The architecture of Zen 4c was a surprise. AMD introduced itself a few months ago with the announcement of the EPYC Bergamo, a processor aimed at the professional sector, which marked an important turning point as it represented chiplet redesign to increase core density encapsulation and allowed to increase the maximum number of cores and threads to 128 and 256 per socket.

However, its debut in the general consumer market has already occurred earlier, because APU Ryzen Z1 and Ryzen Z1 Extreme They use a CPU-based architecture Zen 4c. Interesting, isn’t it? We already had the opportunity to test the Ryzen Z1 Extreme in our ASUS ROG Ally review and the truth is that the performance data we got was really good, especially if we take into account its consumption values.

With the good results achieved by the Zen 4c architecture in the Ryzen Z1 APU, it is only natural that AMD decided to widen its acceptance in the mainstream consumer market, and that’s why it started with the portable sector. At the moment I can confirm that AMD will launch two new APUs based on the Zen 4c architecture, the Ryzen 5 7545U and the Ryzen 3 7440U.

Zen 4c: everything you need to know

Before looking at the specifications of these two APUs, it is important to thoroughly analyze the architecture of the Zen 4c so that you are clear about everything it has to offer. When we started reading rumors about it, we envisioned it as a kind of low-power, high-efficiency version of the Zen 4, but the truth is that the description is wrongbecause it ends up being much more powerful than we imagined.

Zen 4c is an architecture that is designed to maximize efficiency (power per watt consumed), core density per chiplet and performance. To meet these goals, AMD adjusted the operating frequencies and reduced the L3 cache block to a chiplet., which goes from 32 MB to 16 MB but maintained the CPImeaning these two are the only differences we find between a Zen 4-based chiplet and another that uses Zen 4c.

One important thing to keep in mind to avoid confusion is that the Ryzen 7000 U series APUs They already come with 16 MB of L3 cacheso In this sense, there are no differences in the total amount of cache with Zen 4c architecture. As we can see in the attached image, which shows a technical comparison between Zen 4 and Zen 4c, this new architecture keeps all the keys at the technical level, which allows it to offer the same CPI, reduces the area occupied per core by 35%.

This is key to offering a high level of performance and a good user experience without giving up lower costs and lower consumption. The Zen 4c architecture will allow AMD to expand its product catalog with powerful, efficient and economical solutions and will be an important pioneer in Higher core count APUs to the middle and upper class markets.

New Ryzen 5 7540U and Ryzen 3 7440U

Today, AMD introduced two new APUs that are paving the way for Zen 4c in the mainstream consumer market. Both solutions are positioned as affordable options and try to offer a very tight balance between price and performance. We don’t have a confirmed release date yet, but we know it’s coming in near future.”

Ryzen 5 7540U specs

• TSMC’s 5nm node.
• Two Zen 4 cores and four Zen 4c cores. Twelve threads thanks to SMT technology.
• Operating frequency 3.2 GHz-4.9 GHz, normal and turbo mode.
• 22 MB cache (6 MB L2 and 8 MB L3).
• TDP from 15 to 30 watts.
• Integrated graphics chip Radeon 740M.
• Not compatible with AMD Ryzen AI.

Ryzen 3 7440U specs

• TSMC’s 5nm node.
• Four Zen 4c cores. Eight wires thanks to SMT technology.
• Operating frequency from 3 GHz to 4.7 GHz, normal and turbo mode.
• 12 MB cache (6 MB L2 and 8 MB L3).
• TDP from 15 to 30 watts.
• Integrated graphics chip Radeon 740M.
• Not compatible with AMD Ryzen AI.

Zen 4 vs Zen 4c: Optimization and Scaling

AMD recognizes that using Zen 4 and Zen 4c cores presents some issues, even though both have the same IPC. Use both cores wisely It is important, a reality that AMD has been able to apply in this new generation through three main keys:

1. Zen 4 has a higher absolute operating frequency than Zen 4c, which translates into greater optimization for single-threaded tasks.
2. Zen 4 cores are prioritized for task scheduling to improve performance for short burst workloads.
3. The combination of Zen 4 and Zen 4c cores makes it possible to maintain high performance in single- and dual-threaded tasks and balances performance and efficiency values ​​for multi-threaded tasks.

In the chart we can see the difference in performance between the Ryzen 5 7540U CPU that has 6 Zen 4 coresnamely the Ryzen 5 7545U that it has two Zen 4 cores and four Zen 4c cores, under Cinebench R23. Both offer almost the same level of performance and the differences between them are minimal.

The last picture is very interesting because it shows us the summary of everything we have told you so far and because I will buy this AMD design with the one Intel uses a combination of P cores and E cores. Let’s look at it in detail:

• Zen 4c has the same instructions as Zen 4.
• Both architectures have the same IPC and support SMT, so they can work with two threads per core.
• They do not need a hardware task scheduler.
• Both core types are highly efficient.
• All cores can provide optimal gaming performance.

An interesting proposal from AMD that, as you might have guessed, opens the door to new processors with more cores and threads in the mainstream consumer market while maintaining highly balanced level of cost and consumption. We’ll see what Sunnyvale surprises us with in the coming months.