AMD will roll out its next-gen Olympic Ridge Ryzen "Zen 6" Desktop CPUs with up to 24 cores in dual and 12 cores in single CCD configurations.
AMD Preps Several Next-Gen Ryzen "Olympic Ridge" Desktop CPU SKUs, Starting at 6 With Up To 24 Cores
AMD's next-gen Ryzen Desktop CPUs will feature the brand new Zen 6 core architecture and will be codenamed under the Olympic Ridge family. This next-gen lineup will be a major upgrade for AM5 platforms, offering architectural improvements, IPC uplifts, higher core configurations, advanced X3D stacking technologies, faster clocks, and newer features on existing and newer AM5 motherboards.
So far, AMD has shared only a small bit of details regarding the Zen 6 lineup, which is mostly applicable to the EPYC "Venice" lineup. The lineup will feature up to 256 cores in Zen 6C configurations, and up to 128 MB of L3 caches per CCD. While those configurations are massively popular for data centers, the desktop core counts are now being hinted at.
In a post by HXL, the insider/leaker has revealed what seems to be the core counts for the next-gen AMD Ryzen "Olympic Ridge" desktop lineup, based on the Zen 6 core architecture. As far as the details are concerned, the lineup is expected to feature at least seven core configurations. The first four will be based on a single CCD and include 6, 8, 10, and 12 core flavors. The higher core count variants will utilize two Zen 6 CCDs, with 8+8 (16), 10+10 (20), and 12+12 (24) core models.
So in total, we are looking at:
- Zen 6 (Single-CCD) - 6 Core
- Zen 6 (Single-CCD) - 8 Core
- Zen 6 (Single CCD) - 10 Core
- Zen 6 (Single CCD) - 12 Core
- Zen 6 (Dual CCD) - 16 Core (8+8)
- Zen 6 (Dual CCD) - 20 Core (10+10)
- Zen 6 (Dual CCD) - 24 Core (12+12)
This is quite an extensive lineup, and the use of two CCDs with up to 12 cores each gives AMD a lot more room for flexibility in its next-gen desktop lineup. The existing Zen 5 models range from 6, 8, 12, and 16 cores, so the Zen 6 Desktop family is going much wider with the number of core configurations. And it's totally making sense as to why AMD is doing so.
- Zen2 CCD: 2*4 Core 2*16 MB L3 TSMC N7 ~77 mm2
- Zen3 CCD: 8 Core 32MB L3 TSMC N7 ~83 mm2
- Zen4 CCD : 8 Core 32MB L3 TSMC N5 ~72 mm2
- Zen5 CCD : 8 Core 32MB L3 TSMC N4 ~71 mm2
- Zen6 CCD : 12 Core 48MB L3 TSMC N2 ~76 mm2
Intel's next-gen Nova Lake lineup is also going the single compute tile and dual compute tile route, with the single compute tile featuring a base 8+16 die that can be configured as needed to several high-end, mainstream, and entry-level models. Meanwhile, the dual compute tile SKUs can go above and beyond the current core counts with up to 52 cores (versus the existing 24 cores). Intel will likely keep its single-compute tile 24-core (8+16) models lined up against AMD's 12+12 or 24-core models. The higher core count models will be positioned in a whole different segment, considering they will offer more than twice the amount of cores as AMD's Zen 6 lineup.
With that said, we are already hearing reports that those higher-end Intel SKUs will operate at much higher TDPs. So it won't be wise to compare AMD's high-end against Intel's Dual Compute Tile configs. These won't just be a vastly different power envelope, but the pricing on Intel's high core count chips is also going to be much higher. AMD can stick with very similar price points as its current-gen lineup to tackle Intel's Nova Lake-S family.
AMD Olympic Ridge vs Intel Nova Lake-S:
| CPUs | Intel Core Ultra 400 | AMD Ryzen 10000? |
|---|---|---|
| Family | Nova Lake-S | Olympic Ridge |
| Architecture | Coyote Cove (P-Core) Arctic Wolf (E/LP Core) | Zen 6 |
| CPU Process | TSMC N2P | TSMC N2P |
| Core Count (Max) | 52 | 24 |
| Thread Count (Max) | 52 | 48 |
| Max P-Cores | 16 | 24 |
| Max E-Cores | 32 | N/A |
| Max LP-E Cores | 4 | N/A |
| Max Cache (L2+L3) | 160-320 MB | 96 MB L3 |
| Max bLLC Cache | 144-288 MB | 64 MB per stack? |
| DDR5 (1DPC 1R) | 8000 MT/s CUDIMM - Yes | 7200 MT/s? CUDIMM - Yes |
| PCIe 5.0 Lanes (Max) | 36 | TBD |
| PCIe 4.0 Lanes (Max) | 16 | TBD |
| Socket Support | LGA 1954 | AM5 |
| Max TDP (PL1) | 125-175W | 125W+ |
| Max Power | ~700W (Dual) ~350W (Single) | TBD |
| Launch | 2H 2026 | 2H 2026 |
Well, it's great to see the return of the core count battles in the second half of this year. Both AMD & Intel will have new families, new platforms, new architectures, higher core counts, and much more for high-end and mainstream desktop builders, and we hope that memory prices also stabilize and go down by that time, making it a perfect time to upgrade your PC.
About the author: A Software Engineer by training and a PC enthusiast by passion, Hassan Mujtaba serves as Wccftech's Senior Editor for hardware section. With years of experience in the industry, he specializes in deep-dive technical analysis of next-generation CPU and GPU architectures, motherboards, and cooling solutions. His work involves not only breaking news on upcoming technologies but also extensive hands-on reviews and benchmarking.
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