3DMark Fire Strike Hall of Fame is where overclockers submit their best hardware benchmark trials and try to beat the very best. For years, one record managed to hold, and today it just got defeated. According to an extreme overclocker called "biso biso" from South Korea and a part of the EVGA OC team, the top spot now belongs to the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT graphics card. The previous 3DMark Fire Strike world record was set on April 22nd in 2020, when Vince Lucido, also known as K|NGP|N, set a record with four-way SLI of NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti GPUs. However, that record is old news since January 27th, when biso biso set the history with AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT GPU.

The overclocker scored 62389 points, just 1,183 more from the previous record. He pushed the Navi 21 XTX silicon that powers the Radeon RX 6900 XT card to an impressive 3,147 MHz. Paired with a GPU memory clock of 2370 MHz, the GPU was probably LN2 cooled to achieve these results. The overclocker used EVGA's Z690 DARK KINGPIN motherboard with Intel Core i9-12900K processor as a platform of choice to achieve this record. You can check it out on the 3DMark Fire Strike Hall of Fame website to see yourself.

Raja Koduri, Intel's Senior Vice President and General Manager for the Accelerated Computing Systems and Graphics Group, has responded via Twitter to an open letter from PC Gamer that addressed the nightmare-like state for GPU pricing and availability, classifying it as "a huge issue for PC gamers and the industry at large". Intel says they are looking to put millions of Arc GPUs into PC Gamer's hands as the company fast approaches the end of the reaffirmed Q1 launch window for its new high-performance discrete graphics products. The reading on this is that Intel plans to add to the available mass of GPUs that consumers can buy, thus alleviating the strain from overwhelming consumer demand, and bringing about a much healthier market - with real and acceptable pricing for graphics products.

That Intel plans to ship millions of Arc GPUs to consumers is no surprise; the company definitely wants to recoup its investment in developing consumer-oriented, high-performance graphics architectures. However, any claims or expectations of improved GPU supply in the market should be taken with a grain of salt, as the bottleneck for graphics products stands not at the GPU design level, but at the semiconductor manufacturing one: namely, there are only so many GPU wafers that graphics chips designers can secure from foundry company TSMC, which also serves customers like Apple, Qualcomm, and other technology industry giants.

MAINGEAR—an award-winning PC system integrator of custom gaming desktops, notebooks, and workstations—today announced that new NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 graphics cards are now available to configure within MAINGEAR's product line of award-winning custom gaming desktop PCs and workstations. Featuring support for real-time ray tracing effects and AI technologies, MAINGEAR PCs equipped with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 offer gamers next-generation ray-traced graphics and performance comparable to the latest consoles.

Powered by Ampere, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 features NVIDIA's 2nd gen Ray Tracing Cores and 3rd generation Tensor Cores. Combined with new streaming multiprocessors and high-speed G6 memory, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 can power the latest and greatest games. NVIDIA RTX on 30 Series GPUs deliver real-time ray tracing effects—including shadows, reflections, and Ambient Occlusion (AO). The groundbreaking NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) 2.0 AI technology utilizes Tensor Core AI processors to boost frame rates while producing sharp, uncompromised visual fidelity comparable to high native resolutions.

Valve's highly anticipated handheld gaming console, Steam Deck, officially arrives on February 25th. According to the newest information from Valve, the company plans to start sending our Steam Deck units to customers who first pre-ordered their units on February 25th, and the arrival time should be three days. That means that on February 28th, customers will have Steam Deck in their hands. Regarding press units for reviewers, the company has already started shipping review units to select media partners. The review embargo for Steam Deck is also set to February 25th, so that marks the date when we can see the full potential of AMD's custom Van Gogh SoC.

As a general reminder, the Van Gogh SoC features four Zen 2 cores with eight threads, running at a 3.5 GHz frequency. The graphics side is powered by eight RDNA2 CUs clocked at 1.6 GHz, meaning that the chip can support some decent handheld gaming. The base model starts at $399, while the top-end configuration costs up to $649, carrying more extensive memory/storage options.

Remember that €1.06 billion antitrust lawsuit that Intel was slapped with by the European Commission back in 2009? It's ok if you don't, but it involved Intel being accused of "market malpractice, by influencing computer hardware manufacturers to postpone and/or cancel launches of their products that use CPUs made by its rival AMD" based on our own reporting from 2009. As these thing goes, Intel appealed to a higher court and that higher court handed back the case to the lower court who has now withdrawn the fine and the judges went as far as to say "The (European) Commission's analysis is incomplete and does not make it possible to establish to the requisite legal standard that the rebates at issue were capable of having, or likely to have, anticompetitive effects,".

The European Commission has said it will study the new judgement and will consider its next steps, but it seems unlikely that they'll be able to bring this case to court again, without some additional proof of wrongdoing. The end result of this is also likely to make it tougher to bring cases like to court in the future for the European Commission, as they will have to provide more detailed cases where they prove that things like MDF and rebates to their customers cause real, anti-competitive damages to other companies in the same line of business, in this case AMD. The case can still be appealed to the CJEU, so this 13 year saga might still not be over.

TUL Corporation, a leading and innovative manufacturer of AMD graphic cards since 1997, today announced its Radeon RX 6500 XT line up. The latest graphics cards are built on AMD RDNA2 gaming architecture and designed to make incredible 1080p gaming experiences for popular AAA and esports titles accessible to more gamers.

Every gamer has different needs and PowerColor is offering its Radeon RX 6500 XT graphics cards in two- and single-fan configurations for those looking to build a small form factor gaming PC. With high-efficient cooling and PowerColor's Mute Fan Technology, PowerColor Radeon RX 6500 XT graphics cards are cool and quiet, ideal for anyone looking to game without distractions.

SAPPHIRE Technology announces the new PULSE AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT Graphics Card targeting quiet and effective 1080p gaming graphics. With the signature PULSE red accents on a classic black minimalist shroud, it is designed to be an eye-catching addition to any PC. Play AAA games with striking performance and cooling with the PULSE AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT Graphics Card.

The PULSE AMD Radeon RX 6500 Graphics Card headlines with 1024 stream processors running with a Boost Clock of up to 2825 MHz and a Game Clock of up to 2685 MHz. The latest GDDR6 high-speed memory clocked at 18 Gbps Effective, with 16 MB of AMD Infinity Cache memory technology, which reduces latency and power consumption, enabling high overall gaming performance. To support the latest display monitors in the market, it is equipped with output ports including HDMI and DisplayPort 1.4 with DSC outputs. The PULSE AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT Graphics Card series features 16 powerful Compute Units and 16 Ray Accelerators.

Today AMD announced new additions to the AMD Radeon PRO W6000 Series desktop and mobile workstation graphics lineup, designed to deliver exceptional performance, stability and reliability for professional users, including CAD designers, engineers and office knowledge workers. The new AMD Radeon PRO W6400 graphics card is built on the high-performance, energy efficient AMD RDNA 2 graphics architecture and advanced 6 nm manufacturing process technology, with 16 MB of high-bandwidth, low-latency AMD Infinity Cache memory technology acting as a bandwidth amplifier. Offering an ideal blend of performance and efficiency at an affordable price, the new graphics card is optimized for the requirements of today's popular CAD and office productivity applications in a compact design that can be easily added to modern small-form-factor desktops.

Compared to the previous generation, the AMD Radeon PRO W6400 graphics card delivers up to three times higher performance in Autodesk AutoCAD 2022 during 3D orbit rotational tests in shaded modes. It also offers up to 87 percent higher performance in McNeel Rhino using the Holomark 2 benchmark with mesh, object and model data stress tests. The new graphics card also offers performance gains in typical office applications and workloads, such as videoconferencing, email and web browsing, where reliability and stability are key. Additions to the AMD Radeon PRO product family also include the AMD Radeon PRO W6500M and AMD Radeon PRO W6300M GPUs for next-gen professional mobile workstations. The new GPUs are also built on AMD RDNA 2 graphics architecture with 6 nm process technology and harness up to 8 MB of AMD Infinity Cache memory technology to deliver ultra-high viewport frame rates, dependability and exceptional performance for professional applications.

AMD released the latest version of Radeon Software Adrenalin drivers. Version 22.1.2 beta comes with optimization for "Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Extraction," and support for new graphics cards launching today, including the Radeon RX 6500 XT, RX 6400, RX 6500M, and RX 6300M. The only issue fixed with this release addresses longer-than-expected load times for "Borderlands 3" in DirectX 12 mode with Radeon Boost enabled, on certain RDNA2-series GPUs. Grab the drivers from the link below.

DOWNLOAD: AMD Radeon Software Adrenalin 22.1.2

Today Lenovo announced new additions to its broad education portfolio designed to enhance learning efficiencies in a new age for education. The new devices are purpose-built to meet the needs of modern in-person and distance-learning. The all-new Lenovo 10w Tablet running Windows 11 is powered by the Snapdragon 7c compute platform to enable an Always On, Always Connected computing experience, balancing the power and performance students expect and the mobile computing experiences they need to help them succeed in modernized learning. The new Lenovo 13w Yoga offers the flexibility of a convertible device with AMD Ryzen 5000 U-Series processors for mobile up to an AMD Ryzen 7 processor, and can include options to boost teacher and student engagement, device protection and improved connectivity.

According to UNESCO, more than 1.5 billion students have been impacted by the pandemic and many countries have been affected by extended school closures. Although classes are thankfully reopening, many continue to endure disrupted agendas and at the time of writing more than 35 million learners are still unable to benefit from classroom instruction. The longer-term focus needs to be on learning recovery and returning the trajectory beyond pre-Covid levels. A recent UNESCO report points out that we collectively have an opportunity to reinvent education to be more resilient, equitable and efficient in delivering learning for all. Institutions need to invest in structured learning programs that provide access to technology that can amplify classroom-based experiences. The tools need to be dynamic to support distance learning solutions and computer-assisted learning to help maximize education continuity. As a technology provider, Lenovo is committed to partnering with customers to develop and deliver innovative solutions to enhance learning today and into the future.

AMD announced the Radeon RX 6500 XT and RX 6400 at CES just a few days ago. These new entry-level cards debut the company's first 6 nm GPU, codenamed "Navi 24"—the smallest chip from the RDNA2 family. Navi 24 is barely the size of a motherboard chipset, roughly 100 mm² in die size. The chip only features a 64-bit wide GDDR6 memory interface, needing just two memory chips to achieve 4 GB of memory size. While AMD has been fairly quiet about it, people quickly found out that the Navi 24 GPU only uses a PCI-Express 4.0 x4 host interface. While the physical connector is x16, there is only enough signal traces for x4.Even the most updated 2.43.0 public version of GPU-Z misreports the bus interface as PCIe x16 4.0 though, which will certainly lead to confusion in the reviewer community who trust GPU-Z to report the correct specs and speeds for their articles. Maybe that's the reason why AMD has decided to not send us a sample this time—a first in 15 years.

Update Jan 20th: GPU-Z 2.44.0 has been released, which properly reports the PCIe bus configuration of RX 6500 XT.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a world leader in advanced semiconductor technology, today announced its new premium mobile processor, the Exynos 2200. The Exynos 2200 is a freshly designed mobile processor with a powerful AMD RDNA 2 architecture based Samsung Xclipse graphics processing unit (GPU). With the most cutting-edge Arm -based CPU cores available in the market today and an upgraded neural processing unit (NPU), the Exynos 2200 will enable the ultimate mobile phone gaming experience, as well as enhancing the overall experience in social media apps and photography.

"Built on the most advanced 4-nanometer (nm) EUV (extreme ultraviolet lithography) process, and combined with cutting-edge mobile, GPU, and NPU technology, Samsung has crafted the Exynos 2200 to provide the finest experience for smartphone users. With the Xclipse, our new mobile GPU built with RDNA 2 graphics technology from the industry leader AMD, the Exynos 2200 will redefine mobile gaming experience, aided by enhanced graphics and AI performance," said Yongin Park, President of System LSI Business at Samsung Electronics. "As well as bringing the best mobile experience to the users, Samsung will continue its efforts to lead the journey in logic chip innovation."

Server processors tend to be one of the most profitable businesses for AMD and Intel. Thus, investment groups and analysts closely monitor happenings in the server and data center world. A report from Mizuho Securities (investment bank) Managing Director Jordan Klein states that many upcoming changes on the server processor front are coming this year. Mr. Klein cites sources over at Insupur Systems, one of the most prominent server vendors. More precisely, Dolly Wu is the VP and GM of Datacenter/Cloud at Inspur. According to the report, AMD and Intel will change their strategy in the server market going forward in 2022.

As far as AMD is concerned, the company plans to increase the pricing of its EPYC processors by 10-30%. This increase should be a bit easier on the strategic cloud customers. The report also indicates that as the demand far exceeds the supply of EPYC processors, AMD increases prices and makes a "take it or leave it" offer, resulting in most customers accepting the increased costs. Another interesting tidbit from the report was the talk about Intel. The blue team laid out its strategy to launch highly-anticipated Sapphire Rapids Xeons in Q2 of 2022. However, it will maybe get delayed to Q3 of 2022. Intel doesn't plan to increase prices to remain competitive with AMD, so the server space will see Intel fighting to regain the lost market share.

AMD is preparing a round of updates to its desktop Radeon RX 6000 series in the wake of RTX 30-series models by NVIDIA, according to Greymon55, a reliable source with GPU rumors. The company could be leveraging faster 18 Gbps GDDR6 memory chips for the task. This wouldn't be the first RX 6000 series products with 18 Gbps memory, as the liquid-cooled MBA (made-by-AMD) RX 6900 XT that's exclusive to OEMs, already comes with 18 Gbps memory clocks.

Mass-production of JEDEC-standard GDDR6 memory chips with data-rates as high as 20 Gbps and 24 Gbps by Samsung is expected to get underway later this year. The company is already sampling these chips, and it's likely that they may feature in the next round of product-stack updates by AMD and NVIDIA. In the run up to its next-gen RDNA3 graphics architecture, AMD is rumored to be working on a refresh of RDNA2 on the new TSMC N6 (6 nm) foundry node that it already leverages for the entry-level "Navi 24" ASIC. This is expected to open up headroom to dial up engine clocks, and possibly support faster memory. As for this latest refresh with 18 Gbps memory, if AMD's naming convention for its mobile RX 6850M is anything to go by, the new SKUs could feature a similar "xx50" model numbering.

Based on details from multiple sources, least not the release notes for HWiNFO 7.17 beta, we now know that AMD is working on an answer to Intel's XMP memory profiles that should be called RAMP, or Ryzen Accelerated Memory Profile. Not much is known about RAMP at this point in time, but hopefully it'll be as straightforward to use as Intel's XMP when it comes to configuring overclocked DIMMs.

Intel has of course updated XMP to version 3.0 which includes support for DDR5 memory, although it was reported that Intel was late when it came to finalising the specifics of XMP 3.0, which meant some early DDR5 modules intended for overclocking didn't end up getting any XMP profiles. Hopefully AMD will get its RAMP spec finished well ahead of time, so the memory makers that want to offer support for RAMP can do so well ahead of the launch of AMD's upcoming AM5 platform.

AMD announced Amazon Web Services (AWS) has expanded its AMD EPYC processor-based offerings with the general availability of the new Amazon EC2 Hpc6a instances, which are purpose-built for high performance computing (HPC) workloads in the cloud. According to AWS, Amazon EC2 Hpc6a instances deliver up to 65 percent better price-performance compared to similar Amazon EC2 instances. Hpc6a will help customers run their most compute-intensive HPC workloads like, genomics, computational fluid dynamics, weather forecasting, financial risk modeling, EDA for semiconductor design, computer-aided engineering, and seismic imaging.

Throughout the HPC industry, there has been a growing preference for AMD as showcased by AMD EPYC processors powering 73 supercomputers on the latest Top500 list and holding 70 HPC world records. The new Hpc6a instances bring the leadership performance and capabilities of 3rd Gen AMD EPYC processors to compute-optimized Amazon EC2 instances used for highly complex HPC workloads.

We're not sure if this will bring more praise for AMD, or if there will be a new angry mob with virtual pitchforks, because it's coming too late, but it looks like at least some AMD X370 based motherboards are getting support for AMD's Zen 3 based Ryzen processors. First out is ASRock with the X370 Pro4, which even at launch was a run of the mill X370 board, but it's possible that the company is just using it as its test platform to see if it's worth adding support for Zen 3 or not.

ASRock has added support for all of AMD's Vermeer based CPUs, as well as several Renoir based APUs. You can find all the added models in the modified screenshot below, since the processors weren't all listed in order on ASRock's website. The P7.10 UEFI update is required and it also drops support for AMD's now rather old Excavator+ based Bristol Ridge APUs, a loss that almost no-one is likely to shed a tear over. The interesting thing to keep an eye on now, is both if ASRock will follow suit with other models, as well as what its competitors will do in terms of adding support for Zen 3 CPUs on their older motherboard models.

This might not come as a real surprise, but in the latest Steam hardware survey, we're seeing clear declines of quad core CPUs, the category that some people have been claiming for the longest of times, is all you need for a gaming PC. Among the Windows systems, the decline is over a percent, with six core CPU gaining well over a percent, although the numbers vary quite a bit over the past five months, which is all the history Valve provides. The decline is also clear on OSX, although it's not quite as big percentage wise, but here the biggest growth is in the eight and 10 core segments, most likely due to Apple's introduction of its own M1 variants of CPUs. Only in the Linux segment are the dual and quad core CPU segments increasing, which suggest that some of these systems might be repurposed Windows machines.

The six core and higher CPU segment now holds over 50 percent share in the Steam survey and eight core CPUs are also up somewhat for Windows machines. Of these CPUs, Intel is holding a 69.27 percent share, up 0.82 percent compared to November, although still down over 3.5 percent since August versus AMD. Intel also gained 0.33 percent of Linux users and is back over 60 percent for the first time since August. On the OSX side of things, Apple seems to have gained a 27.97 percent share of Steam users surveyed, up from 6.05 percent just a month earlier. There has also been a 1.2 percent increase in Steam users surveyed that have 16 GB of RAM, suggesting that the low RAM prices in 2021 has made people upgrade their systems. Over 47 percent of all Steam users that were surveyed appear to have at least 16 GB of RAM in their systems.

AMD released the year's first Radeon Software Adrenalin software update. Version 22.1.1 comes with optimization for "Monster Hunter Rise," and "God of War," with up to 7% performance increase measured at 4K Ultra settings with the RX 6900 XT, compared to the previous 21.12.1 drivers. A handful issues were also fixed. To begin with, high idle memory clocks noticed on machines with multiple high-resolution monitors, has been fixed. Power Tuning components of a saved tuning profile not correctly loading following a Radeon Software update, has been fixed. Visual corruption noticed with "Halo Infinite" when zoomed-in, on machines with products such as the RX 5600 XT, has been fixed. Flickering noticed in "Fortnite" with RX 6000 series graphics cards in DirectX 12 mode with Radeon Boost enabled, as been fixed. Grab the drivers from the link below.

DOWNLOAD: AMD Radeon Software Adrenalin 22.1.1

Anandtech asked AMD during a meeting at CES about the production nodes used to make its chips at TSMC and the importance of leading edge nodes for AMD to stay competitive, especially in light of the cost of using said nodes. Lisa Su confirmed in her answer to Anandtech that AMD is using an optimised high-performance 5 nm node for its upcoming Zen 4 processor chiplets, which there interestingly appears to be both 2D and 3D versions of. This is the first time we've heard a mention of two different chiplet types using the same architecture and it could mean that we get to see Zen 4 based CPUs with and without 3D cache.

What strikes us as a bit odd about the Anandtech article, is that they mention the fact that several of TSMC's customers are already making 4 nm and soon 3 nm chips and are questioning why AMD wouldn't want to be on these same nodes. It seems like Anandtech has forgotten that not all process nodes are universally applicable and just because you can make one type of chip on a smaller node, doesn't mean it'll be suitable for a different type of chip. For the longest of times, mobile SoCs or other similar chips seem to always have been among the first things being made on new nodes, with more complex things like GPUs and more advanced CPUs coming later, to tweaked versions of the specific node. The fact that TSMC has no less than three 7 nm nodes, should be reason enough to realise that the leading edge node might not be the ideal node for all types of chips.

Today, ARCTIC, one of the leading manufacturers of low-noise PC coolers and components, presents the complete Freezer 35 air cooler family. In total, the series includes four versions of the single-tower CPU cooler for different requirements and areas of application, whose heatsinks are identical in construction. The compact dimensions ensure optimal RAM compatibility. Four offset direct-touch heatpipes ensure fast heat transfer into the heat sink, where the powerful 120 mm P-fan with dynamic PWM control efficiently dissipates the heat.

The improved mounting system of the Freezer 35 series with spring-loaded screws is noteworthy, achieving optimum contact pressure and even distribution of the thermal paste. The socket-specific Intel/AMD variants offer a reduction in superfluous mounting material and simplify the installation of the coolers. In addition to the standard Freezer i35/ Freezer A35 and the previously introduced A-RGB models Freezer i35 A-RGB and Freezer A35 A-RGB, RGB coolers for Intel (LGA 1700, 1200 and 115x) and AMD (AM4) are joining the market. The Freezer i35 RGB and Freezer A35 RGB feature 12 analog RGB LEDs in the fan hub. These can be controlled uniformly and are compatible with the common RGB standards of leading motherboard manufacturers, making a direct connection via a 12 V 4-pin RGB motherboard header possible.

AMD this CES announced the Radeon RX 6500 XT graphics card, its product to debut on the TSMC-N6 (6 nm) silicon fabrication process. Armed with just 4 GB of memory, the card is launched with an SEP of $199, although its real-world pricing tells a different story, according to retail prices leaked of two upcoming ASUS-branded custom-design RX 6500 XT cards.

The ASUS TUF Gaming RX 6500 XT is priced around 340€ including taxes, while the DUAL RX 6500 XT goes for 299€; a far-cry from the roughly 220€ pricing. The RX 6500 XT is purported as an entry-mid category product, designed for 1080p AAA gaming with Fidelity FX Super Resolution unlocking some more eye-candy. It is based on the same RDNA2 graphics architecture as the rest of the RX 6000 series.

Here are some of the first real-world pictures of the next-generation AMD EPYC "Genoa" enterprise processors in the Socket SP5 package. The coaster-sized 6,080-pin SP5 package gives AMD's chip-designers fiberglass substrate real-estate to dial up CCD counts up to 12, resulting in up to 96 "Zen 4" CPU cores for "Genoa." Pictured below is a 16-core prototype with just two CCDs in place, as revealed by an X-ray shot. Socket SP5 gives "Genoa" some stellar I/O capabilities, including 24x 40-bit DDR5 channels (12-channel in the classical definition), and 128x PCI-Express Gen 5.0 lanes. AMD is expected to time its EPYC "Genoa" processor launch within 2022, to best compete with Intel's Xeon "Sapphire Rapids" processor launch. It will also launch a variant codenamed "Bergamo," based on "Zen 4c" CPU cores, with up to 128 cores to go around.

It would seem that AMD is concerned about DDR5 memory availability in the market, at least based on an interview that Tom's Hardware had with David McAfee, the Corporate VP and GM of the Client Channel business at AMD. It's not just about availability it seems, but also pricing, as McAfee is quoted saying "One of the dynamics that we do think about a great deal is how and when to introduce that AM5 ecosystem and ensure that the DDR5 supply, as well as pricing of DDR5 memory, is mature and something that's easily attainable for an end-user".

With the current issues that the DRAM module makers are experiencing, with both staff issues related to the pandemic and the PMIC shortage some are having, the question is how long it'll take until there's a steady supply of DDR5 modules in the market, at a reasonable price point. We obviously don't know what kind of DRAM speeds AMD is aiming for either, although it's unlikely that the company is looking at something faster than JEDEC spec at this point in time, even though we expect faster speeds will also be supported. Outside of the US, it seems like a cheap stick of 8 GB of DDR5 memory is going for around the US$100 mark (€89) or roughly four times that of a similar DDR4 stick. Crucial in the US is offering a single 8 GB stick for US$68, with a 16 GB stick costing the same as a pair of 8 GB sticks, US$137. This is unlikely to be the kind of price point AMD is hoping for and most DDR5 memory modules are a lot more expensive.

AMD's Ryzen 7000 series of desktop processors based on the novel Zen 4 core architecture are scheduled to arrive in the second half of 2022. While we are not sure just how big the architectural differences will be going from Zen 3 (with or without 3D V-cache) to the new Zen 4 core, we have some leaked information that confirms the existence of two SKUs that reveal additional details about the processor configuration. In the MilkyWay@Home project, aiming to create a model of the Milky Way galaxy by utilizing countless PCs across the globe, we found two next-generation Ryzen 7000 SKUs. The MilkyWay@Home project isn't a benchmark. However, it is a valuable reference where the next generation processors appeared.

First in line is the 100-000000666-21_N CPU, a codename for an eight-core, sixteen-threaded design. This model should correspond to the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X CPU, a successor to the Ryzen 7 5800X model. Next in line is the 100-000000665-21_N CPU with 16 cores and 32 threads, a successor to the Ryzen 9 5950X named Ryzen 9 7950X. One important thing to note is that these new CPUs feature different level two (L2) cache configurations. With the previous generation 5000 series "Vermeer" processors, the L2 cache was locked at 512 KB per core. However, according to today's leak, the upgraded Zen 4 IP will bring 1024 KB of L2 cache per core, doubling the cache size at one of the fastest levels.