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from the when-does-the-seamripper-go-on-sale dept.
AMD's Threadripper 2 TR 2990WX will be available for retail on August 13. The CPU has 32 cores and the suggested retail price is $1,799, compared to $1,999 for Intel's 18-core i9-7980XE. A 24-core TR 2970WX will be available in October for $1,299.
The 16-core TR 2950X ($899, August 31) and 12-core TR 2920X ($649, October) replace their counterparts from the last generation of Threadripper CPUs, but have slightly improved "12nm" Zen+ cores like the other Threadripper 2 CPUs. The 16 and 12-core chips use 2 dies while the 24 and 32-core versions use 4 dies.
A benchmark leak shows the 32-core TR 2990WX outperforming Intel's 18-core i9-7980XE by 53% in the multithreaded Cinebench R15 (this is an early result, may not represent the final performance, and may be overly favorable to AMD).
Also at Tom's Hardware and Engadget.
Related: First Two AMD Threadripper Chips Out on Aug. 10, New 8-Core Version on Aug. 31
Intel Teases 28 Core Chip, AMD Announces Threadripper 2 With Up to 32 Cores
AMD Ratcheting Up the Pressure on Intel
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 07 2018, @05:31AM (3 children)
I am tempted to get a new rig with this zen core, but the spy engine dissuades me.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Tuesday August 07 2018, @06:00AM (2 children)
Can't PSP be disabled in the BIOS?
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by requerdanos on Tuesday August 07 2018, @11:48AM (1 child)
Phoronix says that Reddit says [phoronix.com] that there is a "disable" option, viz.:
In my (possibly paranoid) opinion, however, an option to "turn off BIOS support" for your computer's built-in secret full-privelige rootkit controlled by not-you still isn't very reassuring, because it doesn't take away your having a secret full-privelege rootkit controlled by not-you.
Even if both the PSP and IME are totally only being used for the good of mankind, the underlying problem is that by their very design they represent the ability to defeat all encryption and to spy on every file, network packet, and byte of memory on a computer, representing a pretty big target for abuse. There is nobody for whom that's not a bad thing.
If you are an individual, the PSP/IME is something that should concern you because it has full access to your computer and everything it's connected to, and so, by extension, do people, corporations and/or governments whose interests certainly do not perfectly align with your own.
If you are an oppressive government who has purchased or coerced access to the PSP or IME, it's something that should concern you because in your unique position, you know for a fact that they are giving out access and just because you have access, that doesn't mean you are the only oppressive government with access and someone else has full access to your computers just as you have access to your citizen-victims' computers.
This is a worst-case scenario, but the problem is that it's not an unreasonable one: It's worst-case by design.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 07 2018, @07:27PM
yes, we need to be able to use coreboot/libreboot on your hardware, amd. otherwise, we can't trust your shit.