AMD has made significant announcements at Computex 2024, revealing their highly anticipated Ryzen 9000 series desktop CPUs based on the new Zen 5 architecture. The company also provided updates on the AM5 platform, extending its lifespan and introducing new motherboard chipsets. Additionally, AMD showcased their mobile lineup with a focus on AI capabilities.
Ryzen 9000 Series and Zen 5 Architecture: The Ryzen 9000 series, codenamed Granite Ridge, marks a major overhaul to AMD’s core design. Zen 5 brings substantial improvements, including enhanced branch prediction, wider pipelines, and deeper window sizes. AMD claims up to a 16% IPC improvement over Zen 4, with gains in various workloads such as Cinebench R23 and Blender.
The Ryzen 9000 lineup includes the flagship 16-core Ryzen 9 9950X, the 12-core Ryzen 9 9900X, the 8-core Ryzen 9 9700X, and the 6-core Ryzen 5 9600X. While clock speeds remain similar to the previous generation, AMD has made adjustments to the TDPs, with some models seeing reductions.
Performance comparisons against Intel’s Core i9-14900K show the Ryzen 9 9950X taking the lead in productivity tasks and gaming benchmarks. However, these results should be taken with caution until independent testing can verify the claims.
AM5 Platform Updates and New Chipsets: AMD has extended its commitment to the AM5 platform, confirming support through 2027 and beyond. This move provides assurance to current and prospective AM5 users about the platform’s longevity.
Alongside the extended support, AMD introduced the new 800 series chipsets, namely the X870 and X870E. These chipsets bring USB4 support, PCIe 5.0 for graphics and NVMe storage, and increased memory frequency support through EXPO. The new chipsets aim to raise the minimum capabilities of X-series motherboards compared to the initial X670 offerings.
Mobile Lineup and AI Focus: AMD’s mobile lineup receives an upgrade with Zen 5 CPU cores, RDNA 3.5 graphics, and a new NPU boasting 50 TOPS of performance. The flagship model features a 12-core design, split into four Zen 5 cores and eight Zen 5C cores, along with 16 compute units for integrated graphics.
Notably, AMD has rebranded their mobile parts as the Ryzen AI 300 series, emphasizing the AI capabilities. This move appears to be a direct response to Intel’s upcoming Lunar Lake series, which is expected to be named the “Core Ultra 200” series.
AMD’s announcements at Computex 2024 showcase their commitment to pushing the boundaries of CPU performance with the Zen 5 architecture and extending the lifespan of the AM5 platform. The Ryzen 9000 series and the new chipsets aim to deliver significant improvements and future-proofing for enthusiasts and content creators.
While the mobile lineup’s rebranding to Ryzen AI 300 series seems to be a reactionary move to Intel’s naming scheme, AMD’s focus on AI capabilities aligns with the growing demand for AI-powered applications.
As we await the launch of the Ryzen 9000 series in July and the arrival of X870 motherboards, AMD’s Computex reveals have set the stage for an exciting year in the CPU market. Stay tuned for hands-on coverage and reviews to gain a comprehensive understanding of AMD’s latest offerings.
