Best chipset for Linux laptop, Intel or AMD?
Best chipset for Linux laptop, Intel or AMD?
I’m considering picking up a cheapish laptop for development, with the intent of installing Linux on it. Typically it’ll be Java development or other stuff in docket containers. Is there a best chipset to pick for Linux or are they pretty much identical these days?
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AMD has better hardware support because they are more active in contributing than intel. Also, they have overtaken intel in terms of efficiency (price per watt, price per Hz)
But AMD doesn't update the microcode of their CPUs
Yes, very rare and very few cpu up to date, almost none of them
show that "very few cpu up to date"
see for instance the microcode for family 19, the Zen3, Zen4 family, the microcode update is:
Microcode patches in microcode_amd_fam19h.bin:
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Family=0x19 Model=0x11 Stepping=0x01: Patch=0x0a10113e Length=5568 bytes -
Family=0x19 Model=0x11 Stepping=0x02: Patch=0x0a10123e Length=5568 bytes -
Family=0x19 Model=0xa0 Stepping=0x02: Patch=0x0aa00212 Length=5568 bytes -
Family=0x19 Model=0x01 Stepping=0x01: Patch=0x0a0011d1 Length=5568 bytes -
Family=0x19 Model=0x01 Stepping=0x00: Patch=0x0a001079 Length=5568 bytes -
Family=0x19 Model=0x01 Stepping=0x02: Patch=0x0a001234 Length=5568 bytes -
Family=0x19 Model=0xa0 Stepping=0x01: Patch=0x0aa00116 Length=5568 bytes
There is only update for 7 CPUs, before this August update, there was only 3 microcode!!! compare this to the number of CPU they have in this family:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_AMD_Ryzen_processors
I have a 5600H, family 0x19 and model 0x50, no update, as well as dozens of others AMD cpu.
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The last update for Zen 3, Zen 3+, Zen 4 was 08/08/2023 and the last update for Zen, Zen+, Zen 2 was 19/07/2023.
For reference, Intel also last updated theirs 08/08/2023.
Yes you can argue that we don't explicitly know what CPUs in those families were updated, but I don't really care.
We know, here's the list, it's pretty poor, AMD don't release often its microcode, and when they do it's only for a few select CPUs
https://salsa.debian.org/hmh/amd64-microcode/-/blob/main/amd-ucode/README
If you are lucky, someone will extract its microcode from his BIOS and put it there:
That first link is still whole generations of CPUs I believe, all the way back to K10 from 2007. Wikichip has a table to convert the hex to generation.
And the microcode usually gets patched by Linux, so why does the BIOS matter? (I'm aware it can be disabled, but why would you)
Take an example at the Cezanne CPU from your link, https://en.wikichip.org/wiki/amd/cores/cezanne AMD CPU Family 19h, Model 50h. There is 26 CPUs from 2021. Check the microcode update at https://salsa.debian.org/hmh/amd64-microcode/-/blob/main/amd-ucode/README there is no model 0x50.
AMD can release microcode to integrator/OEM who put it in their BIOS. But giving it to linux community? super rare. People have to know that AMD do not release microcode, I don't know why people think that the hundreds of AMD CPUs get new microcode every time there's an update?!?
Fair enough