AMD has already stated that its upcoming Ryzen 9000 CPUs based on the Zen 5 architecture will be the fastest consumer PC processors. However, a new report from Wccftech suggests that AMD might be looking to push these CPUs even further. The report claims that AMD is considering altering the TDP rating of the Ryzen 7 9700X from the announced 65 watts to a significantly higher 120W. This isn’t just a power increase for the sake of it. According to the report, AMD is contemplating this change due to the Ryzen 7 9700X’s performance compared to the Ryzen 7 7800X3D. The Ryzen 7 7800X3D currently holds the title of the best gaming CPU available, primarily due to its integration of AMD’s 3D V-Cache technology. Without 3D V-Cache, AMD is reportedly concerned that the Ryzen 7 9700X might fall behind. AMD has acknowledged this concern publicly, with Donny Woligroski stating that the new CPUs won’t be able to match the gaming prowess of previous-generation chips equipped with 3D V-Cache. While AMD has already confirmed that 3D V-Cache versions of Ryzen 9000 CPUs are in development, these won’t be available for several months. While increased power could potentially help bridge the gap between the Ryzen 7 9700X and Ryzen 7 7800X3D, it’s crucial to approach this report with a degree of skepticism. While AMD may make minor adjustments to its hardware at the last minute, the report claims a near-doubling of the power for the Ryzen 7 9700X. This seems like a significant change considering the CPU, along with the rest of the Ryzen 9000 series, is scheduled for release in July. One point in favor of increasing the power draw is the base clock speed of the Ryzen 7 9700X. At 3.8GHz, it has the lowest base clock speed among the Ryzen 9000 components. It’s possible AMD could narrow the gap between the base clock speed and boost clock speed, though it’s difficult to imagine that achieving a 120W power draw. Another possibility is that AMD might introduce an automatic overclocking mode that unlocks a power budget up to 120W, assuming the silicon can handle it. A more plausible inference is that AMD is developing a variant of the Ryzen 7 9700X. Similar to Intel, AMD often introduces slight variations in power, clock speed, and core configurations to its CPU lineup, resulting in new models. Therefore, a higher TDP could be implemented in a model like a Ryzen 7 9800X or a Ryzen 7 9700 XT. We have reached out to AMD for comment and will update this story when we receive a response.
AMD Considers Doubling Ryzen 7 9700X TDP for Better Gaming Performance
