What you need to know
- AMD has revealed its Ryzen 9000 series of desktop CPUs at Computex.
- The new chips, based on Zen 5, range from a 6-core Ryzen 5 up to the range-topping 16-core Ryzen 9 9950X.
- There is also a surprise for those still on the older AM4 platform, with two new Ryzen 5000 CPUs also announced.
Computex 2024 is in full swing and AMD is there in force and has revealed its latest desktop CPUs. Ryzen 9000 is the first offering from AMD based on Zen 5, and the story is very much what we'd expect.
They're quite a bit faster, with AMD claiming the new Granite Ridge chips are the most powerful desktop CPUs around, and there will be a range of core counts along the same lines as we've seen in recent years from the red team.
Perhaps more surprising is that AMD also used its Computex event to announce a pair of new, old CPUs. That's right, AMD has moved onto AM5, but it is throwing a significant bone to folks still on the AM4 platform by releasing two new Ryzen 5000 CPUs, too. Wild.
Here's a top line overview of the new lineup.
| Ryzen 9 9950X | 16 cores / 32 threads | 5.7 GHz boost | 170W TDP |
| Ryzen 9 9900X | 12 cores / 24 threads | 5.6 GHz boost | 120W TDP |
| Ryzen 7 9700X | 8 cores / 16 threads | 5.5 GHz boost | 65W TDP |
| Ryzen 5 9600X | 6 cores / 12 threads | 5.4 GHz boost | 65W TDP |
For gamers, the sweet spot would probably be that 8-core, 65W Ryzen 7, with the Ryzen 9 a better target for creators and those with heavy workloads. Along with the new CPUs comes a new motherboard chipset, X870 and X870E, though as is usually the case, previous generation Ryzen 7000 CPUs will also work just fine with these.
Ryzen 9000 also makes USB 4.0 standard, likewise with PCIe 5.0, with motherboards powered by the newest chipsets all supporting the latest standards. Additionally, AMD has extended its commitment to AM5, pushing the date from 2025 to 2027.
Perhaps more surprising than Ryzen 9000 is the announcement of a pair of brand new Ryzen 5000 CPUs. No, that's not a typo. For those using a Ryzen 3000 or earlier, there is now another new upgrade path that doesn't involve building an entirely new PC.
| Ryzen 9 5900XT | 16 cores / 32 threads | 4.8 GHz boost | 105W TDP |
| Ryzen 7 5800XT | 8 cores / 16 threads | 4.8 GHz boost | 105W TDP |
The fact AMD is bothering to do this suggests there's still a big market for it. After all, moving to AM5 is no small task, you essentially need to build an entirely new PC, with a new motherboard and RAM essentials alongside the CPU.
At least this way, AMD is keeping its existing fans happy without insisting they empty their wallets entirely. I like that, good job, AMD.
