While Intel has been in the news lately for its Core 10000-series Comet Lake-S, AMD is not sitting idle. Before the Ryzen 4000 (Zen 3) lineup that is due in late 2020, AMD is about to refresh the current Ryzen 3000-series with a “Matisse Refresh” update. The upcoming chips remain on the current Zen 2 architecture at 7 nm, but will offer higher clock frequencies.
This is how the updated chips are expected to compare to the existing CPUs they replace:
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 5 3600X | AMD Ryzen 5 3600XT | AMD Ryzen 7 3800X | AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT | AMD Ryzen 9 3900X | AMD Ryzen 9 3900XT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Zen 2 7nm | Zen 2 7nm | Zen 2 7nm | Zen 2 7nm | Zen 2 7nm | Zen 2 7nm |
| Cores/Threads | 6/12 | 6/12 | 8/16 | 8/16 | 12/24 | 12/24 |
| Base Frequency | 3.8 GHz | 4.0 GHz* | 3.9 GHz | 4.2 GHz* | 3.8 GHz | 4.1 GHz* |
| Boost Frequency | 4.4 GHz | 4.7 GHz* | 4.5 GHz | 4.7 GHz* | 4.6 GHz | 4.8 GHz* |
| L3 Cache | 32 MB | 32 MB | 32 MB | 32 MB | 64 MB | 64 MB |
| TDP | 95 W | 95 W* | 105 W | 105 W* | 105 W | 105 W* |
| Year | 2019 | 2020 | 2019 | 2020 | 2019 | 2020 |
* Not confirmed
In other words, the current “X” models are replaced with faster “XT” alternatives. The lineup is topped by the Ryzen 9 3900XT, which logically replaces the current Ryzen 9 3900X. This also applies to Ryzen 7 3800XT and Ryzen 5 3600XT, which replaces their current counterparts in the Ryzen 3000 series. The number of cores and threads are unchanged, but both the base and boost frequencies are improved. In addition, there are alleged improvements to how the boost frequencies are handled, which could lead to increased boost performance by about 5–10%.
Ryzen 9 3900XT and Ryzen 7 3800XT Benchmarks
While unconfirmed specs and other rumors are interesting, actual benchmarks will tell us a lot more. Fortunately, technology leaker _rogame has managed to unearth 3DMark benchmark results for the Ryzen 9 3900XT and Ryzen 7 3800XT processors and posted them on Twitter.
The Matisse Refresh flagship is the Ryzen 9 3900XT, which, like its predecessor the Ryzen 9 3900X, comes with 12 cores and 24 threads. Data from the 3DMark database indicates a base frequency of 3.7 GHz and a maximum turbo frequency of 4.673 GHz. In 3DMark’s physics test, which is the most relevant for CPUs, it achieves a score of 29,172 points. In comparison, the average Ryzen 9 3900X scores 28,503 points.
As for the Ryzen 7 3800XT, this model appears to offer a base frequency of 3.9 GHz and a 4.623 GHz turbo frequency, resulting in a to 3DMark physics score of 25,135 points, compared to the 24,109 average for the Ryzen 7 3700X.
It should be noted that it is not clear whether these results represent the final products or whether they are prototypes.
Slight RAM Speed Bump
Both of the above Matisse Refresh models are paired with 16 GB DDDR4 RAM running at 3,732 MHz, which is slightly higher than the 3,600 MHz supported by their predecessors. The maximum clock frequencies of the processors are notably slightly lower than the previously reported specs, but this change may again be due to differences between prototypes and the final product.
Matisse Refresh is, for now, AMD’s response to Intel’s new Core 10000 Comet Lake-S lineup, pending the release of AMD’s next-generation Ryzen 4000 Zen 3 “Vermeer” processors due later this year. The Matisse Refresh CPUs are expected to be unveiled on June 16 and released on July 7, 2020, whereas Ryzen 4000 will arrive on a yet-unspecified “fall 2020” date.
