Is AMD Zen 5 worth buying?

Summary

AMD's upcoming Zen 5 processors promise a 16% performance increase over Zen 4, with enhanced branch prediction and official support for DDR5 5600 memory speeds. The new x870 chipset offers faster lanes and USB 4.0 support. Zen 5 laptops, branded as Ryzen AI, will feature integrated neural processing units (NPUs) for AI tasks, supporting up to 50 trillion operations per second. While the performance boost is notable, the necessity of upgrading from Zen 4 is debatable, especially considering the current lukewarm reception to AI features on desktops and laptops.

Takeaways

• 🚀 Zen 5 is set to release in July, and AMD claims a 16% improvement in instructions per clock (IPC) over Zen 4.
• ⚡ Zen 5 will have similar clock speeds to Ryzen 7000 but with improved performance, especially in applications like Blender.
• 🔧 Improvements in branch prediction and higher memory support (up to DDR5-5600) contribute to better CPU efficiency.
• 🖥️ Zen 5 will also introduce new chipsets, including the X870 and X870+ with more PCI Express lanes and standard USB 4.0 and Wi-Fi 7 support.
• 🔋 Zen 5 desktop CPUs will maintain similar core counts as Zen 4 but have lower power consumption due to a smaller process node.
• 💻 On the mobile side, AMD introduces Ryzen AI chips with integrated neural processing units (NPUs), designed to handle AI workloads and Windows co-pilot features.
• 📱 Ryzen AI's NPUs will support up to 50 trillion operations per second (TOPS), making them over three times more powerful than Ryzen 8000 NPUs.
• ⚙️ AI-focused CPUs are becoming more important as both Qualcomm and Intel shift their focus toward AI-enabled processors.
• 🛠️ While Zen 5 offers incremental performance gains, it may not be a must-buy for those who recently upgraded to Zen 4, as Zen 4 already supported standards like PCIe 5.0 and USB 4.
• 🤔 The overall market response to AI in CPUs is mixed, as there is no urgent need for NPUs in many consumer laptops and desktops yet.

Q & A

When is the AMD Zen 5 expected to be released?

AMD Zen 5 is expected to be released in July.

What is the claimed performance increase of Zen 5 over Zen 4?

AMD claims a 16% performance increase in terms of instructions per clock cycle for Zen 5 over Zen 4.

Which application saw the most dramatic performance improvement in AMD's internal testing?

Blender was one of the programs that benefited most dramatically in AMD's internal testing.

What is the new official support for higher memory speeds in Zen 5?

Zen 5 officially supports RAM speeds up to JEDEC DDR5 5600, up from the 5200 speed supported by Zen 4.

What are the new chipsets announced by AMD for Zen 5?

AMD has announced the X870 and X870E chipsets for Zen 5, with the main difference being that the latter has a few more usable PCI Express Lanes.

What additional features will be standard on both new Zen 5 chipsets?

Both new chipsets will have standard USB 4.0 support and support for Wi-Fi 7.

What will be the branding of the first couple of Zen 5 mobile CPUs?

The first couple of Zen 5 mobile CPUs will be branded as Ryzen AI.

What is the significance of the Ryzen AI branding for mobile CPUs?

The Ryzen AI branding signifies that these CPUs will have integrated neural processing units (NPUs) to compete with AI-focused chips from Qualcomm and Intel.

How powerful are the NPUs in the Ryzen AI CPUs compared to the Ryzen 8000 series?

The NPUs in the Ryzen AI CPUs will support up to 50 trillion operations per second (TOPS), making them over three times as powerful as the NPUs in the Ryzen 8000 series.

What are the core counts of the high-end mobile chips available at launch?

At launch, there will be two high-end mobile chips available, one with 12 cores and another with 10 cores.

What is the recommendation for purchasing Zen 5 chips or laptops with Zen 5 included?

While you get a nice performance bump, Zen 5 chips or laptops are not an absolute must-buy if you've recently upgraded, especially considering the general attitude toward AI and the lack of compelling use cases for local NPUs.