AMD Zen 3: What is it? How much will it cost?
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Latest update – 17:47 BST, 10/08/2020
Known as the successor to the hugely popular Zen 2 line of Ryzen 3000 CPUs, AMD’s new Zen 3 CPUs are coming soon.
We already know that AMD’s Zen 2 beats rival Intel’s Coffee Lake in most ways – from performance to the price per core count. What Zen 3 will bring to the table is unknown as of yet, but we have high expectations for it.
Be sure to watch AMD’s live announcement below:
Update: We now have more detailed specs and a better idea of what these CPUs will provide
AMD Zen 3 line up:
| Cores | Threads | Boost | Cache | TDP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMD Ryzen 9 5950X | 16 | 32 | 4.9 | 72 MB L2+L3 | 105W |
| AMD Ryzen 9 5900X | 12 | 24 | 4.8 | 72 MB L2+L3 | 105W |
| AMD RyzenAMD Ryzen 9 5800X 5600X | 8 | 16 | 4.7 | 36MB | 105W |
| AMD Ryzen 5600X | 6 | 12 | 4.6 | 35MB | 65W |
Some are referring to AMD’s latest CPU range as Ryzen 4000 but there have been rumors they may skip this naming to Ryzen 5000, possibly to bring mobile inline with desktop. Zen 3 processors are to be produced using a new 7nm+ fabrication process. This brings the potential for even further efficiency and performance on the previous architecture.
Zen 3 promises a lot, including higher core counts, higher clock speeds, higher instructions per clock, and also more transistor density. On top of this comes lower power consumption but the details on this are sparse. This could refer to a lower TDP or that there’s more performance for the same amount of power which seems to be the more likely route.
Trying to work out what Zen 3’s performance will look like in comparison to Zen 2 is quite difficult. While the processor’s upgrade isn’t an entire overhaul of the architecture, it’s not just a simple refresh either. Therefore, performance increases aren’t necessarily going to be reflective of the differences we saw between Zen and Zen+ or even between Zen+ to Zen 2.
Update: AMD Zen 3 CPUs will release November 5th, 2020
What we do know is that AMD’s Zen 3 processors will be released this year, this much was confirmed by AMD CEO Dr. Lisa Su. It is looking like the release date of the new AMD Zen 3 processors will be around/ after October 8th, as this was shown in a recent teaser video from AMD themselves with the tag line “A NEW JOURNEY BEGINS” announcing their keynote dates.
Again, details are not confirmed but what we do know is that this new architecture is using TSMC’s new 7nm+ semiconductor fabrication process.
This new process from TSMC uses Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) lithography as well as a short 13.5nm wavelength for the semiconductors. This should result in a potential 20% increase in transistor density and an overall power consumption decrease of 10%.
Details are vague right now, but we’re excited to see how Zen 3 will perform. Many of the details we have about Zen 3 are unconfirmed rumors so it’s hard to say exactly what this new architecture will look like until it’s finally released.
Hopefully, as the months go on, we will get more confirmation from AMD, but until then we’ll wait for the official release. Any more information we get in the meantime, we will definitely keep you updated about it.
Update: We now have official pricing and product names for the AMD Zen 3 5000 series CPUs
During their live stream, AMD announced the exact products and prices we can look forward to with their upcoming Zen 3 launch. Here they are in full:
How much AMD’s Zen 3 range will cost is still up for assumption but we think these are likely to be priced the same as the previous Zen 2 chips. Until the prices are released, let’s take a look at the previous generation costs to give us a better understanding of what we may expect.
AMD already has a strong price advantage over Intel, so may not need to drop their prices any further but it is an exciting time for PC builders.
Zen 3 is expected to be the last microarchitecture before AMD switches to DDR5 memory and new sockets, so if you are currently running your AMD CPU on an AM4 socket, you are likely to be good to go. Zen 3 will be supported on 500-series chipsets and 400 motherboards will also be supported. AMD will apparently be sharing a code with manufacturers, allowing selected B450/ X470 boards to be supported.
