When AMD and its partners started to talk about the company's next-generation desktop platform with its AM5 socket several quarters ago, many observers expected the CPU developer to maintain the maximum thermal design power for its processors at current levels. However, later on, it transpired that at least some of AMD's AM5 CPUs would have a TDP of up to 170W, a significant increase over the current 105W. As it turns out, all AMD Ryzen 9 7000-series CPUs will have a TDP of 170W.
AMD's next-generation Ryzen 7000-series 'Raphael' processors based on the Zen 4 microarchitecture will come in different configurations with different TDP ranges. According to the Gigabyte leak, entry-level SKUs will maintain a thermal design power (TDP) of 65W and a package power tracking (PPT) limit of 88W. Meanwhile, all high-end Ryzen 9 7000-series offerings will feature a TDP of 170W and a PPT of 230W, according to hardware leaker @Kopite7kimi.
"All [Ryzen] R9 [7000-series] SKUs with a normal voltage are base on 170W TDP," he tweeted.
Keeping in mind that AMD's Ryzen 9 processors are positioned for high-end gaming desktops and entry-level workstations, they are used by people who are quite used to expensive motherboards, high-performance air and all-in-one liquid cooling systems. So, increasing TDP and PPT of these processors to get higher performance is apt since these audiences value performance the most.
Based on the Gigabyte leak from last year, AMD also plans AM5 CPUs with 45W, 65W, 95W, 105W, and 125W TDPs. It remains to be seen which SKUs will be available at launch, but the company will eventually offer a range of AM5 microprocessors based on its Zen 4 microarchitecture that will fit satisfy the needs of price-conscious mainstream and performance-demanding users. The only question is when these models will become available and what they will offer.
In general, AMD and Intel are gradually increasing the TDPs of their CPUs in a bid to offer higher performance as competition between these manufacturers heats up. AMD and Nvidia do the same with graphics cards, so the overall power consumption of desktop PCs is ever-increasing.
