AMD To Launch New Ryzen 3000 XT CPUs: Zen 2 with More MHz

One of the more frequent rumors in recent weeks has been that AMD would have some new Ryzen 3000 processors to launch. Today AMD is announcing three new processors into the Ryzen 3000 family, each with the XT name, offering higher frequencies and further filling out the their CPU product stack. Each of these processors will be available on shelves in primary regions on July 7^th.

The new 3000XT family of processors focuses mostly on boosting the turbo frequency by 100-200 MHz for the same power. AMD states that this is due to using an optimized 7nm manufacturing process. This is likely due to a minor BKM or PDK update that allows TSMC/AMD to tune the process for a better voltage/frequency curve and bin a single CPU slightly higher. 

An update in this range could be indicative of a ~10 mV better voltage for a single core, although this would normally be in the binning noise - for it to be statistically relevant would need a lot of CPUs, so this could just be better binning. However, base frequencies haven’t moved much, so performance-per-watt benefits are going to be somewhat minimal. The biggest uptick would be in 1T scenarios.

Each of the new XT processors is the highest speed variant of its respective class.

Users should note that the prices listed are official SEP (Suggested Etailer Price). In March, AMD did announce a temporary AMD-focused price drop, but that has since passed. Retailer pricing will vary with local sales practices.

The top new processor is the Ryzen 9 3900XT which offers +100 MHz turbo over the 3900X, for the same official price as the 3900X. The 3800XT offers +200 MHz on single core turbo over the 3800X for the same price. The final new processor is the 3600XT, with +100 MHz on the turbo frequency, again for the same price over the 3600X.

In each three cases, the XT processors give slightly better frequency than the X units, so we should expect to see an official permanent price drop on the X processors in order to keep everything in line.

AMD’s announcement today also includes information about thermal solutions. The Ryzen 5 3600XT, with six cores, will come bundled with AMD’s Wraith Spire cooler. For the other two CPUs, AMD’s own press release states that the company ‘is recommending the use of an AIO solution with a minimum 280mm radiator or equivalent air cooling to experience these products at their best’. This does seem somewhat overkill for 105 W processors, especially if the package power tracking on these parts should be ~142 watts, notwithstanding any trickery that the motherboard manufacturers are doing.

These new processors will be supported in any motherboard that already supports Zen 2-based Ryzen 3000 hardware (the cost in BIOS space to add a CPU of the same family is negligible). Retail for these parts is expected on July 7^th, 2020. Which happens to be 7/7, a year to the day that AMD launched 7nm Zen 2.

A520 Motherboards

Supplementary to today’s announcement on processors is a few words on a new chipset from AMD. The new A520 chipset is designed to be the budget option below B550, and will be set to replace A320 in this market, with a focus on supporting the Ryzen 3000 CPUs and newer.

Specifications on A520 are going to be announced at a later date, with a full launch from board partners due in August. We suspect that A520 will mirror A320, probably with the same PCIe 2.0 support from the chipset to keep costs and power down. More information as it comes.

StoreMI 2.0

Also in AMD’s bucket of news is an update to StoreMI. AMD launched its first generation Zen product with a new software package designed to help users streamline the co-dependence of small fast drives with large slow mechanical drives, and perhaps a super-fast bit of DDR in there as well. In April 2020, the company announced that it would be halting the distribution of the StoreMI software, presumably indicating that its relationship with Enmotus, the company behind the feature, was coming to an end. In that news, AMD stated it was working on an internal tool to replace StoreMI. The new StoreMI 2.0 would appear to be AMD’s in-house design.

We’ve asked for more details on StoreMI, however we were told that more information will be disclosed at a later date. This might be a preparatory announcement for the software, and we might expect to see a fuller launch with next-generation Ryzen.

To Sum Up

• New AMD Ryzen 3000XT CPUs on July 7^th. This is likely the review embargo date as well.
• New AMD A520 Chipsets in August. More detail to come.
• New StoreMI 2.0 (at some point).

Related Reading

• AMD Drops StoreMI Software; Developing New Software for Later This Quarter
• AMD Drops Ryzen 3000 Pricing By Up to $50: Official Price Drop Until 31st March
• The AMD Ryzen 3 3300X and 3100 CPU Review: A Budget Gaming Bonanza
• AnandTech’s Best CPUs for Gaming
• AMD Ryzen 5 3600 Review: Why Is This Amazon's Best Selling CPU?