A new leak has allegedly confirmed that the latest AMD drivers show existence that Zen 5 is Ryzen 9000 after all. Fans of Team Red’s chipsets looking for the best CPUs for gaming may not have to wait long after all, as the second-generation AM5 processors could be coming later this year.
Revealed by HXL and spotted via Videocardz, a new driver update for the ROG CROSSHAIR X670E HERO motherboard supposedly confirms that this board (and likely other AM5 socket models) will be able to be updated for the Ryzen 9000 series. More specifically, AMD Chipset Driver V6.03.19.217, shows ‘AMD PMF-9000Series Driver’ corresponding to ‘MPMF9000’ which follows linearly from the existing 7000 series of AM5 socket CPUs, as the image below demonstrates:
This would be consistent with the release schedule of AMD’s processors which, unlike Intel’s, happen every two years. More specifically, the AMD Ryzen 7000 series debuted in 2022, and we’re firmly in 2024 now, meaning that the newer chipset line is expected. Few details or credible rumors outline what to expect from the next generation of socket AM5 processors, but it’s looking more like an evolution than a revolution unlike the jump from Ryzen 5000 to Ryzen 7000.
AMD typically supports its socket types for considerably longer than Intel as its previous generation socket, AM4, was supported since before the introduction of Ryzen with the Athlon X4 line with its Bristol Ridge introduction in 2017. Then we saw the same socket supported through Ryzen 1000, Ryzen 2000, Ryzen 3000, and Ryzen 5000 (up to Zen 3). Should this driver update truly unveil the Ryzen 9000’s existence, we should see the best motherboards for gaming with support for years.
