AMD Comfirms AM5 Longevity As Legendary AM4 Socket Turns 10
One of the major selling points of AMD's Ryzen processors for the desktop is the chip designer's commitment to socket longevity. To put it into perspective, socket AM4 introduced with AMD's original Zen processors is turning 10 years old this year and is still seeing platform support with chipset updates and even new processor models. Will socket AM5 see the same kind of commitment to long-term support? The answer is 'Yes', according to remarks made by Jack Huynh, SVP and GM of Computing and Graphics at AMD.
Huynh reaffirmed AMD's long-term commitment to AM5 in a video highlighting the launch of the Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 Dual Edition processor, the first Ryzen chip to feature 3D V-Cache on both core complex dies (CCDs).
In the video, Huynh talks about AMD's effort to push technology forward "in ways that truly matter." He pointed to Threadripper as an example, and quickly followed up with the AM4 platform, which AMD created to "make it easy for customers to upgrade their PC across multiple generations of processors."
"This year, we celebrate its ten-year anniversary, supported by an expansive line of processors powering millions of systems around the world. That same philosophy continues with socket AM5."
He goes on to state that AMD's commitment to supporting platforms for the long haul "isn't just a marketing message," but also a "commitment to protecting our customers' investments and giving enthusiasts a platform that can grow with them."
To his point, it's not just lip service. The AM4 platform spanned multiple generations of Zen processors, including Zen, Zen+, Zen 2, and Zen 3. Of course, technology marches on and with the advent of DDR5 memory, AMD introduced a new AM5 platform for Zen 4 and now Zen 5.
Zen 6 will also support the AM5 socket. That's not to say there will not be any reason to upgrade your existing socket AM5 motherboard to a new model when Zen 6 arrives, but it should end up being optional, not required.
It's the same mantra from AMD that gave AM4 such a long lifespan. In computing, a decade is an eternity. While Zen 3 marked the end of the road for AM4, AMD has continued to expand its processor options for older socket, such as introducing the Ryzen 5 5600F last September, and before that, rolling out a few budget Ryzen 3D V-Cache gaming CPUs for AM4 last summer.
Socket longevity if a valid bragging point for AMD. The question is, will Intel finally follow suit? AMD's rival recently signaled an intent to slow down socket changes for future chips, potentially starting with Nova Lake. if that happens, it would be a big win for consumers, as the choice between AMD and Intel would come down pricing, performance, and features, with socket longevity not needing to be factored into the equation.
