AMD’s Ryzen CPUs based on the new Zen 3 stacked chiplet design with V-Cache are expected to enter mass production next month, reports Greymon55. The leaker also states that AMD Ryzen processors with B2 stepping will be shipped and available in the retail segment by end of 2021.
AMD Zen 3 B2 Stepping & 3D V-Cache CPUs To Tackle Intel Alder Lake, Zen 3D V-Cache Goes In Mass Production Next Month
AMD already officially confirmed that their Ryzen CPUs based on the Zen 3 architecture with 3D V-Cache are heading to the AM4 platform in Q1 2022. Based on the tweet, AMD is expected to begin mass production of these chips next month which means that we are probably going to hear more about them at CES 2022 and a launch by February 2022 which gives them a good 9-10 month time on shelves before Zen 4 enters the market.
In addition to the new Ryzen 3D V-Cache chips, AMD is also expected to start shipping its Zen 3 B2 stepping CPUs by the end of December. AMD’s Robert Hallock confirmed that the B2 stepping does not bring any architectural change but a new stepping generally results in better overall stability & clock output versus what we currently have in the market. Users who get the B2 stepping might or might not see any significant changes but we haven’t seen a large sample size of these chips in the market yet and once they become more common, we will start seeing if the new revision has some advantages over the B1 stepping.
Two things:
ZEN3 V-cache will be mass produced in November.
ZEN3 B2 has been shipped and is expected to be available at the end of December.— Greymon55 (@greymon55) October 19, 2021
Both the Ryzen 3D V-Cache and B2 Stepping-based Zen 3 CPUs will offer some decent competition against Intel’s Alder Lake 12th Gen Desktop lineup which goes on sale in a few weeks. It is expected that AMD would introduce price cuts on its existing Zen 3 lineup to make them more competitive vs Intel’s lineup. Intel will carry a major platform advantage over AMD with the addition of DDR5 & PCI Express 5.0 technologies though those come at a cost. AMD’s real answer to Alder Lake and its very own refresh, known as Raptor Lake, will come in Q4 2022 in the form of Zen 4 based Raphael chips.
AMD Ryzen ‘Zen 3D’ Desktop CPU Expected Features:
- Minor optimization on TSMC’s 7nm process node
- Up to 64 MB of Stacked cache per CCD (96 MB L3 per CCD)
- Up To 15% Average performance improvement in gaming
- Compatible With AM4 Platforms and existing motherboards
- Same TDP as existing consumer Ryzen CPUs
Gaming will be one key segment where Intel wants to retain its dominant position which was shaken up by Ryzen 5000 Desktop CPUs. Currently, leaks show impressive performance results but we definitely would want to wait for real performance numbers from independent tests rather than putting our trust in Intel’s own internal benchmarks.
The Zen 3D V-Cache chips are expected to deliver up to a 15% increase in gaming performance so that’s definitely in Alder Lake’s territory. With that said, stay tuned for Intel’s announcement next week on 27th for more updates on what they are bringing to the table against AMD’s highly competitive Ryzen CPU lineup.
AMD Mainstream Desktop CPU Generations Comparison:
| AMD CPU Family | Codename | Processor Process | Processors Cores/Threads (Max) | TDPs | Platform | Platform Chipset | Memory Support | PCIe Support | Launch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryzen 1000 | Summit Ridge | 14nm (Zen 1) | 8/16 | 95W | AM4 | 300-Series | DDR4-2677 | Gen 3.0 | 2017 |
| Ryzen 2000 | Pinnacle Ridge | 12nm (Zen +) | 8/16 | 105W | AM4 | 400-Series | DDR4-2933 | Gen 3.0 | 2018 |
| Ryzen 3000 | Matisse | 7nm (Zen 2) | 16/32 | 105W | AM4 | 500-Series | DDR4-3200 | Gen 4.0 | 2019 |
| Ryzen 5000 | Vermeer | 7nm (Zen 3) | 16/32 | 105W | AM4 | 500-Series | DDR4-3200 | Gen 4.0 | 2020 |
| Ryzen 6000 | Warhol? | 7nm (Zen 3D) | 16/32 | 105W | AM4 | 500-Series | DDR4-3200 | Gen 4.0 | 2021 |
| Ryzen 7000 | Raphael | 5nm (Zen 4) | 16/32? | 105-170W | AM5 | 600-Series | DDR5-4800 | Gen 4.0 | 2021 |
| Ryzen 8000 | Granite Ridge | 3nm (Zen 5)? | TBA | TBA | AM5 | 700-Series? | DDR5-5000? | Gen 5.0? | 2023 |
