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AMD’s Ryzen 6000 processors could launch in 2022 with a key feature missing

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A leaker has revealed AMD’s plans for 2022, as well as a little about what Intel could have up its sleeve. The rumor claims that AMD will launch its tentatively named Ryzen 6000 processors (using the Zen 4 architecture) at the start of the second half of 2022, but they’ll be missing a key feature.

The leaker, Enthusiastic Citizen, revealed that AMD will launch Ryzen 6000 chips alongside the Z670 and B650 processors shortly after July 2022. These new processors are said to support PCIe 5.0 and DDR5, but unlike Intel’s 12th-gen Alder Lake platform, the rumor claims that Ryzen 6000 won’t support DDR4 as well.

Dr. Lisa Su, the CEO of AMD, on a stage revealing Ryzen news.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Before we get to Ryzen 6000, the leaker says AMD has other plans in store. The rumored road map says that AMD will launch new Zen 2 processors next year, code-named Renior X. These processors are said to feature the same specs as AMD’s Ryzen 4000G APUs, just without the integrated graphics. The leaker claims that these chips are a bid by AMD to compete with Intel’s upcoming 12th-gen Core i3 processors.

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The leaker says AMD will launch its Vermeer S processors at CES. These chips match the Ryzen 5000 CPUs we have today, and they’ll support the AM4 socket. The key difference is that they feature AMD’s 3D V-Cache. AMD announced this technology at Computex 2021, claiming that chips with 3D V-Cache would be out by the end of the year. That looks unlikely now, so we are focused on CES for this processor launch.

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The leaker also revealed some details about Intel’s upcoming Raptor Lake processors. These processors are said to share a lot of DNA with Intel’s Alder Lake chips. The new design will still sport a hybrid architecture that combines performant (P) cores and efficient (E) cores, but the leaker says that the E-cores will run at their full potential.

Enthusiastic Citizen says that “some things are blocked” on 12th-gen Alder Lake chips, and that next-gen Raptor Lake chips may unlock the full potential of the E-cores. This lines up with previous rumors we’ve heard about Raptor Lake processors. They’re said to feature the same E-core design with an improved P-core design.

Intel has already revealed its road map through 2025, starting with Alder Lake. Most of what Enthusiastic Citizen revealed we already knew, either through rumors or from official Intel announcements. The key revelation is that Raptor Lake may sport the same LGA1700 socket as Alder Lake. That could mean the new chips will work with Z690 motherboards, as well as support DDR5 and DDR4 memory.

So far, 2022 is shaping up to be an exciting year for the world of desktop processors. AMD and Intel both seem to have new generations in the pipeline, and it looks like AMD has several CPU refreshes to hold PC builders over.

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Jacob Roach
Jacob Roach
Lead Reporter, PC Hardware
Jacob Roach is the lead reporter for PC hardware at Digital Trends. In addition to covering the latest PC components, from…
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