AMD unveils first 7nm Ryzen 4000 chips
Unfortunately for custom PC builders, they are only for pre-built machines
In recent years, AMD has consistently challenged Intel’s reign in the semiconductor world. Its offerings continue to close the gap between the two chipmakers. Now, AMD is rolling out its latest 7nm Ryzen 4000 G-Series chips based on its Zen 2 architecture for desktops.
The debut follows a successful rollout of the laptop version of the processors earlier this year. Notably, AMD is starting with chips for consumer-focused, pre-built systems that ship from an original equipment manufacturer (OEM). This means people who like building their own rigs will be out of luck for now.
Desktop Power
To be clear, AMD’s latest chips aren’t based on its upcoming next-gen Zen 3 architecture. That is scheduled to be released sometime this year. Unfortunately, it won’t be found in the chipmaker’s new desktop processors. The latest 7nm Ryzen 4000 chips are instead based on the same Zen 2 architecture as the laptop versions.
AMD is releasing a total of six new chips. The Ryzen 7, Ryzen 5, and Ryzen 3 will each come in both a 65W and 35W version. That lineup will ensure the new processors are able to hit a wide range of power and performance points.
All six chips are part of the Ryzen 4000 G-Series. They feature built-in Radeon graphics and the company notes that they will offer much better gaming performance with new APUs. That should hold true even if your machine doesn’t have a discrete GPU.
Although it’s somewhat difficult to compare the new chips to Intel’s lineup, the new 7nm Ryzen processors will likely compete directly with Intel’s 10th Gen chips.
Of course, fans of custom PC builds won’t be able to use the latest Ryzen chips. For AMD, it makes a lot of sense. The chipmaker says that the pre-built market for its processors is four to five times larger than the DIY market.
Meanwhile, AMD’s new Ryzen chips should help lower the price tag on some pre-built gaming PCs compared to those containing an Intel chipset. Thanks to recent breakthroughs and upgrades, though, AMD’s chips deliver performance that is nearly on par with Intel’s chips.
Look Into the Future
Moving forward, it will be interesting to see which PC makers adopt the new Ryzen 4000 G-Series chips. The company’s laptop version was heavily adopted, with many major manufacturers adding the chips to their machines.
Time will tell if AMD can replicate its success in the desktop market.
One final thing to note is that the 7nm Zen 2 architecture on which the new chips are built is the same technology being used for the custom processors inside the Xbox Series X and the PlayStation 5. This means that the new chips will be something of a first look at what next-gen gaming will be like.
Originally published at https://www.theburnin.com on July 21, 2020.
