AMD has unveiled its highly anticipated AMD Ryzen 5000 Series desktop processor lineup powered by the new “Zen 3” architecture. The new processor family offers up to 16 cores, 32 threads and 72MB of cache, headlined by the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X.
The Ryzen 9 5900X is claimed to offer up to 26 per cent generational uplift in gaming performance.
AMD made extensive improvements throughout the core including a unified 8-core complex with direct access to 32MB L3 cache, reducing inter-core latency. The new AMD Zen 3 core architecture delivers an impressive 19 per cent generational increase in instructions per cycle (IPC), the biggest leap since the introduction of “Zen” processors in 2017. It also delivers up to 2.8X more performance-per-watt versus the competition.
In its footnotes, this was measured using Cinebench R20 nT against the Core i9-10900K, Ryzen 9 3900XT, Ryzen 9 5900X, Ryzen 3950X, and a Ryzen 9 5950X identically configured on an open-air test bench.
The top-of the-line 15-core AMD Ryzen 9 5950X boasts the “highest single-thread performance of any desktop gaming processor” and “the most multi-core performance of any desktop gaming processor and any desktop processor in the mainstream CPU socket.”
The 12-core AMD Ryzen 9 5900X on the other hand is on average 7 per cent faster in 1080p gaming across select game titles than the competition, as well as averaging 26 per cent faster in 1080p gaming across select titles generationally.
Here is the full line up of AMD Ryzen 5000 Series desktop processors
| MODEL | CORES/ THREADS | TDP (Watts) | BOOST/BASE FREQ. (GHz) | TOTAL CACHE | COOLER | SEP | EXPECTED AVAILABILITY |
| AMD Ryzen 9 5950X | 16C/32T | 105W | Up to 4.9 / 3.4 | 72MB | N/A | USD799 | 5 November 2020 |
| AMD Ryzen 9 5900X | 12C/24T | 105W | Up to 4.8 / 3.7 | 70MB | N/A | USD549 | 5 November 2020 |
| AMD Ryzen 7 5800X | 8C/16T | 105W | Up to 4.7 / 3.8 | 36MB | N/A | USD449 | 5 November 2020 |
| AMD Ryzen 5 5600X | 6C/12T | 65W | Up to 4.6 / 3.7 | 35MB | Wraith Stealth | US299 | 5 November 2020 |
Note that only the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X comes with a stock Wraith Stealth CPU cooler.
AMD 500 series motherboards (B550/X570) are ready for the new Ryzen chips with a simple BIOS update. There is broad ecosystem support which includes over 100 AMD 500 series motherboards from all major motherboard manufacturers.
AMD said that its motherboard partners will support Zen 3 based processors in select beta BIOSes for AMD 450 and X470. This will be a one-way upgrade and BIOS flash back will not be supported.
The venerable AM4 socket continues to live for another generation, a promise AMD made in 2016 to support the socket until 2020.
During the virtual launch, Lisa Su, CEO of AMD gave a sneek peek at the next generation AMD Radeon RX 6000 series graphics card, also known as “Big Navi.” Borderlands 3 running on the Ryzen 5900X and Radeon RX 6000 Series GPU delivered 61fps in 4K resolution, among other previews.
AMD is set to launch the new Radeon RX 6000 series graphics card on 29 October 2020. Tune in then.
AMD Ryzen Equipped to Win Bundle
The AMD Ryzen Equipped to Win game bundle is back with the Far Cry series. Customers who purchase an AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, AMD Ryzen 5900X, or AMD Ryzen 7 5800X processor between 5 November and December 31, 2020 will receive a complimentary copy of Far Cry 6 Standard Edition – PC digital when released.
Likewise, customers who purchase an AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, AMD Ryzen 9 3900XT, or AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT processor between 20 October and 31 December 2020m will also receive a free copy of the game.
