Computex Taipei is an opportunity for AMD to reassert its supposed lead over Intel.
Rumors had been circulating for a few weeks, but it hardly seemed real, and yet AMD plans to launch its new Ryzen processor range in just a few weeks' time, in July. A new range based on a new micro-architecture - Zen 5 - for substantial gains in instructions per cycle (IPC). With its Ryzen 9000 - the first AMD processors to feature the Zen 5 architecture - AMD is counting on a 16% increase in IPC compared with Zen 4.
AMD
This should logically be reflected in the performance of the four processors presented by Lisa Su - AMD's CEO - for what will be the first wave of Ryzen 9000s. As the brand does with every generation, we're talking about starting with four of the highest-end models to "get the ball rolling": the Ryzen 5 9600X, Ryzen 7 9700X, Ryzen 9 9900X and Ryzen 9 9950X. Each of these models is a sort of "plus version" of its Ryzen 7000 counterpart, with a fairly similar number of cores and operating frequencies. On the other hand, the introduction of the Zen 5 architecture should be enough to boost performance, while multiple optimizations will enable real energy savings that are already reflected in the TDP of the various Ryzen 9000 processors: down by 40 to 50 watts compared to the equivalent Ryzen 7000.
© AMD
In particular, AMD insists on better branch prediction and an increase in bandwidth from L2 to L1 cache to explain Zen 5's improved performance. Of course, AMD will be keen to detail all this as we get closer to the chips' release. Here, we'll have more details about the platform associated with the Ryzen 9000s, since while AM5 socket compatibility is maintained, new chipsets are planned to accompany the Ryzen 9000 release: the AMD X870 and X870E with, in particular, more ambitious support for PCI Express Gen 5 and the generalization of USB 4.0. There's one downside to this sea of good news, however: AMD has said absolutely nothing about the price of its chips!
