Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing

AMD previews Ryzen 7000 Zen 4 processors with Halo Infinite tease

By

A long-awaited announcement is finally here: AMD has just teased the upcoming release of the next generation of processors, dubbed the AMD Ryzen 7000 series.

The CPUs are set to release in the second half of 2022. AMD previewed the performance of one of the upcoming Zen 4 processors during CES 2022, showing how it fared during a Halo Infinite gaming demo.

Dr. Lisa Su presents the new AMD chip.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The new processors mark a completely new generation of CPUs for AMD, upgrading from the current Zen 3 platform to Zen 4. AMD has also revealed that Ryzen 7000 CPUs are based on a 5nm process node — a first for AMD. Recent generations of AMD CPUs (Zen 2 and Zen 3) all utilized a 7nm process node.

Recommended Videos

Releasing the new CPUs means more for AMD than just catching up to the 12th-gen Intel Alder Lake that was released last year. Aside from a straight upgrade to the specifications of the processors themselves, AMD revealed that with the new Zen 4 processors, it will also release the AM5 platform. This will open the door to technologies currently unavailable to AMD users.

Get your weekly teardown of the tech behind PC gaming
Check your inbox!
Privacy Policy

AMD is now officially switching from its current socket to the LGA1718, allowing for compatibility with PCIe Gen 5.0, as well as DDR5 memory. Despite the huge socket change, AMD claims that the new platform will retain compatibility with current AM4 coolers.

Dr. Lisa Su presents the new AMD CPU in a Halo Infinite demo.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The manufacturer has promised that the new AMD Ryzen 7000 CPUs will bring with them unprecedented levels of performance, emphasizing hitting the right balance between raw power and energy efficiency. The recent generations of AMD chips have typically offered a good performance-per-watt ratio, and AMD made it clear that this continues to be a key factor going forward.

In order to demonstrate the capabilities of the new Zen 4 processor, AMD revealed a demo of Halo Infinite gameplay on one of the upcoming chips. According to Lisa Su, the CEO of AMD, the preview bodes well for the Ryzen 7000 — all the cores in the processor maintained a steady high of 5.0GHz, resulting in smooth gameplay with high frames per second. Unfortunately, the demo was very short.

Exciting times are ahead for those in need of a new CPU. With AMD once again entering the contest, Intel’s Alder Lake will meet its current-gen match. Although there are still questions left to answer, it may be a while until we hear more about the new processors. AMD is planning to launch both Zen 4 and AM5 in the second half of 2022.

Here’s a look at everything else AMD announced at CES 2022.

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
Monica J. White
Monica J. White
Computing Writer
Monica is a computing writer at Digital Trends, focusing on PC hardware. Since joining the team in 2021, Monica has written…
AMD’s new CPU could silently replace the Ryzen 7 7800X3D
The AMD Ryzen 5 7600X3D CPU.

AMD just expanded its lineup of gaming CPUs, but it's not a Zen 5 chip. Instead, AMD launched a new Zen 4 CPU, the Ryzen 5 7600X3D. Once again a Micro Center exclusive, the CPU could be an interesting budget offering ... if not for the fact that it still costs a pretty penny. Meanwhile, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D seems to be disappearing from the market. What's going on?

The fact that AMD revisited the Zen 4 lineup is not surprising, as it still continues to release Zen 3 chips. It's also not shocking that the Ryzen 5 7600X3D is a Micro Center exclusive, as the Ryzen 5 5600X3D was also only available at that one retailer. In the case of the 7600X3D, though, it'll also be available in Germany through Mindfactory.

Read more
Your AMD Ryzen CPU is about 10% slower than it should be
The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X installed in a motherboard.

AMD's Zen 5 CPUs haven't been able to impress in gaming, showing only small generational improvements -- but there are still some free frame rates to be won here. According to a comprehensive set of gaming benchmarks, a new Windows Update might be all that it takes to improve the performance of AMD's best processors, and this includes Zen 4 CPUs, too.

Earlier this month, Hardware Unboxed revealed that AMD's latest CPUs might be missing out on some frames per second (fps) in games due to a Windows bug. Switching to an Admin account (which is a little harder than it seems to be) fixed the problem, boosting both Zen 4 and Zen 5 CPUs by a considerable amount. AMD also hinted that this might be the issue behind Zen 5's lackluster performance, although it also blamed other factors, such as using different test suites or not running on Admin mode.

Read more
Zen 5 was a letdown, but it may not have been entirely AMD’s fault
The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X installed in a motherboard.

Although AMD's new CPUs are some of the best processors, they don't offer that much of an uplift when compared to their last-gen counterparts. The reason might lie in a recently discovered Windows bug that affects Ryzen gaming performance. This could mean that Zen 5 is more impressive than it seems at a glance.

But there's a catch. While Zen 5 performance improves if you address the bug, the same thing happens to Zen 4 CPUs, effectively maintaining or closing the gap between the two generations. Here's how it all works.

Read more