Abstract:

AMD has formally announced several new hardware products, including the RX 960 XT GPUs, the AI Pro R9700 Radeon GPU, and the Thread Ripper 9000 series CPUs (including the Pro WX lineup). The company emphasized a transparent approach to product launches, providing review units with standard embargo terms, a stark contrast to some competitors. The RX 960 XT GPUs, built on the new Nav'i 44 die, are positioned as mid-range options with 8GB and 16GB GDDR6 variants, competing directly with Nvidia's 5060Ti. The Thread Ripper 9000 series introduces Zen 5 architecture to high-end desktop and workstation CPUs, offering increased core counts and enhanced AVX 512 support. The RDNA 4-based AI Pro R9700 GPU features significant advancements in AI acceleration and memory capacity, tailored for demanding AI model workloads and supporting multi-GPU configurations.

AMD's Latest Hardware Unveilings: GPUs and CPUs

• 0:01 AMD's Transparent Launch Strategy: AMD formally announced new RX 960 XT GPUs, the AI Pro R9700 Radeon GPU, and the Thread Ripper 9000 series CPUs (including the Pro WX lineup). The company highlighted its commitment to providing review units under standard embargo terms, contrasting it with Nvidia's less transparent practices.
• 0:52 RX 960 XT GPU Specifications and Pricing:
  • The RX 960 XT will be available in two variants: a 16 GB model priced at $350 and an 8 GB model at $300.
  • Both models share the new Nav'i 44 GPU die, which is smaller (199 mm²) than its predecessors.
  • Key features include 32 compute units, 32 hardware RT accelerators, 64 AI accelerators, and a 3.13 GHz boost clock.
  • They support PCIe Gen 5.0 x6, DisplayPort 2.1a, and HDMI 2.1b.
  • Board power ranges from 150W for 8GB models to 182W for 16GB models, typically using a single 8-pin PCIe connector.
  • These GPUs are direct competitors to Nvidia's 5060Ti, matching VRAM capacity but utilizing GDDR6 memory to help reduce cost.
  • The x6 PCIe lane count might become a restriction on older motherboards.
• 0:57 Thread Ripper 9000 Series (Zen 5) CPUs:
  • AMD announced three new Zen 5-based CPUs: the 9980X (64 cores/128 threads, 3.2 GHz base, 256 MB L3 cache), 9970X (32 cores/64 threads, 4.0 GHz base, 128 MB L3 cache), and 9960X (24 cores/48 threads, 4.2 GHz base, 128 MB L3 cache).
  • All models feature up to a 5.4 GHz max boost clock, PCIe 5.0 support, the STR5 socket, and a 350W TDP.
  • These CPUs come with increased memory support and enhanced AVX 512 support for demanding tasks.
• 6:03 Thread Ripper Pro 9000WX Series CPUs:
  • Six new workstation-grade CPUs were announced, ranging from the 9945WX (12 cores) to the flagship 9995WX (96 cores), mirroring the existing 7000 series configurations but updated to Zen 5.
  • A key differentiator is the inclusion of AMD Pro technologies for security, advanced remote manageability, and long-term platform stability.
  • These CPUs are supported on both WX90 and TRX50 chipsets.
  • A launch date of July 2025 was provided, though pricing has not yet been announced.
• 7:19 AI Pro R9700 GPU for Content Creation and AI:
  • This RDNA 4 card features 128 AI accelerators, 32 GB of GDDR6 memory, a claimed 1531 TOPS, and a 300W TDP.
  • It offers significant improvements over its predecessor, the W7700, including higher Teraflops (FP16 increased from 56.54 to 96), more AI accelerators, PCIe Gen 5, and doubled memory capacity (from 16 GB to 32 GB).
  • The 32 GB of VRAM is highlighted as crucial for loading larger AI models and potentially improving model accuracy by enabling less quantized models.
  • The R9700 supports a multi-GPU PCIe 5 platform, allowing up to four units to be connected for a combined 128 GB of VRAM and theoretical four times computing power for extremely demanding models.