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AMD has once again confirmed that its new Zen architecture CPUs for desktops are on target for a 2016 launch, following reports that the AM4 platform is due to launch as early as March. This marks the second time that AMD has officially confirmed that its new CPU architecture will launch next year, which will replace the current batch of FX-series processors.
This update came out during the Raymond James Technology Investors Conference (Via Wccftech), during which AMD's CFO, Devinder Kumar discussed some of the business plan for the next year, which includes stabilizing the computer and graphics businesses.
“I think the key is getting through 2016 is to continue to stabilize the computing and graphics business, commercial, professional graphics embedded and even the high-end desktops with the Zen Core should all be accretive from a margin standpoint.”
While Zen is launching next year, it won't be the first part to make use of the AM4 platform, as some new APUs are set to launch earlier in the year, which will also take advantage of the socket. Right now, it is also believed that Zen has been taped out and has met its internal performance expectations with no significant bottlenecks.
KitGuru Says: While we may not see Zen on the market until quite late next year, it will still be interesting to see what AMD can bring to the table to shake up the CPU space a bit. Are any of you waiting on Zen next year?
Intel have left no choice but to wait for something to arrive that is worth upgrading a four year old CPU to. Hopefully the Zen will get AMD competing again.
I hope so as I’m getting rather tired of waiting. If the Q4 timeframe is accurate then perhaps AMD should have released a tweaked Excavator for desktop on AM3+, to tide us over and to send off that platform?
everytime i check intels 1150 CPUs prices they are 5 bucks higher in Amazon(US)…WE ALL NEED ZEN.
The i5 6600K + a good Z170 mobo = $450
A quadcore Zen + a budget AMD mobo will probably be around $200
The performance should be around the same and you won’t be asked to pay so much extra for overclocking or for a stupid iGPU that you don’t need. I expect the quad-core Zen to be cheap because it’s a modular platform where one module has 4 cores so even the cheapest version of it will quad-core.
AMD hasn’t given me a reason to touch their CPUs since they left socket 939 behind.
Please give me a good reason to come back, I will.
I still buy AMD processors, but I get what you’re saying. I had a socket 939 processor back in the day, and that’s when they were still competitive with Intel.
Bulldozer was a flop, and I wish they’d just iterated on Phenom or copied Intel rather than trying to break new ground only to discover that they can’t change the market, and that fast, single-core performance was still the way to go.
Yeah, I really dislike getting an unnecessary igpu on desktop chips. I’m glad AMD decided to make GPU-less CPU-only processors with the FX Zen series.
I may just build a new rig around AM4 / Zen late next year to upgrade my sister’s rig (which is my old rig she inherited from me).
Well, I’m hoping they’ll hit their goal and be ready for holiday 2016. I do not want to see Intel or Nvidia ever become monopolies, and considering how the US has become so very lax with anti-trust lately, I don’t doubt that they’d just let Intel and Nvidia stay as monopolies, with the excuse that Intel has to compete with Arm, and Nvidia has to compete with Arm and Intel’s IGP’s.
Meanwhile, PC gamers would be screwed, as we’d only have one source for CPU’s and GPU’s, respectively.
Those iGPUs might actually become somewhat relevant when DX12/Vulkan get rolling, or just for GPGPU in general. Until then though, they’re just dead silicon 🙁
I bit the bullet and went with the i5 6600K and it’s meh :/
And it’s so tiny!!! It must be very cheap to make. Intel is just abusing its current market position by selling it for so much.
Zen will push these mediocre quadcore CPU’s into low-end budget territory where they belong. After Zen, there will be quadcore Pentiums and i3’s, I’m calling it now.
They haven’t been truly focusing on x86 performance.. what you want is something with some L4 EDRAM. Unfortunately Intel is only releasing 65W non desktop variants of this. but if Zen starts speaking up they might end up making 95W desktop versions. Guess we’ll see what Kaby brings as far as options. People pretty much want killer quad cores.. I’m not sure AMD will be able to bring high single threaded performance.. but all Intel has to do is add L4 and they got a killer.
And get Intel competing.. 😀
They thought more core = good, for virtualization workloads etc. Multi socket mobos with high core count chips could outperform Sandybridge if you tweaked the thread affinity. But it wasn’t the slam dunk AMD needed. I was there…