AMD Unveils Next-Generation Ryzen Chips at CES 2026
January 6, 2026
AMD has revealed its upcoming lineup of desktop and mobile processors during CES 2026, though an official launch date remains unconfirmed. The company is extending this generation with exciting new chips, including the Ryzen 7 9850X3D and a fresh suite of Ryzen AI 400 series mobile processors.
Ryzen 7 9850X3D: Faster Gaming Powerhouse
The Ryzen 7 9850X3D is a significant upgrade over the Ryzen 7 9800X3D. It retains the same core count, cache, and TDP but offers a boost in maximum frequency by 400MHz. While this might seem modest, the Ryzen 7 9800X3D has already been hailed as one of the best gaming processors, so the enhanced version is poised to attract considerable attention from gamers and enthusiasts alike.
Ryzen AI 400 Series: Competing with Intel Panther Lake
AMD's latest mobile processors, the Ryzen AI 9 HX 475 and HX 470, aim to challenge Intel’s emerging Panther Lake series. The flagship Ryzen AI 9 HX 475 boasts a 12-core/24-thread configuration, reaching up to 5.2GHz boost clock, with a 54W cTDP, 36MB cache, and a groundbreaking 60 TOPS NPU—claimed to be the most powerful x86 NPU available. It is paired with a Radeon 890M integrated GPU featuring 16 compute units and a GPU boost clock of 3.1GHz.
The slightly lesser HX 470 shares similar specifications but features a marginally weaker NPU with 55 TOPS performance. Below is a quick comparison of some key specs:
| Model | Cores/Threads | Max Boost (GHz) | Cache (MB) | Memory Speed (MT/s) | NPU TOPS | GPU Compute Units | |---------|--------------|----------------|----------|-------------------|----------|------------------| | Ryzen AI 9 HX 475 | 12/24 | 5.2 | 36 | 5333 | 60 | 16 | | Ryzen AI 9 HX 470 | 12/24 | 5.2 | 36 | 5333 | 55 | 16 | | Ryzen AI 9 465 | 10/20 | 5.0 | 48 | 5333 | 50 | 12 | | Ryzen AI 7 450 | 8/16 | 5.1 | 24 | 5333 | 50 | 8 | | Ryzen AI 7 445 | 6/12 | 4.6 | 14 | 8000 | 50 | 4 | | Ryzen AI 5 435 | 6/12 | 4.5 | 14 | 8000 | 50 | 4 | | Ryzen AI 5 430 | 4/8 | 4.8 | 12 | 8000 | 50 | 4 |
While AMD claims performance improvements—such as a 71% increase in content creation speed and 29% better multitasking compared to Intel’s Core Ultra 9 288V—the real-world impact remains to be seen once independent tests are conducted.
The Significance of the New Lineup
The new AMD processors are more than just incremental upgrades; they emphasize AI integration and performance enhancements, especially in tasks like content creation and multitasking. However, some comparisons may seem skewed, given the differing target markets of the Intel chips (thin and light laptops vs. gaming and creator laptops).
What’s Next for 2026?
Though the Ryzen 7 9850X3D may not completely satisfy all enthusiasts, the mobile segment presents a fierce competition to Intel, which is preparing to launch laptops powered by Panther Lake CPUs. The upcoming months will be pivotal in determining how these new processors perform in real-world scenarios.
Stay Tuned with TechRadar
TechRadar will cover CES 2026 extensively, providing updates on all major announcements—from wireless TVs and foldable displays to smartphones, laptops, and AI innovations. Follow us on TikTok and WhatsApp for live updates from the show floor.
This article was written by John (He/Him), the Components Editor at TechRadar. He is a programmer, gamer, activist, and Brooklyn College alumnus, recognized as a CES 2020 Media Trailblazer for his tech reporting.