As for AMD, we’ve learned that the company has reportedly launched four new entry-level CPUs as part of its Ryzen 100 series. However, contrary to AMD’s announcement, several factors suggest that these processors may use a newer architecture than what was announced: Zen 4 instead of Zen 3+ cores. So, is this good news for consumers after all?
Do the new Ryzen 100 processors use Zen 4 cores?
Four new processors:
According to leaker Golden Pig Upgrade Pack, AMD has reportedly launched four new CPU models: the Ryzen 9 180, Ryzen 7 165, Ryzen 7 155, and Ryzen 5 125. However, a veil of mystery surrounds these models since AMD’s official announcement highlights the use of the Zen 3+ architecture, but several factors suggest the use of newer Zen 4 cores. So, if we focus on:
- The number of cores
- The manufacturing process
- The maximum supported memory frequencies
- The integrated graphics model number
These clues suggest the use of a newer architecture than what was announced. In fact, these would appear to be Hawk Point dies rather than a refreshed Rembrandt. However, the company has not provided any clarification on this detail. It’s not impossible that this is a deliberate choice by the company to better segment its processor lineup.
In any case, if all of this turns out to be true, it’s good news for customers, who will end up with newer chips than it initially appeared.
A quick reminder about the Ryzen 100 series:
With this CPU series, AMD is targeting the entry-level market and laptops, including ultraportables. However, until now, this series has used an older architecture: the well-known Zen 3+. In its initial lineup, we found chips with TDPs ranging from 15 to 35W, configurable up to 54W for the highest-end models. Similarly, the highest-end configuration featured an 8-core,16-thread model running at up to 4.75 GHz.
