AMD is considering increasing the TDP of Ryzen 7 9700X to 120W

At Computex Taipei 2024, AMD unveiled four Ryzen 9000 processors based on the Zen 5 architecture. Among them is the 8-core, 16-thread Ryzen 7 9700X, which is poised to become a popular choice among gamers. However, given the overwhelming success and popularity of the current Ryzen 7 7800X3D, AMD is reportedly considering increasing the TDP of the Ryzen 7 9700X to enhance its performance.

According to Wccftech, AMD is contemplating raising the TDP of the Ryzen 7 9700X from 65W to 120W, nearly doubling it. This processor has a base frequency of 3.8GHz and a boost frequency of 5.5GHz. In comparison, the current Ryzen 7 7700X has a TDP of 105W, a base frequency of 4.5GHz, and a boost frequency of 5.4GHz. Although the Ryzen 7 9700X’s maximum frequency is 100MHz higher than that of the Ryzen 7 7700X, its base frequency is 700MHz lower, a consequence of its initially lower TDP. Increasing the TDP would enable it to maintain higher stable frequencies.

Of course, even with an increased frequency, the Ryzen 7 9700X’s gaming performance is unlikely to rival that of the Ryzen 7 7800X3D. AMD’s Senior Technical Marketing Manager, Don Waligroski, has already stated that the gaming performance of the Ryzen 7 9700X will not match that of the Ryzen 7 7800X3D, though the difference is not as vast as one might expect. Nevertheless, raising the TDP would improve the Ryzen 7 9700X’s multi-threaded performance, which is a key feature of the Zen 5 architecture.

It remains uncertain whether AMD will indeed modify the TDP of the Ryzen 7 9700X. Although it has been announced, it has not yet been released to the market. Any changes to its design specifications would entail significant adjustments, and it is possible that it could be rebranded as the Ryzen 7 9700XT in the future, akin to the current Ryzen 5000XT series.