AM4 has been around for so long and is owned by so many people, there’s still a big market for those who want to upgrade without replacing their motherboard and RAM at the same time.
Ryzen desktop chips use the same compute chiplets as server (server has a long tail for adoption and a steady need for replacement parts), so they have a large supply of chiplets that don’t meet server requirements but can be downclocked or given more voltage for desktop. This also fulfills the low end desktop market, so they don’t have to produce lower end chips on more expensive nodes. There’s also a lot of AM4 platforms that can get a new lease on life with a drop in Zen3 replacement.
Then you also have supply from the laptop side with similar issues (don’t meet voltage requirements for efficiency), which is where the APUs come from.
I agree it’s a bit puzzling? It’s crazy that AMD is releasing a new CPU for a 7 year old platform.
But admittedly I am personally still running with my trusty old Ryzen 5 1600, maybe I’d consider an upgrade just because it’s easy and cheap, but it’s not like I really need it.
I’m guessing there are a lot of AM4 motherboards out there, so there is still a market for making upgrades for them.
They have to produce Zen3 still for server contracts, so they’re making the chips anyway. The ones that don’t make the cut are still suitable as desktop chips.
It’s a win-win. AMD gets to sell the chips. Consumers, particularly that already have AM4 boards, get the option of having these rather than replacing multiple components and taking their entire PC apart.
But yeah it’s wild that a socket from September 2016 is still getting new CPUs now. AM4 is the best CPU socket there has ever been IMO.
Ah yes, same chip as in older Epyc, I didn’t think of that. Such a clever design by AMD. 😀 👍
If I remember correctly, the early 2016 boards were not compatible with Ryzen, and although Wikipedia says September 2016, the earliest actual model listed is from February 2017. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socket_AM4
So in my book, the platform remains from 2017.
Here’s the summary for the wikipedia article you mentioned in your comment:
Socket AM4 is a PGA microprocessor socket used by AMD’s central processing units (CPUs) built on the Zen (including Zen+, Zen 2 and Zen 3) and Excavator microarchitectures. AM4 was launched in September 2016 and was designed to replace the sockets AM3+, FM2+ and FS1b as a single platform. It has 1331 pin slots and is the first from AMD to support DDR4 memory as well as achieve unified compatibility between high-end CPUs (previously using Socket AM3+) and AMD’s lower-end APUs (on various other sockets). In 2017, AMD made a commitment to using the AM4 platform with socket 1331 until 2020. AM5 succeeded the AM4 platform in late 2022 with the introduction of the Ryzen 7000 series however, AMD has continued to release new AM4 based CPUs even after the release of AM5.
It’s interesting to see 5k series, is the adoption of 7k that bad or do they just have a lot of 5k series left?
Or is 7k too expensive so 5k is kept on live support to keep something in that price range?
AM4 has been around for so long and is owned by so many people, there’s still a big market for those who want to upgrade without replacing their motherboard and RAM at the same time.
Indeed bought an x570 ITX mobo with loudest IO fan in existence. Looking to upgrade asap.
You could just replace the fan…
Ryzen desktop chips use the same compute chiplets as server (server has a long tail for adoption and a steady need for replacement parts), so they have a large supply of chiplets that don’t meet server requirements but can be downclocked or given more voltage for desktop. This also fulfills the low end desktop market, so they don’t have to produce lower end chips on more expensive nodes. There’s also a lot of AM4 platforms that can get a new lease on life with a drop in Zen3 replacement.
Then you also have supply from the laptop side with similar issues (don’t meet voltage requirements for efficiency), which is where the APUs come from.
I agree it’s a bit puzzling? It’s crazy that AMD is releasing a new CPU for a 7 year old platform.
But admittedly I am personally still running with my trusty old Ryzen 5 1600, maybe I’d consider an upgrade just because it’s easy and cheap, but it’s not like I really need it.
I’m guessing there are a lot of AM4 motherboards out there, so there is still a market for making upgrades for them.
it’s probably more because intel hasn’t dropped ddr4 yet in their new chips, and won’t until late '24/early '25 with arrow lake and the new socket.
Nice, you and me both. 1700 still in my daily driver and a 1600 I got on a combo sale from Fry’s (RIP) for my home camera NVR system.
I keep feeling the itch to upgrade, but realistically, they’re still doing fine.
Yeah that 1700 was basically a $1000 workstation CPU if you needed that level of performance a year earlier.
Ryzen was insane value at the time. ;)
They have to produce Zen3 still for server contracts, so they’re making the chips anyway. The ones that don’t make the cut are still suitable as desktop chips.
It’s a win-win. AMD gets to sell the chips. Consumers, particularly that already have AM4 boards, get the option of having these rather than replacing multiple components and taking their entire PC apart.
But yeah it’s wild that a socket from September 2016 is still getting new CPUs now. AM4 is the best CPU socket there has ever been IMO.
Ah yes, same chip as in older Epyc, I didn’t think of that. Such a clever design by AMD. 😀 👍
If I remember correctly, the early 2016 boards were not compatible with Ryzen, and although Wikipedia says September 2016, the earliest actual model listed is from February 2017.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socket_AM4
So in my book, the platform remains from 2017.
Here’s the summary for the wikipedia article you mentioned in your comment:
Socket AM4 is a PGA microprocessor socket used by AMD’s central processing units (CPUs) built on the Zen (including Zen+, Zen 2 and Zen 3) and Excavator microarchitectures. AM4 was launched in September 2016 and was designed to replace the sockets AM3+, FM2+ and FS1b as a single platform. It has 1331 pin slots and is the first from AMD to support DDR4 memory as well as achieve unified compatibility between high-end CPUs (previously using Socket AM3+) and AMD’s lower-end APUs (on various other sockets). In 2017, AMD made a commitment to using the AM4 platform with socket 1331 until 2020. AM5 succeeded the AM4 platform in late 2022 with the introduction of the Ryzen 7000 series however, AMD has continued to release new AM4 based CPUs even after the release of AM5.
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