AMD's new Ryzen 4000 processors with Zen-3 architecture are expected to arrive later this year. According to estimates by the YouTube channel AdoredTV, we may still have to be patient until 2021.
The statements published in a YouTube video are to be based on an unspecified source, which AdoredTV has already provided with information relevant to its predecessor Zen 2.
The most important statements of the video about Zen 3 / Ryzen 4000:
- Zen 3 release likely to be postponed to 2021 (instead of late 2020)
- Single-thread performance (IPC) increases by ten to 15 percent (instead of as sometimes assumed by more than 20 percent)
- eight cores per core complex (instead of currently four cores)
- increased boost clock rates (no further details)
Since these are only rumors, all this information should be treated with caution. In our view, they sound quite plausible.
What indicates a shift?
Background of the assumed shift are Problems with the server processors Milan. Accordingly, A0 stepping is currently being tested, but without functional virtual core doubling.
It should only run during B0 stepping – which has now been postponed until September 2020. Since this is still not a final product, AdoredTV assumes that Zen 3 and the corresponding desktop models (Ryzen 4000) will not be launched until 2021.
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When asked, the anonymous source confirmed that all AMD products are experiencing delays. Whether this only refers to CPUs or also to new graphics cards like Big Navi is not explained in detail.
What could be the reason for the shift? The most obvious answer is the corona crisis. Although AMD only announced Zen-3 products for the end of 2020 at the Financial Analyst Day in early March, the situation has worsened significantly in many countries worldwide since then.
Disappointing performance plus?
The Leaker is also disappointed with the increased IPC performance (IPC = Instructions per Cycle) in the range of ten to 15 percent. Based on AMD's statements to The Street, he previously assumed values in the 20 percent range.
In our view, an increase of ten to 15 percent would be decent – and also in the context of what we have expected so far. Especially since the presumably somewhat higher clock rates also play a role for the ultimately decisive performance in (game) practice.
Also to be considered: AMD is already doing very well with the current Ryzen 3000 models, while for the time being Intel is only expecting a less spectacular new edition of the current 14nm CPUs (Core i 10000) with a maximum of ten instead of the previous eight cores .
As always with rumors, however, it is also the case in this case that they might as well prove to be wrong, even if many in the hardware sector are likely to be set for release delays due to Corona anyway.