AMD’s next series of CPU’s are almost here, but we are still a few weeks away. AMD have yet to share any firm specfics about pricing or complete specs, and since their official announcement, we have been relying on crumbs of information that has managed to leak out from retailers, suppliers and others.
Now first and foremost , here at Geektech, we rarely if ever comment or discuss rumors or unverifiable leaks, unless its something substantial. On the lead up to AMD’s clear come back, it’s something any tech journalist would become eager to get as much information about the new platform out, however, we still try to use information that has been leaked multiple times from seperate sources.
However, It’s important to note that some information we share may have stemmed from leaks that could very well turn out to be false or simply change before becoming official, but based on multiple reports, we fairly certain the below details is what AMD will be offering next month.
AM4 socket and new chipset
The new AM4 platform allows for AMD to intro the latest bits of technology that Intel have included for a few years now. AMD are including support for DDR4 memory, NVMe, M.2 SATA, USB 3.1 Gen 2, and PCIe 3.0.
AMD will be offering multiple chipsets to offer different ranges of motherboards to allow fo better configuration options depeding on your build, and of course to offer cheaper tech.
At the top of the list we have the X370 chipset: which will offer the best features and support. This includes dual PCIe slots, native USB 3.1 support (gen2), 4 x SATA connection, with SATA Express and M.2 SATA support. The X370 chipset will be marketed for enthusiat grade motherboards and includes dedicated 8 PCIe lanes, which can handle Storage IO directly.
The X300 chipset offers similar features, but is aimed at the small form factor builds with ITX motherboards. This inlcudes support for dual PCIe slots, and allows for overclocking, but SATA/USB count will be motherboard specfic.
The Mainstream offering will be the B350 chipset, and again inlcudes USB 3.1 Gen 2 support, SATA 3/Express. It will include 6 PCIe lanes and also allows for overclocking. The A320 is similar to the B350, but looses 2 PCIe lanes (now at 4), and also looses overclocking support.
The small form factor counterpart is the A/B300 chipset, which also doesn’t support overclocking, and will be aimed at small form factors with basic features.
Ryzen CPU Lineup
The new processors from AMD are set to bring them back to the table and give Intel the competetion that the market really needs. The new line up of Desktop processors will arrive soon, but details are still limited to the below, and since some of the details have yet to be 100-percent confirmed or subject to change, then it’s possible we will see slight differences at launch.
AMD Ryzen CPU |
Core Count |
Thread Count |
Base Freq |
Boost Clock Speed/Overclocking |
TDP |
R7 1800X |
8 |
16 |
3.6GHz |
4.0GHz/XFR (+manual) |
95+W |
R7 1800* |
8 |
16 |
– |
– |
95W |
R7 1700X |
8 |
16 |
3.4GHz |
3.8GHz/XFR (+manual) |
95+W |
R7 1700 |
8 |
16 |
3.0GHz |
3.7GHz/Manual only |
65W |
R5 1600X |
6 |
12 |
3.3GHz |
3.7GHz/XFR (+manual) |
95+W |
R5 1500 |
6 |
12 |
3.2GHz |
3.4GHz/Manual only |
65W |
R5 1400X |
4 |
8 |
3.5GHz |
3.9GHz/XFR (+manual) |
65W |
R5 1300 |
4 |
8 |
3.3GHz |
3.6GHz/Manual only |
65W |
R3 1200X |
4 |
4 |
3.4GHz |
3.8GHz/XFR (+manual) |
65W |
R3 1100 |
4 |
4 |
3.2GHz |
3.5GHz/Manual only |
65W |
AMD have already stated that all of the processors will be unlocked and allow for overclocking. The processors with X in the name are stated to include the XFR feature, which is called Extended Frequnexy Range.
AMD shared details on this feature and it basically means the CPU will overclock automatically (beyond turbo) depending on how good your cooling is; better the cooling, better the overclock. Again, this is completly automatic and is handled by the motherboard and CPU. It has yet to be confirmed on wheather XFR will be supported on boards other than the X370.
Pricing
This part is the one that requires most of that pinch of salt. While the prices have been popping up over and over again, and multiple leaks suggest we have a firm idea that this is a solid pricing for Ryzen. There is no way to be certain, but if the below turns out to be true, then AMD will certinatly jumping to the top of everyone build lists.
| CPU | EU price (20% VAT included) | US price (without sales tax) |
|---|---|---|
| R7 1800X | 559€ | $499 |
| R7 1700X | 439€ | $389 |
| R7 1700 | 359€ | $319 |
| R5 1600X | 289€* | $259* |
| R5 1500 | 259€* | $229* |
| R5 1400X | 225€* | $199* |
| R5 1300 | 199€* | $175* |
| R3 1200X | 169€* | $149* |
| R3 1100 | 145€* | $129* |
Motherboard Pricing
A few motherboards also have some pricing avaialble, but much like the processors, this is subject to change, and is actually more likely too since pricing seems more broad.
| Mainboard | EU price (20% VAT included) | US price (without sales tax) |
|---|---|---|
| Asus Crosshair VI Hero | 259€* / 277€** | $229* / $244,95** |
| MSI X370 XPower Gaming | 331€** | $293,21** |
| Asus Prime X370-Pro | 169€* / 181€** | $149* / $160,16** |
| MSI X370 Gaming Pro | 199€** | $176,62** |
| Asus Prime B350-Plus | 109€* | $99* |
| MSI B350 Tomahawk | 124€** | $109,50** |
| Asus Prime B350M-A | 79€* | $69* |
| MSI B350M Gaming Pro | 90€** | $79,79** |
| MSI A320M Gaming Pro | 79€ | $70 |
| MSI A320M Pro-VD | 68€ | $60 |
Release
The latest hardware from AMD is set to arrive sometime in March, and while details on exactly when and specfically what processors/motherboards will be available right off the bat, are yet to be learned. It’s clear more information will come to light sometime in early March, and we look forward to checking out the full details of Ryzen once avaialble.
