Skip to main content

AMD might make a last-minute change to save a Ryzen 9000 CPU

AMD announcing specs for Ryzen 9000 CPUs at Computex 2024.
AMD

AMD has already said that its upcoming Ryzen 9000 CPUs based on the Zen 5 architecture are the fastest consumer PC processors, but a new report suggests Team Red could juice the CPUs even more. A report from Wccftech claims that AMD is considering changing the TDP rating of the Ryzen 7 9700X from 65 watts — which is the power draw the chip was announced with — to 120W.

It’s not just more power for the sake of it. According to the report, AMD is considering this change due to how the Ryzen 7 9700X stacks up against the Ryzen 7 7800X3D. The Ryzen 7 7800X3D is easily the best gaming CPU you can buy, and that’s mainly due to its use of AMD’s 3D V-Cache tech. Without 3D V-Cache, AMD is reportedly worried the Ryzen 7 9700X will fall short.

Recommended Videos

AMD is on the record claiming as much, too. Shortly after revealing Ryzen 9000 CPUs, AMD’s Donny Woligroski said that the new CPUs won’t be able to match the gaming prowess of last-gen chips using 3D V-Cache. AMD has already confirmed that it’s working on 3D V-Cache versions of Ryzen 9000 CPUs, though they won’t be due out for several months at least.

Get your weekly teardown of the tech behind PC gaming
Check your inbox!

Although more power would certainly help close the gap between the Ryzen 7 9700X and Ryzen 7 7800X3D, it’s important to handle this report with some skepticism. It’s possible for AMD to make some minor last-minute changes to its hardware, but this report claims that AMD will nearly double the power of the Ryzen 7 9700X. That’s a tall order considering this CPU, along with the rest of the Ryzen 9000 range, is set to release in July.

One point in favor of increasing the power draw is the base clock speed of the Ryzen 7 9700X. At 3.8GHz, it has the lowest base clock speed out of any of the Ryzen 9000 parts. It’s possible AMD could close the gap between the base clock speed and boost clock speed — though it’s hard to imagine that would get the chip to 120W. It’s also possible AMD could introduce some automatic overclocking mode that unlocks a power budget up to 120W — assuming the silicon can handle it.

The more reasonable inference is that AMD is working on a variant of the Ryzen 7 9700X. AMD, like Intel, likes to poke and prod its lineup of CPUs with slight changes to power, clock speed, and core configuration and release new models, so it’s possible a higher TDP could come in the form of something like a Ryzen 7 9800X or Ryzen 7 9700 XT.

We’ve reached out to AMD, and we’ll update this story when we hear back.

Jacob Roach
Lead Reporter, PC Hardware
Jacob Roach is the lead reporter for PC hardware at Digital Trends. In addition to covering the latest PC components, from…
AMD buying Intel? It’s on the table
A tray of Intel Core Ultra CPUs.

We think of AMD and Intel as exactly what they are -- fierce rivals. However, the U.S. government is encouraging Intel to consider a merger with a rival, such as AMD, to counteract the intense financial trouble the company has been in over the past several months, according to a report from Semafor.

Intel just released its earnings for the third quarter of the year, where the company revealed that it had lost $16.6 billion. Year-over-year, Intel's net profit margin has dropped by 6,064.76%. That's not a typo. Intel is bleeding money, and according to the report, the U.S. government sees the chipmaker as too important to go under. At the moment, Semafor reports that talks between the government and Intel are "purely precautionary," but multiple options to recover the brand are on the table.

Read more
AMD’s Ryzen 7 9800X3D is official, and it shakes things up in a big way
Pads on the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D.

We all knew it was coming. A string of rumors over the past several months has pointed to AMD releasing the Ryzen 7 9800X3D on November 7, but the company itself just confirmed the new CPU. It's looking for a spot among the best processors, packing 3D V-Cache on top of an eight-core Zen 5 CPU in order to improve gaming performance.

True to rumors we've seen this week, AMD is pricing the CPU at $479, which is nearly $30 more expensive than the Ryzen 7 7800X3D. AMD claims that the new chip provides an average gaming increase of 8% over the last-gen CPU, and 20% faster gaming performance compared to Intel's recent Core Ultra 9 285K. In addition, AMD says that minimum frame rates are up, with the Ryzen 7 9800X3D improving 1% lows in The Last of Us Part One by 31%.

Read more
AMD vs. Intel: which makes the best CPUs?
Pads on the bottom of the Ryzen 9 7950X.

When it comes to desktop and laptop processors, the two biggest names in town are Intel and AMD. Qualcomm is making inroads, but if you want peak performance, Intel and AMD make the best processors for gaming and serious productivity.

Still, it's not all sunshine and rainbows for these industry titans. AMD's most recent Ryzen 9000 CPUs were met with a lukewarm reception, but then Intel's Core Ultra 200-series were even less impressive. It may be up to X3D CPUs and turbo modes to save the day.

Read more