At the “Where Gaming Begins” event, AMD has announced the new Ryzen 5000 desktop processors, codenamed “Vermeer,” based on the Zen 3 architecture.
The new Ryzen 5000 will initially be available in four models — Ryzen 9 5950X, Ryzen 9 5900X, Ryzen 7 5800X, and Ryzen 5 5600X, which can be purchased starting November 5 with prices of $799, $549, $449, and $299 respectively.
These Zen 3 CPUs should overtake their respective Intel counterparts due to their improved microarchitecture in applications such as games.
New Zen 3 architecture
The Zen 3 architecture of the new Ryzen 5000 CPUs represents a great improvement over the previous solutions, improving performance per watt. Hence, performance rises without impacting consumption, also thanks to a further refined 7-nanometer production process.
According to AMD, the Zen 3 technology has an average of 19 percent increased performance per clock compared to the Zen 2. For this purpose, AMD refined the front end, the micro-op cache, the load/store units, the back end, and the caches.
Also, the internal structure was adapted: In Zen 2, the eight-core CCDs (Compute Core Dies) consist internally of two four-core CCX (Core Complex) that had to communicate via the external I/O die. Therefore the latency within a CCX is significantly lower than when cores of different CCX exchange their data. However, with Zen 3, the CCX is expanded to eight cores, so one CCX then corresponds to one CCD. Games in particular benefit from this, but also some applications such as Winzip — as each core can now access 32 MB instead of 16 MB L3 cache.
The new CPUs continue to support DDR4 memory and offer PCI Express 4.0 connectivity. Moreover, as already mentioned, thanks to the improved production process, they offer (according to AMD) performance per watt 2.8 times better than the competition.
AMD Ryzen 5000: Models, technical specifications and prices
Specifications of AMD’s Ryzen 5000 Series
| Processor | Cores | Freq. boost/base | L3 cache | Storage | cTDP | Launch price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryzen 9 5950X | 16 + SMT | 3.4 GHz to 4.9 GHz | 64 Mbytes | DDR4-3200 | 105 watts | $799 |
| Ryzen 9 5900X | 12 + SMT | 3.7 GHz to 4.8 GHz | 64 Mbytes | DDR4-3200 | 105 watts | $549 |
| Ryzen 7 5800X | 8 + SMT | 3.8 GHz to 4.7 GHz | 32 Mbytes | DDR4-3200 | 105 watts | $449 |
| Ryzen 5 5600X | 6 + SMT | 3.7 GHz to 4.6 GHz | 32 Mbytes | DDR4-3200 | 65 watts | $299 |
The Ryzen 5000 range will initially consist of four models. The top-of-the-range processor is the Ryzen 9 5950X, a chip with 16 cores and 32 threads, operating frequencies between 3.4 and 4.9 GHz, a total of 72 MB of cache, and a TDP of 105 watts.
Following that, the Ryzen 9 5900X — CPU with 12 cores and 24 threads with frequencies between 3.7 and 4.8 GHz, and overall cache of 70 MB, and a TDP of 105 watts. According to AMD, this processor is 28% faster than a Ryzen 9 3900XT in Shadow of the Tomb Raider, with a performance jump from 141 to 181 fps.
The other two members of the Ryzen 5000 family are called Ryzen 7 5800X and Ryzen 5 5600X. The former has 8 cores and 16 threads, runs between 3.8 and 4.7 GHz, offers 36 MB of cache in total, and has a TDP of 105 watts. The Ryzen 5 5600X has 6 cores and 12 threads, operates between 3.7 and 4.6 GHz, provides 35 MB of cache in total, and has a TDP of 65 watts.
You can see the prices and availability in the table above, but there’s more — those who purchase the Ryzen 9 5950X, Ryzen 9 5900X, or Ryzen 7 5800X CPUs between November 5 and December 31 will receive a copy of Far Cry 6 Standard Edition in digital format when available . The same thing will also apply to those who buy the “old” version Ryzen 9 3950X, Ryzen 9 3900XT, or Ryzen 7 3800XT between October 20 and December 31.
Ryzen 5000: Which motherboards are compatible?
When AMD unveiled the first Ryzen 1000s, it clearly stated that the AM4 socket would be supported until 2020, and the Ryzen 5000 processors can install in that socket. However, compatibility is limited to the B550, X570, B450, and X470 motherboards, which excludes the 300 series. A BIOS update releasing on January 2021 will be enough to support the new CPUs on 400 series boards, but to enjoy PCI Express 4.0, you will need AMD 500 series motherboards(X570 or B550).
