AMD’s highly anticipated Ryzen 9000 series CPUs, based on the new Zen 5 architecture, have finally hit the market, but the launch hasn’t been the celebratory event many expected. While the new chips boast performance improvements in certain areas, they’ve also sparked a wave of questions and concerns.
One of the most glaring issues is the performance discrepancy between Zen 5 and Zen 4 chips in some scenarios. Reports from tech reviewers and the leaker Moore’s Law is Dead (MLID) indicate that, in certain benchmarks, the new Zen 5 chips are actually *slower* than their Zen 4 counterparts. This discrepancy has raised concerns about the effectiveness of the new Zen 5 architecture and its performance in real-world applications.
Adding to the concerns are reports of software issues plaguing the Ryzen 9000 series. Reviews highlight problems with Windows compatibility, core parking, and more. These issues have led to inconsistencies in benchmark results and raised questions about the stability and maturity of the software accompanying the new CPUs. One tech reviewer, Tom’s Hardware, even went so far as to criticize AMD for its “nonsensical and problematic” chipset drivers that cause irreversible changes to the operating system. They highlight that AMD has been aware of these issues for over a year but hasn’t addressed them.
While some benchmarks, like SPEC2017, showcase the promised performance gains of the Ryzen 9000 series, others, like Cinebench 2024, reveal a less impressive picture. While the Ryzen 9 9950X does demonstrate significant performance gains over its predecessor, the 7950X, in multi-core Cinebench 2024 benchmarks, its performance compared to Intel’s flagship Core i9-14900K falls short of AMD’s own pre-launch claims.
Adding to the confusion surrounding the new Ryzen 9000 series is the curious case of inter-CCD latency. AnandTech, in its review, notes that the Ryzen 9 9950X exhibits a significantly higher latency between its CCDs compared to the previous generation, making it more difficult for the chips to communicate efficiently. This seems perplexing given that the Ryzen 9000 series utilizes the same IOD and Infinity Fabric configuration as its predecessor, the Ryzen 7000 series.
However, the Ryzen 9000 series shines on Linux. Benchmarks conducted by Phoronix reveal that the new chips are truly exceptional on this platform, consistently outperforming Intel’s offerings. This discrepancy in performance between Windows and Linux has further fueled speculation that the issues with the Ryzen 9000 series are related to incomplete or poorly optimized software. MLID, in his report, states that sources within AMD have confirmed that the software supporting the Ryzen 9000 series, particularly in Windows, might not be fully finished or optimized.
Further insights from an AMD source suggest that a series of mishaps during the development of the Zen 5 architecture might be behind the launch issues. The source points to a hasty transition between development teams, inconsistencies in communication, and a potential rush to release the chips before the software was fully ready. This suggests that AMD may have prioritized an early release over ensuring a polished and well-optimized product.
The launch of the Ryzen 9000 series has undoubtedly been a mixed bag for AMD. While the new Zen 5 architecture offers performance improvements, particularly on Linux, it faces scrutiny for its inconsistent performance across different benchmarks, software issues, and concerns about the rushed nature of the launch. It remains to be seen how AMD will address these concerns and ensure that the Ryzen 9000 series lives up to its potential in the long run.
