AMD’s Next-Gen Ryzen Processors: Zen 5 IPC Improvement

Recently, there has been a lot of buzz around AMD’s upcoming Zen 5 series of processors. According to rumors, these processors are expected to achieve a significant 40% IPC (instructions per cycle) boost compared to their predecessors. However, a Lenovo China manager responded to these rumors with some surprise, revealing that internal tests are showing a more modest 10% gain based on Cinebench R23 single-thread test numbers.

Achieving a 40% IPC improvement in a single generation without a massive architectural overhaul is no small feat. For context, AMD previously achieved a 52% jump from the first-generation Zen to the fourth-gen Bulldozer (Excavator) – a significant leap, but one that came after the not-so-great Bulldozer architecture.

While there’s a slim chance that SPEC benchmarks may indeed see a 40% boost, the more realistic expectation is around 10% across various tasks. Unless AMD pulls a rabbit out of its hat, the 10% improvement seems more likely.

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Windows 10 Driver Support and Strix Point APUs

The Lenovo China manager dropped another interesting piece of information: Windows 10 driver support will be ended by AMD with Strix Point APUs. This means that AMD’s focus will primarily be on Windows 11 24H2 alone. The decision aligns with the hype surrounding the NPU (Neural Processing Unit) and AI performance of these parts, as well as the rumored powerful next-gen Strix Halo.

In summary, here’s what we know:

1. Zen 5 IPC Improvement: Expect around a 10% IPC gain, rather than the rumored 40%.
2. Windows 10 Driver Support: AMD will no longer provide Win10 drivers for Strix Point APUs.

Keep in mind that the Ryzen 8050 series (also known as Strix Point) was first unveiled by AMD last year. The Ryzen 8040 series, codenamed “Hawk Point,” is also part of this lineup. Interestingly, there’s speculation that AMD might update the naming for Strix Point to “Ryzen AI HX” based on Asus’ listed laptop parts.

Additionally, AMD has been collaborating with Microsoft to enable the Microsoft Compute Driver Model (MCDM) on AMD’s NPUs. This means that Task Manager will be able to monitor NPU usage on AMD’s Ryzen PCs, a feature that currently works only on Intel chips.

In conclusion, while Windows 10 enthusiasts may need to adapt to the changes, the future looks promising for AMD’s next-gen Ryzen processors, especially with their AI capabilities and performance enhancements.

Stay tuned for further updates as AMD continues to innovate and push the boundaries of CPU performance! 🚀