AMD's highly anticipated Ryzen 9000 series desktop processors, based on the Zen5 architecture (codenamed Granite Ridge), are edging closer to release. In a first glimpse of their actual form, these processors, akin to their predecessors in the Ryzen 8000 series, maintain the familiar octopus-like design.
Displayed as an engineering sample, the Ryzen 9000 series bears the marking PON 100-000001290-11, indicating its packaging origin in Malaysia.
The interface theoretically remains AM5, but there's recently been buzz about an upgraded version, AM5+. It's unclear whether there will be a direct swap this time around.
As for specific specs, it's rumored to feature 8 cores and 16 threads, with an undisclosed frequency (knowing the sample wouldn't matter anyway). The thermal design power (TDP) is set at 105W, while the top-end variant could boast 16 cores and 32 threads, with a TDP increase to 170W.
Interestingly, the OPN number appeared as early as June last year in the distributed computing project Einstein@Home, showing 16 logical cores and continued integration with basic GPU capabilities.
The reliable informant "Kepler_L2" previously mentioned that according to SPEC benchmark tests, the Zen5 architecture could see a single-core performance improvement of over 40% compared to Zen4.
