A member of the Chiphell forum claims to have acquired an Alienware R15 Gaming desktop, accompanied by a marketing letter from Dell referencing an “Alienware Desktop with AMD Ryzen 9000 Processor.” This individual further suggests that this communication was sent to loyal customers of the Alienware brand.
However, if this claim holds true, it would appear that someone at Alienware may have inadvertently disclosed information they weren’t supposed to share.
The Rumored AMD Ryzen 9000 CPU
It’s important to approach this story with skepticism for several reasons. Firstly, the latest branding convention implies that AMD shouldn’t be using the “9000” nomenclature for Ryzen CPUs until 2025, with the first digit representing the year. For example, “7” for 2023, “8” for 2024, and “9” for 2025. This convention was introduced with the Ryzen 7000 Mobile series and is expected to apply to desktop processors as well.
A recent leak suggested that AMD’s Ryzen Desktop APUs for the AM5 platform codenamed Phoenix, would use the Ryzen 8000 naming scheme, indicating a potential launch in 2024. At the same time, there will also be Ryzen 8000 Desktop CPUs with different architectures, Zen 4 for the Desktop APUs and Zen 5 for the Desktop CPUs. Although it’s possible that AMD could simplify the naming scheme, the latest rumors suggest they will stick with the traditional convention and avoid more complex nomenclature, as seen in the mobile lineup. Here’s an example:
- Ryzen 7000 “Zen 4” Mobile APU: 7940H (7=2023 / 9=Segment / 4= Zen 4 Architecture / 0=Feature)
- Ryzen 8000 “Zen 4” Desktop APU: 8700G (8=2024 / 7=Segment / G=Integrated APU Graphics)
While the above example is valid if the rumors about the Ryzen 8000 branding are accurate, it’s unclear whether AMD will ultimately follow this naming scheme. Considering this, it seems highly unusual for Alienware to ship a Ryzen 9000 Desktop CPU with its Alienware R15 desktop at this stage. It’s more likely that this is a mistake by Alienware, and that Ryzen 8000 CPUs will be the ones to anticipate for AM5 desktops in 2024.
The idea of AMD launching its Ryzen 7000 successor under the Ryzen 9000 series appears quite odd. It is expected that a Ryzen 8000 series will come before a Ryzen 9000 series. To gain more clarity, everyone will have to wait for further information, and hopefully, AMD will provide clarification, possibly at CES 2024.
