AMD Announces Ryzen 9000 Series Desktop Processors
Same core counts, still AM5, but there are new chipsets
Computex 2024 is underway and AMD has made their expected Zen 5 desktop CPU announcement. Multiple Ryzen 9000 Series processors have been introduced, including the new AM5 flagship Ryzen 9 9950X, and AI was invoked very heavily (but others can report on that aspect of this upcoming launch).
As you may have noticed from the AMD infographic above, the top SKU is, just like the Ryzen 9 7950X last generation, a 16-core, 32-thread part with a maximum frequency of 5.7 GHz. The new Ryzen 9 9950X even has the same amount of total cache, and the same 170W TDP as the top SKU announced in August of 2022.
So what is different this time around? AMD has made architectural improvements to the front end of these Zen 5 parts, leading to gains that AMD claims results in (up to) 16% better IPC.
“For desktop PCs, the new AMD Ryzen 9000 Series desktop processors represent a significant step forward, offering users cutting-edge computing power and reliability. Built on the latest “Zen 5” architecture, AMD Ryzen 9000 Series desktop processors deliver an impressive average 16% better IPC performance compared to the prior generation of Ryzen processors’ “Zen 4” architecture, with the top-of-the-line Ryzen 9 9950X delivering the fastest consumer desktop performance in the world.”
Breaking down the four Ryzen 9000 Series CPUs in text format, the lineup looks like this (until more SKUs are added later, of course):
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X: 16c / 32t, 4.3 – 5.7 GHz, 80MB total cache, 170W TDP
- AMD Ryzen 9 9900X: 12c / 24t, 4.4 – 5.6 GHz, 76MB total cache, 120W TDP
- AMD Ryzen 7 9700X: 8c / 16t, 3.8 – 5.5 GHz, 40MB total cache, 65W TDP
- AMD Ryzen 5 9600X: 6c / 12t, 3.9 – 5.4 GHz, 38MB total cache, 65W TDP
AMD offered some details about architectural improvements, as well as a comparison between the upcoming Ryzen 9 9950X and Intel’s Core i9 14900K, in the slides below:
But wait, there’s more! What fun is a new processor without a new chipset to go with it? That’s right, you don’t have to switch to Intel to buy a new motherboard with every CPU launch anymore, as AMD is finally jumping onto the new chipset bandwagon with only their second AM5 processor family.
Sarcasm aside, if you already have an AM5 motherboard you just need to update your BIOS to support these new Ryzen 9000 CPUs. I’m just trying to be funny.
Upgrading to an X870 or X870E platform does buy some additional features and the latest connectivity standards, as AMD explains:
“These new chipsets feature USB4 as a standard feature and are also designed to support even faster DDR5 memory overclocking with AMD EXPO Technology. Both the X870 and X870E feature 44 total PCIe lanes and direct-to-processor PCIe 5.0 NVMe connectivity for the ultimate transfer speeds. The X870E is differentiated with 24 PCIe 5.0 lanes, with 16 lanes dedicated to graphics. When PCe 5.0 direct-to-processor storage and graphics care are enabled at the same time, the X870E offers twice the bandwidth of competing platforms.”
Will these new processors and chipsets finally push you into AMD’s AM5 platform, or will you be sticking with AM4 a little longer (and AMD had some AM4 news as well)? You will have to wait until July for these new parts to hit shelves, so you have time to think it over.
