AMD will release its initial Zen 5 desktop processors in July, featuring the Ryzen 9 9950X as the top-of-the-line flagship, touted as “the most potent desktop consumer processor globally.” The new Ryzen 9000 series of CPUs, based on AMD’s current AM5 platform, will consist of the Ryzen 9 9950X, Ryzen 9 9900X, Ryzen 7 9700X, and Ryzen 5 9600X.
The leading Ryzen 9 9950X features 16 cores, 32 threads, 80MB of L2+L3 cache, and a boost clock of 5.7GHz. AMD guarantees approximately a 16 percent increase in instructions per cycle (IPC) performance compared to the earlier Ryzen CPUs, with significant improvements in productivity and gaming performance.
The flagship Ryzen 9 9950X boasts 16 cores, 32 threads, 80MB of L2+L3 cache, and a boost clock of 5.7GHz. AMD has pledged a 16 percent increase in instructions per cycle (IPC) performance over the previous-generation Ryzen CPUs, promising significant gains in productivity and gaming.
Donny Woligroski, the senior technical marketing manager for consumer processors at AMD, expressed his pride in the significant advancement, stating, “This processor is truly exceptional and performs exceptionally well compared to its competitors.”
AMD is claiming improvements of as much as 56 percent in Blender compared to Intel’s Core i9-14900K using the latest flagship 9950X, and up to 21 percent in Cinebench 2024. In terms of gaming, AMD’s tests demonstrate a 4 percent increase in frame rates over the 14900K in titles such as Borderlands 3, with performance gains reaching up to 23 percent in Horizon Zero Dawn.
The 9950X is powered by AMD’s latest Zen 5 architecture. While it retains the AM5 socket, along with PCIe Gen 5 and DDR5 support, there have been significant enhancements made to boost performance. According to Woligroski, Zen 5 brings substantial improvements in branch prediction accuracy and latency. This results in a remarkable increase in instruction bandwidth, data bandwidth, and AI performance compared to the previous generation.
AMD’s IPC promise for the latest Zen 5 CPUs. Image: AMD
AMD’s benchmark claims against the 14900K. Image: AMD
AMD had initially committed to supporting new processors for the AM5 socket until 2025, but at Computex, they announced an extension of this commitment to 2027 or beyond. The AM4 socket, introduced in 2016, is still in use today, nearly a decade later. In July, AMD will release new 5900XT and 5800XT processors for AM4 motherboards. The 5900XT is a 16-core, 32-thread CPU, while the 5800XT has 8 cores, 16 threads, and a boost clock up to 4.8GHz, both designed to compete with Intel’s midrange 13th Gen desktop CPUs.
AMD’s dedication to supporting AM4 and now AM5 is truly remarkable, particularly when contrasted with Intel’s frequent changes in desktop socket designs. Intel is on the verge of introducing its fourth desktop socket since 2016 with the upcoming LGA 1851 socket, which will replace the recently launched LGA 1700 in 2021. This constant cycle of socket changes began with LGA 1200 in 2020, which replaced the LGA 1151 that Intel utilized from 2015 to 2019.
Woligroski emphasizes the success of socket AM4 and previous-gen processors, highlighting their longevity and the advantage of having a committed CPU supplier. This allows for upgrades without the need to discard the entire system and start anew.
AMD is set to release new X870 and X870E motherboard chipsets for the upcoming Ryzen 9000 series CPUs, while AM5 is being extended. Although not necessary for the new CPUs, these new boards will come with USB 4.0 as standard and will feature PCIe 5 Gen 5 on the graphics and NVMe sides, even on the non-E X870 boards. Additionally, they will support higher EXPO memory overclock support, making them ideal for enthusiasts seeking the highest memory speeds.
The upcoming Ryzen 9000 series CPUs and 5900XT / 5800XT are scheduled for release in July, however, AMD has not disclosed the pricing for any of the processors at this time. The Ryzen 9 9900X is set to feature 12 cores, 24 threads, and a 5.6GHz boost. Notably, it also boasts a 50-watt lower TDP than the 7900X. The Ryzen 7 9700X will come with eight cores, 16 threads, and a 5.5GHz boost clock. Lastly, the Ryzen 5 9600X will be equipped with six cores and 12 threads, along with a 5.4GHz max boost.
