AMD Zen 4: next-gen socket SP6 is revealed
AMD’s Zen 4 is probably the most anticipated CPU architecture at the moment. It has to show if AMD can beat Intel again and if a platform upgrade is worth it. At the same time, enterprise customers should get more cores, faster connections and higher efficiency for their servers and workstations with AMD’s large sockets. A second of these has now been announced, which you can read more about below.
AMD’s Zen 4 architecture for desktop will come on socket AM5, the first desktop AMD LGA socket. However, AMD does not only have home customers to serve and therefore some of the manufacturer’s server or HEDT sockets are already known for the upcoming CPU architecture. In the server area, the field should be headed by the SP5 socket. It should come with 6,096 contact pins and offer a twelve-channel memory interface for DDR5-5,200. The new Genoa(-X) and Bergamo processors with a TDP range of 200-400 watts should be able to work on it.
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Compared to the previous 128 PCI-E Gen 4 lanes, which were already ample, 160 PCI-E Gen 5 lanes should be available with Socket SP5 or LGA-6,096. But apparently it shouldn’t just stay with one socket and pictures and information about another socket have appeared in the Anandtech forum. This is supposed to be the SP6 socket, which is trimmed more for efficiency in every respect.
Socket SP6
Source: SteinFG
In contrast to the LGA-6,096, it should “only” have 4,844 pin contacts, which accordingly also require separate processors from AMD. The memory connection seems to be halved to a hexa-channel interface and the PCI-E lanes are also cut to 96 of the fifth generation. For this purpose, the TDP of the processors should be reduced to 70-225 watts, with the maximum number of cores remaining the same.
Some users have already put forward theories about a use case for the new socket. It would be conceivable for AMD to no longer use a common socket as was previously the case with SP3 for Milan(-X), but rather a clear division into high performance for the Epyc 7004 series and efficiency for the Epyc 5004 series. This would also open up possibilities for a desktop HEDT platform and all application purposes could be covered in an optimized way.
Source: Anandtech forum
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