AMD Ryzen CPU with 16C/32T coming, teased at $999

AMD has shaken up the consumer CPU market with its new Ryzen processors, led by the Ryzen 7 1800X flagship CPU - offering 8C/16T @ 4GHz for $499. This disrupts Intel's market in a big way, because AMD is offering performance similar to, or better than the Core i7-6900K, a processor that costs $999.

The latest rumor is that AMD is ready to hit Intel in the HEDT market even harder, offering a new 16C/32T processor for the $1000 mark - beating out Intel's current flagship Core i7-6950X, which costs $1600+. AMD would reportedly unveil this new Ryzen CPU behemoth at Computex, in just two months time - while Intel launches its next-gen X399 chipset and new flagship Core i7 processor. The rumor is floating over from the ChipHell forums, picked up by Overclock3D.net.

According to the rumor: "Public knowledge by now but AMD has a new HEDT platform coming out in a couple of months. You'll see more of it at Computex I believe. It's a 16 core /32 Thread, quad channel behemoth. And it is insanely quick in the tests that Ryzen is already excelling at. So Cinebench, and all other related productivity programs. The gaming issues that were causing the Ryzen AM4 CPUs to behave erratically to say the least have been ironed out. It's akin to a newer revision on a newer platform. This should be competing with the Xeon and of course 6950X Intel offers for $1700~$1800USD, but at about $1,000 USD if not less for some Skews. Coming soon".

Great tease, huh? The rumor continues: "CPSs are pretty big physically, about twice the size of surrent 6950X CPUs and a bit more perhaps. And if you were hoping for pins, nope it's strictly LGA! It's NOT 8 channel, but Quad. Will be a splendid competition between X299 and this AMD platform. Skylake-X is pretty good, not revolutionary but a meaningful step up in IPC and the clocks are pretty high as well. If Intel will have a 32 core part to compete on X299 remains to be seen, but the HEDT platform is going to change quite a bit in the next 4 to 6 months.?"

I don't think we'll see a revised Ryzen or 'Ryzen 2' processor - but the 16C/32T processor is believable, considering AMD's upcoming Naples CPU will have 32C/64T of pure brute performance - with 128 PCIe 3.0 lanes. AMD could utilize its Naples platform with a HEDT-like Ryzen release with a 16C/32T processor for $999, and a $250-$400 motherboard and really compete with the $2000+ kit from Intel.