AMD Ryzen 7000: First information about Zen 4 CPUs for Socket AM5 with PCIe 5.0 & DDR5

Sebastian Schenzinger

AMD’s CEO Lisa Su revealed the first information about the upcoming Ryzen 7000 processors shortly before the start of Computex 2022. In the course of the presentation there was talk of clock rates of over 5 GHz, but in a later game demo there was an early sample with clock rates of 5.5 GHz to marvel at. Another new feature is that the Zen 4 CPUs have an integrated RDNA 2 graphics unit as standard. The release of the new desktop models should take place in autumn together with the associated socket AM5 – including DDR5 and PCIe 5.0.

Zen 4 architecture with over 15 percent more single-thread performance

According to AMD, the performance increase in single-thread performance from Zen 3 to Zen 4 should be more than 15 percent. What is interesting about this number is that the value should be composed of a mixture of the increase in instructions-per-cycle (IPC) and clock rates of over 5 GHz. When introducing Zen 3 with the Ryzen 9 5950X (to the test report) as the flagship, AMD alone spoke of an IPC increase of 19 percent. In combination with the increased clock rates, we were able to measure an average increase in single-thread performance of around 24 percent, as our CPU comparison shows. Considering the fact that the Core i9-12900KS (to the test report) is 17 percent ahead of the Ryzen 9 5950X in this discipline, it remains questionable whether AMD can keep up with Intel.

In order to increase data throughput, the size of the L2 cache has been doubled from 512 kB per core to 1 MB. In addition, special instructions for hardware-based AI workloads for neural networks and machine learning are said to have been implemented. As with the predecessor, AMD relies on two core chiplets with up to eight cores based on Zen 4. This means that there will be no change in the number of cores in the top model.

TSMC is responsible for manufacturing the chiplets using an optimized 5 nm manufacturing process. With the newly developed I/O die, AMD again relies on TSMC’s 6 nm process. For the first time, this offers an integrated RDNA 2 graphics unit for all Ryzen 7000 processors. So far, only the Ryzen models with the G suffix had an iGPU. Last but not least, the new CPUs are said to support both DDR5 memory and PCIe 5.0, which means AMD is catching up with Intel. The first processors based on Zen 4 should come onto the market this fall.

Clock speeds of over 5.5 GHz for gaming and significantly increased multi-threading performance

At the end of the presentation, AMD presented gameplay of a Ryzen 7000 pre-production model with 16 cores in Ghostwire Tokyo. In the video you can see that the CPU can reach clock speeds of up to 5520.3 MHz when gaming. Unfortunately, it is not known whether this is the all-core clock or just the clock on one computing core, or whether the CPU is running with standard settings or is overclocked.

Finally, there was a Ryzen 7000 CPU with 16 cores in a direct duel with a Core i9-12900K in the 3D graphics suite Blender. According to the manufacturer, the Ryzen 7000 CPU should perform up to 31 percent better than the Alder Lake CPU. In our own tests, the Ryzen 9 5950X was already around five percent ahead of the Core i9-12900K in order to better classify these values. Accordingly, the Ryzen 7000 top model should offer around 20 percent more multithreading performance than the Ryzen 9 5950X, although it should not be forgotten that the power consumption should be a good bit higher.

AM5 socket with DDR5 and PCIe 5.0

With the new AM5 socket, AMD is switching from the Pin Grid Array (PGA) to the Land Grid Array (LGA), which the competitor Intel also relies on. According to the manufacturer, this serves to improve the power supply and signal integrity, which is necessary for DDR5 and PCIe 5.0. Furthermore, the new socket should support processors with up to 170 watts as standard, whether we are talking about thermal design power (TDP) or package power tracing (PPT) is not clarified. With the Ryzen 9 5950X, the TDP is still 105 and the PPT is 142 watts.

As usual in the mainstream segment, the new processors can also address working memory in dual-channel. In addition, both the graphics card and the SSD can be controlled via PCIe 5.0 – provided you have a suitable mainboard. Last but not least, AMD states that the upcoming socket AM5 is compatible with all coolers designed for AM4. In addition to 24 PCIe 5.0 lanes, up to 14 USB ports with up to 20 Gbps and Type-C are available on the I/O side. The package is rounded off by support for Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2 and up to four display connections.

Three new chipsets: X670E, X670 and B650

With the Ryzen 7000 processors, AMD is introducing three new chipsets: X670E, X670 and B650. The X670E Extreme is aimed at enthusiasts who want to get the most out of their system. Mainboards with this chipset offer PCIe 5.0 support for all components, support for DDR5 RAM in dual-channel and a lavish power supply to overclock both the CPU and the main memory to the limit. Below that are the X670 motherboards for gamers, which support PCIe 5.0 at least for the graphics card and an SSD. AMD does not provide any information regarding RAM compatibility, but overclocking of the main memory and the CPU is definitely possible.

The cheapest boards rely on the B650 chipset, which can only provide PCIe Gen 5 for an SSD. In addition, overclocking should be possible, but the scope is somewhat limited due to the not so lavish voltage converters and the cooling. According to AMD, the first Gen 5 M.2 SSDs should enable a sequential write rate that is over 60 percent higher than PCIe 4.0 SSDs that are already available. The first PCIe 5.0 SSDs should come onto the market at the same time as the AM5 socket.