We already knew that AMD would launch its Zen 5 CPUs this year, but recent motherboard updates hint that a release is imminent. Both MSI and Asus have released updates for their 600-series motherboards that explicitly add support for “next-generation AMD Ryzen processors,” setting the stage for AMD’s next-gen CPUs.
This saga started a few days ago when hardware leaker 9550pro spotted an MSI BIOS update, which they shared on X (formerly Twitter). Since then, Asus has followed suit with BIOS updates of its own featuring a new AMD Generic Encapsulated Software Architecture (AGESA) — the firmware responsible for starting the CPU — that brings support for next-gen CPUs (spotted by VideoCardz).
MSI Simple and clear.👏
FireRangePi 1.1.7.0 Patch Ahttps://t.co/f2TD2nOg7X pic.twitter.com/K7aI1hzIVa
— HXL (@9550pro) April 13, 2024
Get your weekly teardown of the tech behind PC gaming
There isn’t much reason for Asus and MSI to play coy about next-gen AMD CPUs. AMD itself confirmed that it would launch Zen 5 CPUs in the second half of this year, with the company sharing the release date window details during an earnings call. Still, we expected the CPUs late in the year. At the beginning of the year, hardware leakers claimed AMD was targeting the last few months of 2024.
Will Zen 5 launch at Computex?
Although motherboard brands want to get BIOS updates out early, it’s hard to imagine they’d arrive more than half a year before the Zen 5 CPUs launch. With the updates already available for a couple of major motherboard brands, there’s a good chance AMD plans to launch its Zen 5 CPUs within the next couple of months.
That would make sense, too. We’re gearing up for Computex, which kicks off at the beginning of June in Taipei, Taiwan. AMD CEO Lisa Su is set to deliver the opening keynote of Computex, which would be the perfect stage to launch a new generation of CPUs. Two years ago, at Computex 2022, AMD introduced its Zen 4 CPUs.
As for what we can expect with Zen 5 CPUs, AMD has confirmed the initial chips will use a 4nm process. Leakers say that the flagship chip will sport 16 Zen 5 cores, which lines up with the core counts of the last two generations of AMD chips. As these motherboard updates confirm, the chips will use the AM5 socket, making them compatible with motherboards currently on the market.
Intel, for its part, is expected to launch its Arrow Lake CPUs sometime between the end of 2024 and early 2025. With both AMD and Intel set to launch new generations touting entirely new architectures, the competitive market of high-performance CPUs is heating up.
Editors’ Recommendations
- I tested Intel’s XeSS against AMD FSR — and the results speak for themselves
- The sad reality of AMD’s next-gen GPUs comes into view
- 4 CPUs you should buy instead of the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D
- Intel’s next-gen GPU might be right around the corner
- AMD makes older PCs more upgradeable once again
Jacob Roach is a writer covering computing and gaming at Digital Trends. After realizing Crysis wouldn’t run on a laptop, he…
AMD’s next version of FSR promises better visuals and support for Xbox
At GDC 2024, AMD has announced an update to FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), its upscaling tech for improving frame rates in games. FSR 3.1 brings some predicted improvements to image quality and stability, but with it, also some changes to how it’s positioned as a platform.
The main tweak is that FSR 3.1 frame generation is now “decoupled” from FSR upscaling for the purpose of working “with other upscaling solutions.” Presumably, this means with Intel’s XeSS or Nvidia’s DLSS. This hopefully also means that you can toggle off frame generation from FSR 3, just like you can with DLSS, giving you more minute control of performance. As one user shared on Reddit, this would also be helpful for those on older RTX GPUs, combining DLSS with AMD’s frame generation.
Nice try, Intel, but AMD 3D V-Cache chips still win
Intel’s freshly released Core i9-14900KS processor is advertised as the fastest CPU in the world, but does that mean AMD can never hope to compete, even with its flagship Ryzen 9 7950X3D? Not at all. Each CPU has its merits, and both are insanely powerful in their own right. At this price point and at this performance level, making the right choice is tricky.
Let’s zoom in and find out how the Core i9-14900KS and the Ryzen 9 7950X3D stack up against each other, what they excel at, and which one is the better option to buy.
Pricing and availability
AMD vs. Intel: the rivalry has never been more fierce
If you’re building your own PC, there’s plenty of criteria to consider when molding your machine. What operating system do you plan on using? What graphics card will be best for gaming? And where exactly can one buy all these components? There’s a lot to think about, but one important decision you can’t forget is whether you’ll be using an AMD or Intel processor for your new machine.
A war of chips and cores that shows no sign of stopping, the age-old battle of AMD vs Intel is a classic competition, but is one processor brand better than the other? That’s where we come in.
[ For more curated Computing news, check out the main news page here]
The post AMD’s next-gen CPUs are closer than we thought | Digital Trends first appeared on www.digitaltrends.com
