AMD is due to release its next generation of processors, dubbed Zen 4 Raphael, in 2022. Previous leaks pointed to a release near the end of the year, but a new rumor suggests that we may see the processors much sooner than that.
Releasing the next-gen of CPUs ahead of time could give AMD an edge over Intel, which is most likely set to release its Raptor Lake processors in the fourth quarter of 2022.
ZEN4 Q4 ❌
— Greymon55 (@greymon55) February 11, 2022
The news comes from Greymon55 on Twitter, a known leaker who often talks about upcoming PC hardware releases. Greymon55 opened with a cryptic tweet indicating that Zen 4 CPUs will not be launching in the fourth quarter. This could mean bad news, too, but the leaker clarified that the CPUs are actually set to release a lot sooner than expected.
In a series of tweets, Greymon55 revealed all kinds of information, so there’s a lot to unpack. Some users took to guessing the new expected release date for Zen 4 processors, with Hassan Mujtaba of Wccftech suggesting September 22. Greymon55 clarified that the CPUs would launch even sooner than that, and in response to another user, followed up by confirming that it would be earlier than August. This puts the possible launch of the Ryzen 7000 Raphael processors far ahead of the previous timeline.
The upcoming next-generation AMD processors will feature DDR5 memory, PCIe 5.0, and the new AM5 LGA1718 socket. To that end, Greymon55 has also said that AM5 motherboards are soon going to be ready for sampling, and this could happen as early as this month. That adds credibility to the claim that Raphael processors are just around the corner.
I'm no longer sure of the release date for RDNA3, and a lot of the earlier information doesn't apply anymore.
— Greymon55 (@greymon55) February 11, 2022
Greymon55 also mentions that plans seem to have changed where AMD’s new RDNA 3 graphics cards are concerned. These next-gen GPUs are also set to release in 2022, but Greymon55 seems doubtful as to the previously expected timeline, stating: “I’m just not sure about the release date, but I’m very optimistic about the performance.” This could mean good or bad news for RDNA 3 GPUs, but the information is too vague to really judge.
AMD has got a lot in store for 2022, and apparently, Ryzen 7000 CPUs may not be the only product with an accelerated release date. Just a few days ago, YouTuber coreteks said that the new AMD flagship based on RDNA 2 architecture, the Radeon RX 6950XT, could be launching as early as mid-April. We’re also due for news about the upcoming Ryzen 7 5800X3D processor, and if AMD is launching Zen 4 sooner, it really won’t give that model much time to shine.
It’s not a bad idea for AMD to accelerate the launch of the Ryzen 7000 Zen 4 Raphael processors, provided everything is working as intended. Technically speaking, AMD is currently one generation behind Intel, with Zen 3 not providing access to the latest technologies, such as DDR5 memory and PCIe Gen 5.0. These features will become available to AMD users only with the release of Zen 4, while Intel Alder Lake already provides them.
Intel is also planning to release the next generation of processors, dubbed Raptor Lake, later this year. If AMD can beat it to the punch and unveil its CPUs sooner, it certainly wouldn’t hurt.
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