AMD has released an updated roadmap detailing the chipmaker's Zen 4 plans. Dragon Range and Phoenix are mobile Zen 4 APUs that will replace AMD's existing Ryzen 6000 (Rembrandt) product line. Dragon Range will power enthusiast gaming laptops, whereas Phoenix targets thin and light gaming devices. Surprisingly, AMD didn't specify what process node or the type of graphics that Dragon Range and Phoenix could be using. For reference, Rembrandt is on TSMC's 6nm manufacturing process and wields RDNA 2 graphics.
According to the AMD, Dragon Range will feature the "highest core, thread, and cache ever for a mobile gaming CPU." Although AMD didn't specify just how many Zen 4 cores, rumor has it that Dragon Range could potentially sport up to 16 cores, which would be insane for a gaming or workstation laptop.
Feature-wise, Dragon Range and Phoenix arrive with PCIe 5.0 support. The former, however, leverage DDR5 memory while the latter is on LPDDR5 memory. Ex-AnandTech editor Ian Cutress has confirmed with AMD that the Zen 4 chips' "exact mem support may include other technologies to be announced later." Furthermore, since the APUs compete in different segments, they adhere to specific thermal limits. Dragon Range, for example, features a TDP of 55W and higher, whereas Phoenix plays within the 35W to 45W range.
AMD has already given the hardware world a small teaser of Ryzen 7000 (Raphael), so we already know the processors will arrive before the end of the year to replace the Ryzen 5000 (Vermeer) stack. Like its other Zen 4 brethren, Raphael boasts support for PCIe 5.0 and DDR5 while debuting with a 65W+ TDP.
Raphael will hit the shelves in the second half of the year, and if AMD's illustration is accurate, we may be looking at a late launch in September. In a nutshell, Raphael brings Zen 4 to the mainstream market, commanding TSMC's 5nm process node and a new AM5 platform. Unfortunately, the AM5 platform may be costly for consumers as we've confirmed with multiple sources that Raphael only supports DDR5 memory, which currently carries a hefty premium.
