Although we've seen hints, leaks and teases of AMD's next-generation refresh of its Ryzen CPUs, AMD has now officially announced them, detailing the 2600, 2600X, the 2700 and the 2700X. We know their prices, performance ratings, clock speeds and thread counts. And you can pre-order one right now, for delivery in just a few days' time.
The four chips and their specs are:
2600 - six cores, 12 threads, 19MB of cache. 3.4/3.9GHz clock speed - $200
2600X - six cores, 12 threads, 19MB of cache. 3.6/4.2GHz clock speed - $230
2700 - eight cores, 16 threads, 20MB of cache. 3.2/4.2GHz clock speed - $300
2700X - eight cores, 16 threads, 20MB of cache. 3.7/4.3GHz clock speed - $330
The "X" variants also support AMD's automated XFR overclocking utility.
The big new features with the Zen+ architecture used at the core of the Ryzen 2000 series CPUs, include: a 12nm die shrink, making them more efficient, a few hundred extra megahertz of clock speed for added performance, support for the new AMD x470 chipset, a new "StoreMI Technology" which improves drive caching, and a brand new stock cooler called the Wraith Prism -- though that's sold only with the 2700X.
All in all the range is likely to be 10 percent (or so) faster than its equivalent predecessors in the first-generation of Ryzen CPUs, and will be more energy efficient, especially when translated over to the mobile space -- though that won't happen with this first range of desktop chips straight away.
All of the new chips will be available this April and you can pre-order them from your favorite retailer now.
