AMD is set to unveil its next-generation Zen 5 desktop CPUs next week, which are expected to be the Ryzen 9000 family – and the processors should go on sale not long after, if a leak is correct is.
VideoCardz noted that leaker wjm47196 – a regular contributor to the grapevine, albeit an awkwardly named one – posted on Chiphell a not-too-cryptic reference to ‘Ferrari’s new engines’ that clearly refers to AMD’s Ryzen 9000 range.
We’re being told exactly what the rumor mill has been perpetuating for a while: that the next-gen candidates for our list of the best CPUs will be built on 16-core (flagship), 12-core, 8-core, and 6-core models, which mirror the current Ryzen 7000 desktop chips. It’s also said that AMD isn’t going the way of Intel with energy-efficient ‘small’ cores – not yet, anyway.
Wjm47196 then tells us that what should be the Ryzen 9000 lineup will debut at Computex next week and the CPUs will go on sale in July. So we’re looking at a June launch, followed by the chips hitting shelves sometime in July.
Analysis: Faster than a speeding arrow
This is undoubtedly what Intel is fearing: an early launch of the Ryzen 9000, and it appears AMD is pushing for this to happen. Of course, we can’t know for sure based on a single rumor, but talk of Zen 5 CPUs arriving in the third quarter has been pretty consistent lately. Furthermore, this is supported by a number of motherboard manufacturers releasing BIOS updates for their products – one of which called the release of Ryzen 9000 processors ‘imminent’, as you may recall.
So this latest chatter greatly reinforces expectations that Ryzen 9000 will happen soon enough, and a July on-sale date is certainly credible at this point – and as mentioned, bad news for Intel.
That’s mainly because Intel’s desktop rival, Arrow Lake, isn’t expected until later in 2024, allowing AMD to gain an edge in the battle for CPUs here. It also raises the prospect that AMD may even have 3D V-Cache (X3D) processors for Ryzen 9000 on the market by the time Arrow Lake arrives, further expanding its lead, especially when it comes to PC gaming.
In short, Intel could seriously struggle to catch up, although Arrow Lake is expected to deliver a big performance boost and a big generational boost – although, to be fair, Team Blue might need that.