with the VEGA GPU in one chip.
AMD chose VEGA over Polaris since it’s a new product, slated to be released on the 2nd half of the year. Mobile APUs bearing both Ryzen and VEGA are SoC, while the desktop counterparts are of course available for the AM4 socket. SoC means there is less space required with cooling centered to the SoC itself. That said, we could see Ultrabook thin Ryzen Mobile with a no-slouch gaming performance.
The Raven Ridge APU will also depart from the usual AMD AX XXXX monicker, and will receive a Ryzen treatment. I’d say it’s just proper for the 8th generation AMD microprocessors.
ON THE TOPIC OF ESPORTS
We also asked AMD if they are willing to sponsor and take an active stance at the eSports scene. Ryan said that they are planning to, but it isn’t a priority at the moment. However should all conditions met, they are willing to take a plunge into the local eSport scene.
Still at the subject, Ryan and Sonny are expecting the Raven Ridge APUs to be a competitive product family at launch. Gamers willing to jump for some APU action especially at the notebook sector are expected to meet their well… expectations. Of course, that’s still yet to be seen even with loads of leaks online surrounding the platform. It is still recommended for us to wait for official data. An actual data that we could crunch as opposed to percentage differences alone.
A FRIENDLIER ECOSYSTEM
AMD representatives also said that they are willing to cooperate with the competition for a healthier ecosystem. This has been proven true with the official Nvidia Battlebox systems equipped with the AMD Ryzen CPUs. Cooperation is still different from partnership though. No wonder the Intel x AMD rumors turned out to be a fraud.
COMPUTEX is just around the corner with AMD ready to impress with the Raven Ridge APU family and the VEGA GPUs. The AMD Threadripper is also expected to show on the floor. So, let us sit back and wait for things to come.
