Processor family and a deep dive
You're at Guru3D, so we'll first look into the desktop parts. The Ryzen 9 9950X, positioned as the flagship model, offers a significant performance boost with its higher core and thread count, making it suitable for demanding applications such as gaming, content creation, and professional workloads. The Ryzen 9 9900X and 9700X provide balanced options for users seeking high performance without reaching the flagship model's price point. The 9600X offers an entry point into the high-performance segment, delivering excellent value for its specifications. Further down the lineup, the Ryzen 7 9700X and Ryzen 5 9600X are also confirmed, featuring 8 and 6 Zen5 cores respectively. The 9700X will operate at up to 5.5 GHz with a 40MB cache and a TDP of 65 watts, while the 9600X will have a max clock of 5.4 GHz, a 38MB cache, and the same 65 watts TDP. All processors in this series will support AMD's AM5 socket platform. In addition to the processors, AMD is expected to launch new X870 and B850 motherboards that will accommodate the AM5 socket. These new boards are anticipated to debut at the Computex event, where AMD will likely showcase them alongside the new CPU series. This event will also see the unveiling of the Intel Z890 series, indicating a significant period for advancements in desktop computing hardware. The adjustments in TDP across the new Ryzen models, with reductions ranging from 40 to 50 watts compared to their predecessors, point towards improved power efficiency—a key focus in the latest generation of AMD processors. These developments suggest that AMD is continuing to prioritize enhancements in performance and efficiency to maintain competitiveness with other leading chip manufacturers.
| CPU Cores | Max Clock | L2+L3 Cache | iGPU | TDP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMD Ryzen For Desktop |
|||||
| Ryzen 9 9950X | 16x Zen5 | 5.7 GHz | 80MB | 2CU RDNA2 | 170W |
| Ryzen 9 9900X | 12x Zen5 | 5.6 GHz | 76MB | 2CU RDNA2 | 120W |
| Ryzen 7 9700X | 8x Zen5 | 5.5 GHz | 40MB | 2CU RDNA2 | 65W |
| Ryzen 5 9600X | 6x Zen5 | 5.4 GHz | 38MB | 2CU RDNA2 | 65W |
The Ryzen 9 9950X will become the new flagship processor, which will feature 16 cores and 32 threads, achieving boost speeds up to 5.7 GHz. Uniquely, this processor will operate with a Thermal Design Power (TDP) of 170 watts and will include 80MB of total cache.
The Ryzen 9 9900X, another high-end SKU, will offer 12 cores and 24 threads with a boost capability of up to 5.6 GHz. It will have a reduced TDP of 120 watts compared to its predecessor and include 76MB of cache, marking a significant adjustment in power efficiency. Both of these Ryzen 9 models maintain the core count and clock speeds seen in the preceding Zen4 series but show enhancements in energy consumption and thermal management. This suggests AMD's ongoing dedication to improving power efficiency without sacrificing performance.
Moving to the mid-range offerings, the Ryzen 7 9700X will feature 8 cores and 16 threads with a maximum boost speed of 5.5 GHz and a notably lower TDP of 65 watts. It will come equipped with 40MB of cache. This marks a 100 MHz increase in boost speed over previous models while significantly decreasing the power requirement from 105 watts in earlier versions. The entry-level Ryzen 5 9600X will include 6 cores and boost up to 5.4 GHz. Like the 9700X, it will also maintain a TDP of 65 watts. This model is designed to offer robust performance for mainstream users and gamers looking for a balance between power and thermal efficiency.
Architecture
The processors are engineered to provide an average Instruction Per Cycle (IPC) performance improvement of 16 percent over the previous Zen 4 architecture. This enhancement implies that the Zen 5 chips are designed to be 16 percent more efficient at the same clock speeds and core counts, contingent upon specific workloads. Unlike the incremental updates often seen between previous Zen iterations, AMD characterizes Zen 5 as a substantive leap forward from Zen 4.
Several architectural improvements have been implemented to achieve this advancement. Among these, AMD has optimized the branch prediction accuracy and reduced its latency, to improve the processor's efficiency in predicting the direction of a branch instruction before it is confirmed. AMD also enhanced the throughput capabilities by expanding the pipelines and vector sizes, which facilitates the handling of more data simultaneously and improves the core's parallel processing ability. Furthermore, Zen 5 processors are reported to have enlarged window sizes that allow for more instructions in the pipeline, enhancing the overall computational throughput.
In terms of data handling, AMD let us know that the Zen 5 architecture doubles the bandwidth for front-end instructions. This enhancement is also reflected in the increased data transfer rates between the L1 and L2 caches and from L1 cache to the floating-point (FP) unit, which should notably boost the processor's efficiency in handling complex computations and data-intensive tasks.
AMD’s latest branch predictor in the Zen 5 architecture aims to reduce latency and enhance accuracy, thereby improving overall throughput. Lower latency enables the CPU to access and process branch prediction data more swiftly. Enhanced accuracy reduces mispredictions, conserving CPU resources. Given the Zen 5's wider core design, the increased branch predictor throughput is essential for upholding optimal performance. The additional decode pipeline further supports this objective by ensuring efficient data flow. Zen 5 introduces an 8-wide dispatch, a noteworthy improvement over the 6-wide dispatch of previous Zen architectures. This expansion allows Zen 5 CPU cores to handle more operations concurrently, provided they receive adequate data.
Both the mobile and desktop chips support simultaneous multithreading (SMT), enabling them to handle more tasks at once. The mobile processors utilize basic UEFI CPPC preferred core flagging, which helps the operating system prioritize tasks more effectively, boosting the performance of the high-capacity cores.
Zen 5 processors continue to support DDR5 memory, providing higher bandwidth and better power efficiency compared to DDR4. The integration of PCIe 5.0 lanes is also maintained, enhancing the potential for faster and more flexible system expansions. Although specific details on the number of available PCIe lanes in the Zen 5 CPUs were not disclosed, it is anticipated to be consistent with the previous Zen 4-based Ryzen 7000 series, which featured 28 PCIe 5.0 lanes. These lanes are typically allocated with 16 lanes dedicated to a video card, eight lanes to SSDs, and the remaining four lanes facilitating communication with the chipset.
