For PC gamers interested in hardware, next year will be an exciting one. Because in 2022, AMD and Intel would like to introduce new generations of CPUs.
With the upcoming CPUs of the “Raptor Lake” and “Zen 4” families, both companies are implementing some new, exciting things and are experimenting with core numbers and TDP. We’ll tell you what data has leaked and what that could mean for the CPUs.
16 cores & massively increased TDP
Some leaks from Techpowerup seem to confirm that AMD’s Zen 4 desktop CPUs (presumably Ryzen 6000, if an intermediate generation does not appear with Zen 3+) will continue to offer a maximum of 16 cores. The new processors are also expected to support DDR5 and PCI Express 5.0.
However, the power consumption is particularly interesting. If you note that a current Ryzen 9 5950X works with a TDP of 105W, the 175W TDP to be expected according to the leak indicates a massive increase.
This increase is particularly interesting because AMD is switching to production in the 5nm process with Zen 4 and such changes are usually associated with somewhat more energy-efficient CPUs. So what could explain the rise in TDP?
It is conceivable that AMD will increase the clock rate significantly. Since the maximum number of cores apparently remains untouched compared to the current generation, an increase in the clock rate makes perfect sense.
How much more powerful is Zen 4?
However, AMD seems to achieve good results with Zen 4 without increasing the clock rates. This comes from information from another speaker with the name Chips and Cheese according to which a Zen 4 Genoa Engineering sample is 29 percent faster than a Zen 3 CPU at the same clock rate (via Techpowerup).
There could also be another reason for the increased TDP: A graphics unit integrated in the CPU, which Intel has been using for a long time. AMD is already doing this with the APUs (e.g. Ryzen 5 3400G).
more on the subject
AMD Ryzen 5 3400G im Test
Intel’s Raptor Lake is said to offer 24 cores
At the end of this year, Intel’s Alder Lake processors are expected. A current leak on the Intel Core i9 12900K sees the upcoming flagship well ahead of AMD’s current top model. For the Zen 4 CPUs, however, the challenger will be the successor in the form of Raptor Lake (presumably Core i 13000). Here, the maximum number of cores should increase to up to 24.
What do you all mean? Who will win the race for the best CPUs next year: Intel or AMD? Feel free to write us in the comments!