Leaks have already started spilling out of the rumor mill about the upcoming lineup of AMD Ryzen 8000 CPUs, codenamed Granite Ridge. We already know that these CPUs will be based on the forthcoming AMD Zen 5 microarchitecture, which the company says will have a “grounds up” design.
AMD has also confirmed that Zen 5 will launch in 2024 and feature integrated AI and machine learning operations, as well as improved performance and efficiency. AMD is planning to manufacture Ryzen 8000 series CPUs using TSMC’s 3nm and 4nm processes, with the former presumably used for making the core chiplet dies (CCDs), and the latter used to make the I/O hub.
The latest rumor, courtesy of PCGH, which says it’s seen some documents that can’t be republished (to protect its source), is that the number of cores won’t change between the Ryzen 7000 lineup, such as the AMD Ryzen 9 7900, and the new Ryzen 8000 chip. In fact, if this is true, it won’t even have changed since the Ryzen 3000 range, with the range spanning from six-core to 16-core CPU designs.
The site also says that the amount of L3 cache in the (non-3D V-Cache) chips will max out at 64MB, with a maximum 16MB of L2 cache, which again is the same amount of cache found in the current AMD Ryzen 9 7950X. Meanwhile, the TDP will reportedly range from 65W to 170W, which again is unchanged from the current lineup.
Ryzen 9 8950X specs
The expected AMD Ryzen 9 8950X specs list is:
| Base frequency | Not known |
| Max boost frequency | Not known |
| Core | Zen 5 |
| Manufacturing process | 3 nm and 4 nm |
| Number of cores | 16 |
| Number of threads | 32 |
| IGP | AMD Radeon Graphics |
| L3 cache | 64 MB |
| L2 cache | 16 MB |
| Memory controller | Dual-channel DDR5 |
| Packaging | AMD Socket AM5 |
| Thermal design power (TDP) | 170 W |
| Simultaneous Multithreading (SMT) | Yes |
AMD Ryzen 8000 series release date
The best estimate for the AMD Ryzen 8000 series release date is September 2024, based on rumors, leaks and previous AMD release dates, since there has been no official confirmation.
AMD Ryzen 9 8950X price
The best estimate for the AMD Ryzen 9 8950X price is $869 (£849), based on previous AMD CPU prices, as there has been no official confirmation.
Although it might initially seem disappointing that AMD’s next-gen CPUs may have the same number of cores as the last few lineups, 16 cores is more than enough for practically any standard desktop users, and games rarely use more than six. However, with Intel’s Meteor Lake CPUs due in the interim period, AMD will have to make sure it gets its pricing right.
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