InstLatX64 has spent a significant chunk of time investigating AMD web presences; last month they unearthed various upcoming "Zen 5" processor families. This morning, a couple of mysterious CPU identifiers—"B50F00, B90F00, BA0F00, and BC0F00"—were highlighted in a social media post. According to screen-captured information, Team Red's Linux team seems to be patching in support for "Zen 6" technologies—InstLatX64 believes that the "B50F00" ID and internal "Weisshorn" codename indicate a successor to AMD's current-gen EPYC "Turin" server-grade processor series (known internally as "Breithorn"). Earlier in the month, a set of AIDA64 Beta update release notes mentioned preliminary support for "next-gen AMD desktop, server and mobile processors."

In a mid-April (2025) announcement, Dr. Lisa Su and colleagues revealed that their: "next-generation AMD EPYC processor, codenamed 'Venice,' is the first HPC product in the industry to be taped out and brought up on the TSMC advanced 2 nm (N2) process technology." According to an official "data center CPU" roadmap, "Venice" is on track to launch in 2026. Last month, details of "Venice's" supposed mixed configuration of "Zen 6" and "Zen 6C" cores—plus other technical tidbits—were disclosed via a leak. InstLatX64 and other watchdogs reckon that some of the latest identifiers refer to forthcoming "Venice-Dense" designs and unannounced Instinct accelerators.

Officially, AMD Ryzen AI Max "Strix Halo" mobile processors are only available in complete systems—e.g. laptops, notebooks, and mini desktop PCs. Upon learning about this release status, DIY enthusiasts were left disappointed. After all, these impressively potent all-in-one solutions have picked up considerable praise pre- and post-launch. Team Red's "Strix Halo" flagship—the Ryzen AI Max+ 395—is the subject of much online debate, but cost of entry is steep. Under normal circumstances (i.e. no leveraging of promotional discounts), potential buyers are looking at $2000+ pre-built systems.

Separate BGA packages have turned up for sale in China—specifically on Goofish; Alibaba's second-hand trading platform. A past weekend VideoCardz investigative piece covered these curiosities. At this stage in time, viable custom motherboard designs are not yet widely distributed—effectively making individual "Strix Halo" units expensive paperweights. At the time of writing, seller "The Eraser in My Mind" offers the best Ryzen AI Max+ 395 deal: 3998 RMB (~$555 USD). This Suzhou-based trader also lists Ryzen AI Max PRO 390, and 380 SKUs. Product descriptions indicate that some of these processors are already powering mysterious handheld gaming devices (likely regional exclusives). Four Goofish accounts are displaying the same set of images; distinctive Team Red branding and "Made in Taiwan" tags are clearly visible across specimens—mostly mounted on plastic transport trays.

Vultr, the world's largest privately-held cloud infrastructure company, today announced that it is one of the first cloud providers to offer the new AMD EPYC 4005 Series processors. The AMD EPYC 4005 Series processors will be available on the Vultr platform, enabling enterprise-class features and leading performance for businesses and hosted IT service providers. The AMD EPYC 4005 Series processors extend the broad AMD EPYC processor family, powering a new line of cost-effective systems designed for growing businesses and hosted IT services providers that demand performance, advanced technologies, energy efficiency, and affordability. Servers featuring the high-performance AMD EPYC 4005 Series CPUs with streamlined memory and I/O feature sets are designed to deliver compelling system price-to-performance metrics on key customer workloads. Meanwhile, the combination of up to 16 SMT-capable cores and DDR5 memory in the AMD EPYC 4005 Series processors enables smooth execution of business-critical workloads, while maintaining the thermal and power efficiency characteristics crucial for affordable compute environments.

"Vultr is committed to delivering the most advanced cloud infrastructure with unrivaled price-to-performance," said J.J. Kardwell, CEO of Vultr. "The AMD EPYC 4005 Series provides straightforward deployment, scalability, high clock speed, energy efficiency, and best-in-class performance. Whether you are a business striving to scale reliably or a developer crafting the next groundbreaking innovation, these solutions are designed to deliver exceptional value and meet demanding requirements now and in the future." Vultr's launch of systems featuring the AMD EPYC 4245P and AMD EPYC 4345P processors will expand the company's robust line of Bare Metal solutions. Vultr will also feature the AMD EPYC 4345P as part of its High Frequency Compute (HFC) offerings for organizations requiring the highest clock speeds and access to locally-attached NVMe storage.

In the weeks leading up to Computex 2025, industry watchdogs have noticed an uptick of next-gen Ryzen Threadripper PRO processor inside info leaks. AMD leadership is expected to introduce "Shimada Peak" 9000WX CPUs during a May 21 on-stage presentation. Despite the company's continued delivery of "silent treatment," external partners and other associates have alluded to an imminent arrival of Zen 5-based workstation-grade processors—very likely positioned as natural successors to Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7000WX (Zen 4) options. As of May 6, the Serial ATA International Organization (SATA-IO) website has produced another "official leak." The independent/non-profit body's recent publication of a dedicated "AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9000 WX-Series Processors" page was highlighted by VideoCardz. "Shimada Peak's" certification seems to pave the way for a looming launch; perhaps shortly after a rumored unveiling in Taipei, Taiwan. Processor technology observers reckon that a non-PRO 9000X series will arrive at a later date—so far, succeeding generation Threadripper leaks have not outlined an adjacent High-End Desktop (HEDT) line. Unfortunately, SATA-IO's latest repository update does not contain any additional supportive info.

Imagination Technologies redefines edge AI and graphics system design with the launch of Imagination E-Series GPU IP. E-Series leverages its highly efficient parallel processing architecture to provide exceptional graphics performance while also scaling from 2 to 200 TOPS INT8/FP8 for AI workloads. It offers a versatile and programmable solution for future edge applications including graphics, desktop applications, natural language processing on smartphones, industrial computer vision, and vehicle autonomy.

Two new technologies underpin E-Series' potential to transform edge system design:

• Neural Cores: Scaling up to 200 TOPS (INT8/FP8), these cores deliver significant acceleration for AI and compute workloads.
• Burst Processors: A highly innovative solution delivering a 35% improvement in average power efficiency for edge applications.

Intel has revised the recommended retail prices for two of its Core Ultra 7 200S series desktop processors, making the most significant adjustment to its "Arrow Lake‑S" lineup since it launched six months ago. As of right now, the Core Ultra 7 265K carries an MSRP of $299 instead of $399, and the unlocked 265KF model is now $284, down from $384. Intel notes these are suggested prices only—actual costs will vary by retailer, region, taxes, and other factors. These price changes come alongside Intel's Spring Bundle promotion, where buyers receive blockbuster game keys and professional software licenses with qualifying purchases of Core Ultra Series 2 and 14th Gen processors. Intel emphasizes that the new MSRPs are separate from these bundles, so combining both savings opportunities is still possible. Interestingly, Intel has left the pricing for its top‑end Core Ultra 9 285/285K ($549/$589) and its mainstream Core Ultra 5 245/245K/245KF ($270/$309/$294) unchanged.

This suggests the company is focusing on mid‑range SKUs to win back market share rather than adjusting the entire Arrow Lake‑S family. This move also reflects market pressure—early stability issues with the 14th Gen chips and strong performance from AMD's Ryzen 9000X3D series have made Intel's task tougher. A glance at retailer listings shows not everyone has updated prices yet; in some cases, the Core Ultra 7 265K can already be found for under $299. Whether these cuts will drive more gamers, creators, and professionals to Arrow Lake‑S remains to be seen, but Intel is clearly betting on a winning combination of price, recently boosted performance, and bundled extras.

Mid-week, leakers produced an impressive list of unannounced next-gen AMD processor families—spanning across workstation, desktop, and laptop/notebook product lines. Additional data mining activities have outlined a possible "PRO model-only" release of Ryzen Threadripper Pro "Shimada Peak" 9000WX CPUs. AMD's upcoming Computex 2025 presentation plans could include an unveiling of their much-leaked Zen 5 workstation-grade processor family. Curiously, AMD's Technical Information Portal does not list a "Shimada Peak" High-End Desktop (HEDT) category—industry watchers expected to see a successor to the current-gen Ryzen Threadripper (non-PRO) 7000X "Storm Peak" series. In theory, next-gen HEDT models could be introduced at a later date. All leaked identifiers have featured "-5WX" affixes; denoting workstation deployments. Keen observers have not found products IPs ending with "-0X." InstLatX64's supplementary investigations seemed to confirm presences of the vast majority of recently disclosed next-wave product ranges—namely Ryzen 9000G "Gorgon Point" APUs and EPYC 4005 "Grado" CPUs. Another anomaly was discovered; the alleged Arm-based "Soundwave" SoC family was notably absent from Team Red's tech info repository.

AMD's next-gen Ryzen Threadripper High-End Desktop (HEDT) processor family remains under wraps, but the latest insider whispers indicate a potential official introduction at Computex 2025. So far, leaks have provided the majority of insights into Team Red's speculated "Shimada Peak" 9000WX series. Mid-way through this month, three more unannounced product identifiers appeared online—industry observers are still seeking out a futuristic 96-core "9995WX" model. AMD's teaser material—regarding Jack Huynh's upcoming keynote presentation—does not list anything bearing a Threadripper label. Fresh evidence—not from a shipping manifest—points to a possible upcoming inclusion. As disclosed by the PCGH.de crew; GIGABYTE has rolled out an F10a BIOS update for TRX50 AERO D motherboards—accompanying release notes mention intriguing "Next Gen CPU Support."

PCGH's investigative piece put a spotlight on an exciting specification point, but potential customers will probably be greeted by corresponding extreme "niche" pricing. The article elaborated on this fan-favorite technology: "workstation and high-end desktop processors from the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 9000 and Ryzen Threadripper Pro 9000 series—also known as 'Shimada Peak'—will feature multiple 3D V-Caches consisting of up to four stacks on as many chiplets, and could thus represent, for the first time, an option for gamers who benefit from as many processor cores and massive L3 cache as possible...(this CPU platform) will continue to be housed on the already established LGA4844 ('sTR5') socket and will most likely be compatible with the two chipsets: the TRX50 and WRX90. However, the much more interesting information is provided by the UEFI/BIOS itself, as this is where the use of the CPU's 3D V-Cache can now be configured. Configurations with 1, 2, or even 4 memory 'stacks' are available, as well as a corresponding auto-feature." GIGABYTE's "official" leak suggests the distribution of evaluation samples—naturally, review outlet test rig's would require support for "Shimada Peak" CPUs.

Today, Intel introduced a new "200S Boost" factory-approved overclocking profile for the unlocked Intel Core Ultra 200S "Arrow Lake" processors. Namely, the Core Ultra 9 285K, 7 265K/265KF, and 5 245K/245KF SKUs are supported when installed on a compatible Intel Z890 motherboard with one‑DIMM‑per‑channel Intel XMP DDR5 memory. Activating the 200S Boost profile in the BIOS raises the System-on-Chip (fabric) clock from 2.6 GHz to up to 3.2 GHz and the die‑to‑die interconnect from 2.1 GHz to up to 3.2 GHz (within VccSA ≤ 1.20 V) while pushing DDR5 speeds from stock 6,400 MT/s to as much as 8,000 MT/s (VDD2/VDDQ ≤ 1.40 V). Intel has validated the profile on a selection of Z890 boards, including ASRock Z890 Taichi OCF, ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero, Gigabyte Z890 Aorus Master, MSI MEG Z890 Ace, and others. For memory kits, Intel validated DDR5 memory kits from ADATA, Corsair, G.SKILL, Team Groupp, and V‑COLOR.

Enabling 200S Boost requires a BIOS update, selecting the "Intel 200S Boost" preset under the overclocking menu, and rebooting; stability should then be verified with benchmarks like Cinebench, and thermals/voltages monitored via Intel XTU or similar tools. Perhaps the most important fact is that using the 200S Boost profile does not void Intel's three‑year limited warranty on boxed Core Ultra 200S CPUs, provided they weren't manually overclocked before profile activation. Intel cautions that actual gains depend on motherboard design, cooling, and memory quality, that two‑DIMM‑per‑channel setups aren't officially supported, and that damage to non‑Intel components remains outside warranty coverage. This is more of a safe heaven for anyone wanting to do manual tuning, but not wanting to break any warranty and thus risk damaging their CPU without a backup plan.

Going back to May 2023, an industry inside report suggested that AMD was planning a new generation Ryzen Threadripper High-End Desktop (HEDT) processor series. At the time, "Shimada Peak" was linked to a possible 2025 launch. Over the ensuing years, shipping manifests have revealed the transfer of various 9000 SKUs between Team Red facilities—starting with a mysterious 96-core prototype. Industry observers have been seeking out newer evidence of AMD's next-gen flagship "Zen 5" Threadripper chip; likely going under a "9995WX" moniker.

Late last week, a fresh leak unearthed a likely sub-flagship SKU: the 9985WX. This alleged 64-core SKU was spotted—by Everest (aka Olrak29)—alongside 9955WX (16-core) and 9945WX (12-core) siblings, in a shipping manifest. As reported on TechPowerUp on March 21, the same source uncovered two other entry-level models: the 9975WX (32-core) and 9965WX (24-core) parts. Unfortunately, Team Red's rumored monstrous 96-core 9995WX processor was not listed within fresh batches of shipping documents. Industry watchdogs expect AMD to repeat its product layout from past generations; spanning from entry-tier 12-core offerings up to the aforementioned 96-core range-topper. The latest leak suggests utilization of the SP6 socket type, and 350 W TDPs (across all product identifiers).

TSMC is pushing forward its plans to make 2 nm process chips in large quantities in the second half of the year, with major customer developments coming to light. After AMD placed its order, reports suggest Intel has also become one of TSMC's first 2 nm customers aiming to use this cutting-edge technology for its next-gen desktop processors. Intel, already a big TSMC customer for advanced processes sent out key compute tiles for its Core Ultra processors to TSMC using different processes like N3B, N5P, and N6. To be exact, these were Intel Core Ultra 200V "Lunar Lake" series laptop processors and Core Ultra 200S "Arrow Lake" series. While both companies didn't comment on the latest news, industry talk hints that they're cooperating on Intel's upcoming Nova Lake desktop processor set to launch next year (rumors suggest that it could be the Compute Tile). With the codename "NVL-S" Nova Lake combines two groups of eight high-performance "Coyote Cove" P-cores with 16 "Arctic Wolf" E-cores. It also includes four ultra-low-power LPE cores in a separate SoC tile. It is expected that Nova Lake-S will use LGA 1954, which has 1,954 active lands and might have more than 2,000 total pads when you count debug pins.

TSMC's work on 2 nm technology is moving forward as expected. The company uses first-generation nanochip transistor technology to boost performance and reduce power consumption across process nodes with big clients finishing designing silicon IPs and starting validation steps. AMD shared that its next EPYC "Venice" chip will be the first high-performance computing processor to use TSMC's 2 nm process. AMD validated it at TSMC's Arizona plant and is on track to launch it in 2026. Also, word has it that Apple's future iPhone 18 lineup will have its A20 chip made with the same TSMC 2 nm process.

Today, AMD announced the new Google Cloud C4D and H4D virtual machines (VMs) are powered by 5th Gen AMD EPYC processors. The latest additions to Google Cloud's general-purpose and HPC-optimized VMs deliver leadership performance, scalability, and efficiency for demanding cloud workloads; for everything from data analytics and web serving to high-performance computing (HPC) and AI.

Google Cloud C4D instances deliver impressive performance, efficiency, and consistency for general-purpose computing workloads and AI inference. Based on Google Cloud's testing, leveraging the advancements of the AMD "Zen 5" architecture allowed C4D to deliver up to 80% higher throughput/vCPU compared to previous generations. H4D instances, optimized for HPC workloads, feature AMD EPYC CPUs with Cloud RDMA for efficient scaling of up to tens of thousands of cores.

Mark Gurman—Bloomberg's resident soothsayer of Apple inside track info—has disclosed predictive outlooks for next-generation M5 chip-based MacBooks. Early last month, we experienced the launch of the Northern Californian company's M4 MacBook Air series—starting at $999; also available in a refreshing metallic blue finish. The latest iteration of Apple's signature "extra slim" notebook family arrived with decent performance figures. As per usual, press and community attention has turned to a potential successor. Gurman's (March 30) Power On newsletter posited that engineers are already working on M5-powered super slim sequels—he believes that these offerings will arrive early next year, potentially reusing the current generation's 15-inch and 13-inch fanless chassis designs.

In a mid-February predictive report, Gurman theorized that Apple was planning a major overhaul of the MacBook Pro design. A radical reimagining of the long-running notebook series—that reportedly utilizes M6 chipsets and OLED panels—is a distant prospect; perhaps later on in 2026. The Cupertino-headquartered megacorp is expected to stick with its traditional release cadence, so 2025's "M5" refresh of MacBook Pro models could trickle out by October. Insiders believe that Apple will reuse existing MacBook Pro shells—the last major redesign occurred back in 2021. According to early February reportage, mass production of the much-rumored M5 chip started at some point earlier in the year. Industry moles posit that a 3 nm (N3P) node process was on the order books, chez TSMC foundries.

Intel's freshly concluded Vision 2025 "Products Update and GTM" showcase included a segment dedicated to forthcoming Core Ultra 300 "Panther Lake" client processors. Industry watchdogs have grabbed a select few screenshots from Team Blue's broadcast from Las Vegas, Nevada—one backdropped slide confirms that Intel's next-generation mobile CPU series will launch in 2026. This information mirrors the company's Chinese office presenting of an AI PC roadmap—coverage of last month's event highlighted a scheduled first quarter 2026 "volume" arrival of "Core Ultra Next-gen Panther Lake (18A)."

Going back to early March, Intel leadership refuted online rumors of "Panther Lake" mobile CPUs being delayed into 2026, due to alleged problems encountered during the development of the Foundry service's 18A process node. An interviewed executive repeatedly insisted that his firm's brand-new series was on track for release within the second half of 2025. Fast-forward to the end of last week; Lip-Bu Tan expressed a similar outlook in a letter addressed to investors. The newly-established boss stated: "we will further enhance our (leadership) position in the second half of this year with the launch of Panther Lake, our lead product on Intel 18A, followed by Nova Lake in 2026." Industry insiders propose that the Core Ultra 300 series will become available in a very limited capacity come October, via an Early Enablement Program (EEP). Returning to this week—Jim Johnson, senior vice president of the firm's Client Computing Group, informed a watchful audience about the merits of his group's design: "I'm personally excited about Panther Lake because it combines the power efficiency of Lunar Lake, the performance of Arrow Lake, and is built to scale 18A and is on track for production later this year...Our client roadmap is the most innovative we've ever had, and we are far from done."

In a letter addressed to stockholders, Intel's new CEO—Lip-Bu Tan—roadmapped the importance of a couple of major upcoming product launches. Starting off, Team Blue's new chief detailed a fresh approach, with the casting off of old strategies: "achieving the results I know Intel is capable of starts by refocusing on our customers. This has been priority number one since my first day on the job. I am listening carefully to their feedback so that we continue driving the changes needed to delight our customers and strengthen our competitive position. Plain and simple, the time for talk is over. We must turn our words into action and deliver on our commitments. I have been pleased to see the leadership team has already started driving the culture change needed to make this happen. As CEO, I will continue to drive this transformation so that we move faster, work smarter and make it easier for customers to win with Intel."

Tan's mentioning of Core Ultra "Panther Lake" processors arriving within the second half of this year aligns with prior official statements. Insiders posited that Panther Lake-H (PTL-H) mobile CPUs were delayed into 2026 due to issues with the Foundry's 18A process node, but an Intel executive dismissed these claims a few weeks ago. Interestingly, the firm's Chinese office outlined an "early 2026 volume launch" of "Panther Lake (18A)" chips during a mid-March AI PC press event. A presentation slide indicated that an Early Enablement Program (EEP) is expected to start in October; Team Blue's loose terminology likely classes the sending off of samples—to OEMs, for approval—as a "real" product launch.

AMD has launched a new open-source project called, GAIA (pronounced /ˈɡaɪ.ə/), an awesome application that leverages the power of Ryzen AI Neural Processing Unit (NPU) to run private and local large language models (LLMs). In this blog, we'll dive into the features and benefits of GAIA, while introducing how you can take advantage of GAIA's open-source project to adopt into your own applications.

Introduction to GAIA
GAIA is a generative AI application designed to run local, private LLMs on Windows PCs and is optimized for AMD Ryzen AI hardware (AMD Ryzen AI 300 Series Processors). This integration allows for faster, more efficient processing - i.e. lower power- while keeping your data local and secure. On Ryzen AI PCs, GAIA interacts with the NPU and iGPU to run models seamlessly by using the open-source Lemonade (LLM-Aid) SDK from ONNX TurnkeyML for LLM inference. GAIA supports a variety of local LLMs optimized to run on Ryzen AI PCs. Popular models like Llama and Phi derivatives can be tailored for different use cases, such as Q&A, summarization, and complex reasoning tasks.

Ask a typical IT professional today whether they're leveraging AI, and there's a good chance they'll say yes-after all, they have reputations to protect! Kidding aside, many will report that their teams may use Web-based tools like ChatGPT or even have internal chatbots that serve their employee base on their intranet, but for that not much AI is really being implemented at the infrastructure level. As it turns out, the true answer is a bit different. AI tools and techniques have embedded themselves firmly into standard enterprise workloads and are a more common, everyday phenomena than even many IT people may realize. Assembly line operations now include computer vision-powered inspections. Supply chains use AI for demand forecasting making business move faster and of course, AI note-taking and meeting summary is embedded on virtually all the variants of collaboration and meeting software.

Increasingly, critical enterprise software tools incorporate built-in recommendation systems, virtual agents or some other form of AI-enabled assistance. AI is truly becoming a pervasive, complementary tool for everyday business. At the same time, today's enterprises are navigating a hybrid landscape where traditional, mission-critical workloads coexist with innovative AI-driven tasks. This "mixed enterprise and AI" workload environment calls for infrastructure that can handle both types of processing seamlessly. Robust, general-purpose CPUs like the AMD EPYC processors are designed to be powerful and secure and flexible to address this need. They handle everyday tasks—running databases, web servers, ERP systems—and offer strong security features crucial for enterprise operations augmented with AI workloads. In essence, modern enterprise infrastructure is about creating a balanced ecosystem. AMD EPYC CPUs play a pivotal role in creating this balance, delivering high performance, efficiency, and security features that underpin both traditional enterprise workloads and advanced AI operations.

Last Friday, AMD confirmed finalized price points for its upcoming Ryzen 9 9950X3D ($699) and 9900X3D ($599) gaming processors—both launching on March 12. Media outlets are very likely finalizing their evaluations of review silicon; official embargoes are due for lifting tomorrow (March 11). By Team Red decree, a drip feed of pre-launch information was restricted to teasers, a loose March launch window, and an unveiling of basic specifications (at CES 2025). A trickle of mid-January to early March leaks have painted an incomplete picture of performance expectations for the 3D V-Cache-equipped 16 and 12-core parts. A fresh NDA-busting disclosure has arrived online, courtesy of an alleged Ryzen 9 9950X3D sample's set of benchmark scores.

A pre-release candidate posted single and multi-thread ratings of 4739 and 69,701 (respectively), upon completion of PassMark tests. Based on this information, a comparison chart was assembled—pitching the Ryzen 9 9950X3D against its direct predecessor (7950X3D), a Zen 5 relative (9950X), and competition from Intel (Core Ultra 9 285K). AMD's brand-new 16-core flagship managed to outpace the previous-gen Ryzen 9 7950X3D by ~14% in single thread stakes, and roughly 11% in multithreaded scenarios. Test system build details and settings were not mentioned with this leak—we expect to absorb a more complete picture tomorrow, upon publication of widespread reviews. The sampled Ryzen 9 9950X3D CPU surpassed its 9950X sibling by ~5% with its multi-thread result, both processors are just about equal in terms of single-core performance. The Intel Core Ultra 9 285K CPU posted the highest single-core result within the comparison—5078 points—exceeding the 9950X3D's tally by about 7%. The latter pulls ahead by ~3% in terms of recorded multi-thread performance. Keep an eye on TechPowerUp's review section; where W1zzard will be delivering his verdict(s) imminently.

Earlier today, AMD confirmed finalized price points and a launch date for its two incoming additions to the Ryzen 9000X3D processor lineup. The current Zen 5 processor population (with 3D V-Cache onboard) has a count of one—Team Red's reigning gaming champion: the eight-core Ryzen 7 9800X3D model. AMD's Senior Vice President and General Manager of Computing and Graphics was the first staffer to make an official announcement regarding definitive talking points. Jack Huynh stated (via a social media post): the world's best processor for gaming and content creation is almost here. Available starting March 12th. Ryzen 9 9950X3D—$699. Ryzen 9 9900X3D—$599. A huge thank you to our incredible community of gamers, creators, and innovators for your continued support. Together, we're shaping the future of gaming and content creation! Let's level up together!"

The sixteen-core Ryzen 9 9950X3D and twelve-core 9900X3D SKUs were officially unveiled at CES 2025, in early January. Since then, many leaks have emerged online—certain soothsayers were bang on with their predictions. Almost a month ago, speculative $699 and $599 price points were leaked. On two separate occasions, a—now confirmed—March 12 launch day was projected. AMD is expected to lift media embargoes on March 11; reviews of finalized silicon will finally reveal whether the two new players can beat their incumbent sibling in gaming performance benchmarks. As reported this afternoon, China's JD.com retail platform has opened its order book to customers—a limited quantity of Ryzen 9 9950X3D and 9900X3D units were made available for a short period of time.

One of the main pillars that vendors of Arm-based processors often cite as a competitive advantage versus x86 processors is a keen focus on energy efficiency and predictability of performance. In the quest for higher efficiency and performance, Arm vendors have largely designed out the ability to operate on multiple threads concurrently—something that most enterprise-class CPUs have enabled for years under the technology description of "SMT"—which was also created in the name of enabling performance and efficiency benefits.

Arm vendors often claim that SMT brings security risks, creates performance unpredictability from shared resource contention and drives added cost and energy needed to implement SMT. Interestingly, Arm does support multi-threading in its Neoverse E1-class processor family for embedded uses such as automotive. Given these incongruities, this blog intends to provide a bit more clarity to help customers assess what attributes of performance and efficiency really bring them value for their critical workloads.

MiTAC Computing Technology Corporation, a leading server platform design manufacturer and a subsidiary of MiTAC Holdings Corporation, today announced the launch of its latest server systems and motherboards powered by the latest Intel Xeon 6 with P-core processors. These industry-leading processors are designed for compute-intensive workloads, providing up to twice the performance for the widest range of workloads including AI and HPC.

Driving Innovation in AI and High-Performance Computing
"For over a decade, MiTAC Computing has collaborated with Intel to push the boundaries of server technology, delivering cutting-edge solutions optimized for AI and high-performance computing (HPC)," said Rick Hwang, President of MiTAC Computing Technology Corporation. "With the integration of the latest Intel Xeon 6 P-core processors our servers now unlock groundbreaking AI acceleration, boost computational efficiency, and scale cloud operations to new heights. These innovations provide our customers with a competitive edge, empowering them to tackle demanding workloads with superior empower our customers with a competitive edge through superior performance and an optimized total cost of ownership."

LG Electronics USA (LG) today announced pricing and pre-order availability of its 2025 AI-enabled LG gram lineup, the company's first on-device AI-laptops powered by Intel Core Ultra Series 2 CPUs. Introduced at CES 2025, the new lineup includes the LG gram Pro Z90TP ($1999 to $2399), LG gram Pro Copilot+PC Z90TS ($1849 to $2399), LG gram Pro 2-in-1 T90TP ($1999 to $2399) and LG gram Copilot+PC Z90TL ($1999 to $2399). Leveraging LG's gram AI technology, and cloud AI capabilities powered by GPT-4o, these laptops deliver impressive hybrid AI performance while preserving the LG gram's iconic slim and lightweight design.

Throughout the duration of the pre-order period (Feb. 24, 2025 to March 23, 2025), customers will receive an LG gram +view IPS portable monitor (349.99 value) at no additional cost and $200 savings on select models. All standard terms of purchase apply.

MSI is pleased to announce support for the upcoming AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D and 9900X3D processors, built on the Zen 5 architecture and featuring AMD's cutting-edge 2nd generation AMD 3D V-Cache technology. This innovative technology is designed to significantly increases the cache size, allowing faster data access and improved performance. Engineered to deliver exceptional performance, these processors meet the demands of even the most intensive gaming and content creation workloads.

At the heart of this experience is the MSI MEG X870E GODLIKE motherboard, which sets a new standard with its innovative design and robust features. The Dynamic Dashboard III, a 3.99-inch full-color LCD, offers real-time hardware monitoring, troubleshooting, BIOS update status, clock display, and personalization options, enhancing user experience and system control. MSI's EZ Link design complements this, streamlining cable management by consolidating the front panel, fan, and RGB headers into the EZ Bridge and EZ Control Hub, ensuring a cleaner build and simplified installation process.

AMD's Ryzen 9 9950X3D and Ryzen 9 9900X3D "Zen 5" processors are due for launch next month, but an exact date has not been announced. Currently, Team Red's 3D V-Cache-equipped Ryzen 9000 CPU series is composed of a single SKU: the popular eight-core Ryzen 7 9800X3D model. A new leak points to a possible imminent lineup expansion; the sixteen-core Ryzen 9 9950X3D and twelve-core Ryzen 9 9900X3D CPUs have finally popped up on Geekbench Browser. Both candidates seemed to be tested on the same PC platform; utilizing a GIGABYTE X670 AORUS ELITE AX motherboard and 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) of DDR5-4800 MT/s RAM. Notebookcheck

The Ryzen 9 9950X3D sample scored overall with 3363 (single-core) and 20,465 points (multi-core) in Geekbench 6.3. As expected, the Ryzen 9 9900X3D candidate's overall tallies came in slightly lower—it achieved 3274 (single-core) and 19,227 points (multi-core) overall. Press outlets were quick to compare these figures to prior generation outputs (refer to Wccftech's chart, below). On average, the incoming "Zen 5" parts surpass "Zen 4" equivalents by an average of 15%—in terms of single-core performance. Multi-core performance improvements are less significant; coming in at an average of 7%. The range-topping Ryzen 9 9950X3D CPU's multi-core performance score is "lower than expected," but closer-to-launch optimizations could rectify this matter. Geekbench results often do not reflect the true potential of tested silicon; gamers tend to dismiss or completely ignore these data points. Last month, an AMD executive revealed that the two upcoming X3D Granite Ridge desktop chips: "will provide similar overall gaming performance to the Ryzen 7 9800X3D." Speculative price points—of $699 (16-core) & $599 (12-core)—leaked online last week.

AMD and Nutanix have jointly developed virtualization/HCI solutions since 2019, working with major OEMs including Dell, HP and Lenovo, systems integrators and other resellers and partners. You can learn more about AMD-Nutanix solutions here.

AMD EPYC Processors
The EPYC 9004 family of high performance processors provide up to 128 cores per processor to help meet the demands of a wide range of workloads and use cases. High density core counts allow you to reduce the number of servers you need by as much as a five to one ratio when looking at retiring older, inefficient servers and replacing with a new one. Systems based on AMD processors can also be more energy efficient than many competitive processor based systems. For example, running 2000 VMs on 11 2P AMD EPYC 9654 processor-powered servers will use up to 29% less power annually than the 17 2P Intel Xeon Platinum 8490H processor-based servers required to deliver the same performance, while helping reduce CAPEX up to 46%.