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New AMD Zen 3 CPUs may challenge Intel while we await Zen 4

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Not too long ago, we reported that the launch of AMD Zen 4 processors may be imminent, but a new rumor — coming from the same source — shows that there may be some uncertainty as to the release date.

AMD seems eager to strengthen its Zen 3 lineup before it moves on to Zen 4. Another leaker suggests that the company may be readying several new current-gen processors, including the Ryzen 7 5700X, Ryzen 5 5600, and Ryzen 5 5500.

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If ZEN4 were coming in July-August, then the factory would have started mass production by now, but they didn't.🙃

— Greymon55 (@greymon55) March 6, 2022

In the absence of official information from AMD, rumors and leaks run rampant prior to the release of new, highly anticipated products. Until AMD speaks up on the matter, small tidbits from leakers are all that we can rely on. One such leaker is Greymon55, a Twitter user with a reputation for hardware leaks that often check out. This time, Greymon55 is clarifying an earlier report in regard to the possible release date for AMD Ryzen 7000 Zen 4 processors.

Greymon55 has previously disagreed with the expectation that next-gen AMD CPUs will arrive in the fourth quarter of 2022, indicating that the launch will happen sooner, even as soon as August. That was an optimistic outlook, but it would make sense for AMD to want to speed up the launch of its new processors — after all, Intel is the current king of the hill thanks to its Alder Lake lineup, and AMD still needs to catch up.

This time, however, Greymon55 shares worse news for AMD fans. The leaker claims that there are two conflicting sources, one implying that the CPUs are set for an early launch, and one that says it could be delayed. There have been no signs of the chip going into mass production, which would imply that the third quarter of 2022 was far too optimistic and perhaps the end of the year is a more realistic expectation. Early 2023 also seems to be an option, considering that there have been issues with TSMC’s 3nm process node yield.

Although AMD should definitely want to catch up to Intel as soon as possible, it may also want to give its new products a bit of space before releasing a whole new platform. We already knew about the upcoming release of the innovative, 3D V-Cache-based AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D, but a new leak suggests that AMD may have more Zen 3 processors in store before it moves on to Zen 4.

https://t.co/3cm9Yw38HD

5500
5600
5700X

👀

— HXL (@9550pro) March 5, 2022

User 9550pro on Twitter linked a Chiphell forum thread that contains leaks about three upcoming AMD Zen 3 processors: The Ryzen 5 5500, Ryzen 5 5600, and the Ryzen 7 5700X. This is also backed up by Hassan Mujtaba of Wccftech. Mujtaba, citing anonymous sources, states that these CPUs are “very real” and are coming to both the consumer market and prebuilt PCs soon.

According to Wccftech, AMD is planning to position the Ryzen 7 5700X as a direct competitor to the Intel Alder Lake Core i5-12600K and it will have a similar price range of around $280 to $300. Compared to its predecessor, the CPU is said to have a much lower TDP (65 watts compared to 105 watts for the Ryzen 7 5800X) and will feature a combo of eight cores and 16 threads.

Both the Ryzen 5 5500 and 5600 are six-core chips with the same 65-watt TDP and are aimed at competing with the Core i5-12400 and Core i3-12100, so they’re aimed at the midrange market.

Mujtaba predicts that the new Zen 3 CPUs may hit the market later this month. Combined with the upcoming launch of the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D, it’s going to be a busy few weeks for AMD. The company’s current Zen 3 lineup has recently been discounted at most, if not all, online retailers in the U.S. and Canada, so now does seem like a good time to add a few new units to the family. As for the next generation of AMD processors, we will have to wait for an official confirmation from the manufacturer.

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Monica J. White
Monica J. White
Computing Writer
Monica is a UK-based freelance writer and self-proclaimed geek. A firm believer in the "PC building is just like expensive…
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