AMD is on a roll with massively profitable gaming CPUs, and it’s already planning for the years forward. In line with a brand new rumor, AMD expects to launch its next-gen Zen 6 Ryzen “Medusa” gaming CPUs in late 2026 or early 2027, with plans that the brand new CPUs will keep compatibility with current motherboards by utilizing the identical AM5 socket design as different Ryzen CPUs.
It’s by no means too early to suppose forward, and AMD has an enormous lead within the battle for one of the best gaming CPU that it’ll wish to maintain on to. Simply this week, we printed our AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D overview, which confirmed that this new CPU is nicely forward of one of the best that Intel has to supply, together with the Intel Core i9 14900K, with phenomenal gaming efficiency.
Nonetheless, AMD has a status to uphold, and it will probably’t relaxation within the pursuit for glory, so it’s not stunning to listen to that it already has a plan for the following era. This newest rumor comes straight from X (previously Twitter), with well-known {hardware} leaker Kepler_L2 reporting in a tweet thread that the corporate is launching Zen 6 “so far as they know” in a interval between late 2026 to early 2027.
In the identical thread, Kepler_L2 additionally stories that these new Ryzen gaming CPUs will keep compatibility with AM5 by answering “sure” when requested in the event that they’ll be utilizing the identical socket design as present Zen 5 CPUs. There are not any different particulars to be shared to date, however that’s unsurprising, as any unconfirmed particulars (together with these) are topic to alter.
Nevertheless, this does appear to match earlier AMD Zen 6 launch particulars that got here straight from the chip maker itself at its AMD Tech Day occasion again in July, when it said that the Zen 6 launch date could be in 2027, and that AM5 could be supported till at the least 2027, too.
Whereas the discharge date is attention-grabbing, the socket design gives some early excellent news for shoppers. By sticking with the identical AM5 socket as present Ryzen 7000 and Ryzen 9000 CPUs, it’s seemingly that avid gamers received’t have to improve to a model new motherboard, lowering the general price for upgrades. A brand new PC construct is dear sufficient, however this might permit for less expensive upgrades, particularly when you think about that one of the best CPUs already price a whole bunch of {dollars}.
As all the time, with a launch date so distant, lots is (and certain will) change between from time to time. Within the meantime, when you’re available in the market for a brand new CPU improve, take a look at our Ryzen 7 7800X3D overview – it’s simply been usurped by the brand new 9800X3D on the prime, nevertheless it’s nonetheless among the best gaming CPUs you can purchase at present.
