AMD is gearing up for the one of its biggest CPU launches in recent history, and perhaps ever. The company has been tight-lipped about the Zen CPU ever since shocking the world with a preview showing an 8-core Zen that could keep pace with an 8-core Broadwell-E chip.
AMD will be holding a sneak peek event of its high-performance Zen CPU. The preview of this will be live streamed at 1 p.m. PST and 4 p.m. ET on December 13. You can also sign up at AMD's website to be clued in.
The sign up to see a sneak peak of AMD's upcoming Zen CPU in action on Dec. 13 is free. It will take place at Austin, Texas, and will be live-streamed for everyone who can't attend.
AMD Says in the official statement that, "If you're serious about gaming, this is an event you do not want to miss."
AMD's Zen live showcase will be hosted by video game journalist Geoff Keighley, the former host of GameTrailers TV and G4TV.com. Also on hand will be Peter "PPD" Dager, who is a former member of the Evil Geniuses eSports team, he will put the Zen-based Summit Ridge processor "through its paces." There will also be guest appearances and giveaways during the show.
It is also possible that AMD will show off the rumored quad-core version of Zen. Recent unconfirmed leaks says that AMD with four Zen-based CPUs in the "Summit Ridge" family at launch early next year. The top end will include two eight-core chips with immediate Multi-Threading, as well as the SR5 with six cores, and a quad-core SR3.
If the rumors are correct then it will have an aggressive pricing. The highest-end 8-core will be for $500, while a second, slower eight-core chip could be as low as $350. Eve disruptive will be a six-core SR5 for $250 and a quad-core SR3 for $150.
For comparison, Intel charges nearly $320 for its quad-core Core i7-6700K chip, and the cheapest six-core costs $380, reports PC World.
According to AMD, Zen-based processor cores will have 40 percent more instructions per clock than Excavator. Other highlights include two AES encryption units for security, and transistors based on energy-efficient FinFET process technology.
Intel has no competition from AMD for nearly a decade in the performance arena. The 10-core Core i7-6950X launched in May at a price of $1,723. If Summit Ridge can hit the performance AMD claims, and at the rumored prices, 2017 will bring a CPU war.
