AMD’s next-gen Zen 4 processor could be clocked much faster than its predecessor, potentially capable of boosting up to 5.7GHz, and other CPUs in the Ryzen 7000 range will get a similar level of turbocharging if the latest in rumor. that’s right.
As VideoCardz (opens in new tab) reports, this actually comes from two different sources, Wccftech (opens in new tab) and preview (opens in new tab) on Bilibili (a Chinese video sharing site), so we need to be more cautious than usual here as we wouldn’t rate them as the most reliable leak sources. That said, the supposed specs match both sources, which gives the rumors a little more weight here.
The theory is that AMD is set to release four initial processors for the Ryzen 7000 lineup, and those will be the Ryzen 9 7950X, Ryzen 9 7900X, Ryzen 7 7700X and Ryzen 5 7600X, which also marries earlier speculation. While all core counts remain the same as their Ryzen 5000 counterparts, the clocks are seriously increased.
The flagship Ryzen 9 7950X (with 16 cores) is supposedly set to run at a base clock of 4.5 GHz and boost to 5.7 GHz, which would represent a huge step up compared to the current 5950X – an increase of 1.1 GHz and 800 MHz respectively, actually.
For the Ryzen 9 7900X (12 cores), AMD aims for a base clock of 4.7GHz and increases to 5.6GHz, which again is a huge leap compared to the 5900X, which has clocks of 3.7GHz. GHz and 4.8 GHz. These two high-end chips are said to have a TDP of 170W by default (a value mentioned by AMD before), although they will gobble up 230W when the boost pedal is flat on the metal (that’s the rated PPT or Package Power Tracking, the maximum power consumption allowed).
AMD’s mid-range 8-core product, the Ryzen 7 7700X, will apparently hit 4.5GHz for its base clock and 5.4GHz boost, with the Ryzen 5 7600X (6-core part) achieving a 5-core boost. .3 GHz. These chips will have a TDP of 105W (and a PPT of 142W).
Analysis: Triggering these clocks, but with a trade-off
We already knew that AMD has big things planned to boost clock speeds with Zen 4 processors due to what we’ve heard in the rumor mill, like an 8-core CPU (presumably the 7700X) hitting 5.2GHz in a leak of a sample. initial months ago.
Plus, Team Red actually demonstrated the pre-release Ryzen 9 7950X hitting 5.5GHz for an all-core boost. So the possibility of bumping up to a maximum of 5.7GHz for the entry-level flagship isn’t as big as it might seem at first glance, but of course we’d do well to remain properly skeptical of these claims, as already mentioned.
If true, there is likely to be an expected trade-off for AMD being able to boost clocks this much with Zen 4, meaning there might not be much in the way of overclocking possible, as there simply won’t be much room left to play with. In fact, Wccftech suggests that similarly to overclocking not being an option with the Ryzen 7 5800X3D, there will be a voltage cap as well for the Ryzen 7000 chips to negate overclockers, but again, we’ll have to see.
Remember, if this is the situation, rather than looking at it as a case of disappointment that there might not be room for enthusiasts to push for faster speeds through big overclocks, it’s actually a good thing that most people who You’ll never get involved in overclocking you’ll be getting high clocks out of the box.
AMD’s next-gen Ryzen chips aren’t alone in creating expectations for high clock speeds, as Intel’s Raptor Lake CPUs are rumored to hit 5.7 GHz or 5.8 GHz, and sample have already been seen overclocked to 6GHz and beyond on several occasions.
The difference with AMD, however, is that within a generation, the aforementioned increases in clock speeds – both the base and the increase in the 1 GHz range, or very close to it – would be a big surprise. While Intel’s Alder Lake is already up there with a 5.5GHz boost for its current flagship.
Intel may keep the lead with Alder Lake now, but AMD looks to be making a strong comeback with the Ryzen 7000 built on the all-new Zen 4 architecture, and it’s likely to be a close battle with Team Blue’s Raptor Lake silicon later this year. year (with Zen 4 CPUs likely to hit shelves first, almost).
