AMD introduces eight new CPUs and breathes new life into AM4

AMD has unveiled eight new desktop CPUs at CES 2024 in Las Vegas. You will still have to do without the Zen 5 cores in the new 8000 series. However, all processors in the 8000 series support the new Ryzen AI Neural Processing Unit (NPU) with a clock frequency of 1.6 gigahertz (GHz), which should ensure higher productivity.

The star of the show is the Ryzen 7 8700G with eight Zen 4 cores (16 threads). The base clock is 4.2 GHz, with AMD specifying a value of 5.1 GHz for the maximum boost. The L3 cache comprises 24 megabytes (MB). The Radeon 780M graphics unit is based on the RDNA3 architecture. This has 768 shader units with 1536 ALUs and a clock frequency of 2.9 GHz.

In addition, it supports Hyper-RX and Fluid Motion Frames for a higher frame rate when gaming. A total of up to 39 TFLOPS should be possible, almost four times that of a Playstation 5. AMD states that for AAA games, such as Cyberpunk 2077, a frame rate of over 60 frames at a 1080p resolution should be possible.

The Ryzen 5 8600G is one step below. The 6-core (12 threads) clocks at 4.3 to 5.0 GHz and has a Radeon 760M with 512 shaders on board. The GPU clocks at 2.8 GHz. The L3 cache is 22 MB. As with its big brother, Ryzen AI is also supported here. PCIe 4.0 is also available on both models.

The two smaller units, the Ryzen 5 8500G and Ryzen 3 8300G, have hybrid cores from Zen 4 and Zen 4c (2+4 and 1+3 respectively). Both have a Radeon 740M on board, each with 256 shader cores.

All four models have a maximum thermal power dissipation (TDP) of 65 watts.

AMD is remaining silent on the price of the Ryzen 3, with the recommended retail price (RRP) for the 8700G set at 329 US dollars, the 8600G at 229 US dollars and the 8500G at 179 US dollars. All CPUs will be released at the end of January.

Price-performance news for AM-4 mainboards

AMD has also thought about motherboards with the AM-4 socket, which is no longer quite so new. The manufacturer has largely confirmed the rumours surrounding the Ryzen 7 5700X3D. This is an octa-core processor (16 threads) with a base clock rate of 3.0 GHz and a boost clock of up to 4.1 GHz. This is 400 MHz less than its "big brother", the Ryzen 7 5800X3D. However, the other specs are the same, such as the level 3 cache of 96 megabytes. And the TDP is still 105 watts. AMD states the RRP of the 5700X3D as 249 US dollars.

The Ryzen 7 5700 is set to be even cheaper. The RRP here is 175 US dollars. However, the GPU of the installed Cezanne APU is deactivated. You will also have to do without PCIe 4.0 support here - eight PCIe 3.0 lanes are available instead. You will also have to make do with just 16 megabytes of L3 cache. However, the base and boost clocks are on a par with the Ryzen 5700X: 3.7 GHz (i.e. 300 MHz more) and 4.6 GHz.

AMD is also showing two entry-level models. The Ryzen 5 5500GT and 5600GT models are available for PCs intended for office work or streaming consumption. Not much has changed here compared to their respective predecessors. Only the base clock frequency increases by 200 MHz in each case. The RRP is 140 and 135 US dollars respectively.

All CPUs should be available from the end of January.