UPDATE: Alleged 12-Core Ryzen 7 2800X Leak With 5.1GHz Turbo Clock Is A Hoax

We have known for some time that AMD is planning to roll out another round of Ryzen processors in 2018, known as Pinnacle Ridge, followed by yet another release in 2019 codenamed Matisse. However, the details of these launches have been rather sparse, consisting of a roughly outlined roadmap. That is, until now. A leaked slide highlights some of AMD's upcoming second generation Ryzen processors, Ryzen 2, with clockspeeds and prices.

In a video posted to YouTube, KitGuru posts the slide, which shows three new Ryzen 2 processors from AMD. All three bring more cores and faster clockspeeds to the table, compared to AMD's existing Ryzen 7 series. The new chips culminate in the Ryzen 7 2800X, a 12-core/24-thread processor with a 4.6GHz base clock and a smoking fast 5.1GHz boost clock.

Here is a look at all three that are included on alleged the slide:

• Ryzen 7 2700: 12 cores / 24 threads running a 4.0GHz to 4.5GHz
• Ryzen 7 2800: 12 cores / 24 threads running at 4.4GHz to 4.9GHz
• Ryzen 7 2800X: 12 cores / 24 threads running at 4.6GHz to 5.1GHz

What makes the launch even more exciting is AMD's aggressive pricing—according to the slide, MSRPs will be $449 for the Ryzen 7 2800X, $399 for the Ryzen 7 2800, and $329 for the Ryzen 7 2700.

The bigger question here is motherboard support. AMD has promised to stick with its AM4 socket for the next few years, and that will be the case with its Ryzen 7 2000 series. But will AMD take a page from Intel with its Coffee Lake launch and require a new chipset? Or will existing AM4 motherboard owners be able to upgrade to a Ryzen 7 2000 series processor with a simple BIOS update? We're hoping for the latter but won't really know until AMD officially unveils its new processor lineup, perhaps at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas next month.


The other thing we should mention is AMD's naming scheme. It's a little confusing calling these Ryzen 2, as they're listed on the leaked slide. That makes us think of Zen 2 (Matisse), which is a new architecture that will debut sometime in 2019. Here's how it all breaks down:

• Zen (14nm, Summit Ridge): All current Ryzen processors, including Ryzen 7 1700, Ryzen 7 1700X, and Ryzen 7 1800X
• Zen+ (12nm, Pinnacle Ridge): Upcoming Ryzen 2 processors, including Ryzen 7 2700, Ryzen 7 2800, and Ryzen 7 2800X
• Zen 2 (7nm, Matisse): Processors with new Zen 2 cores slated for 2019.

As it applies here, Ryzen 2 (not Zen 2) is based on the same Summit Ridge architecture as AMD's existing Ryzen processors, only they're built on a refined manufacturing process with more cores and threads, higher clockspeeds, and presumably some nifty optimizations.

Put another way, Ryzen is Zen and Ryzen 2 is Zen+. Should AMD follow this naming scheme into 2019 and beyond, then Ryzen 3 will be Zen 2.

Anyway, it's going to be another exciting year. AMD set the groundwork to remain competitive for a long time to come, and the leaked slide underscores that. Meanwhile, Intel is preparing new CPUs of its own, including ones based on its long-anticipated 10nm Cannon Lake architecture. Hold onto your britches, folks.