According to sources close to RedGamingTech, AMD is going to launch its Zen 3+ refresh (codenamed Warhol) by the end of this year. Similar to the Ryzen 3000XT series, these CPUs will retain the Zen 3 architecture and feature higher boost clocks and improved overclocking headroom.
It’s unclear whether these processors will retain the AM4 platform or require the newer AM5 socket, but all sources point to the former. The presence of the PCIe 4.0 interface instead of the newer PCIe 5.0 provides further evidence in this direction. RGT believes that the Zen 3+ refresh will get the Ryzen 6000 nomenclature, but I hope AMD sticks with the XT naming considering that we’re looking at the same node and core architecture.
As far as AMD’s GPU plans are concerned, it looks like RDNA 3 won’t be coming this year and a Q2 2022 launch is most likely. One of the core features of RDNA 3 will be the adoption of a chiplet design, a new process node (TSMC’s 5nm EUV), and significantly improved ray-tracing performance. The higher-end Navi 31 and 32 GPUs are expected to leverage an MCM design while the lower-end parts will continue to be monolithic in nature. As for the performance increase, a 2.5x gain over RDNA 2 is being targeted with an increased focus on ray-tracing capabilities (in line with NVIDIA’s offerings).
