Opinion

2023 AMD processors: the most asinine mobile CPU names ever?

8.9.2022

Translation: Patrik Stainbrook

Fancy a bit of number crunching? Then you’ll love AMD’s 2023 mobile processors. Their new naming scheme starts with the series year – i.e. the year a CPU was introduced – instead of just the model. What?!

AMD is prioritising absurd marketing gimmicks above logic. Instead of referencing a specific model, the designations for AMD mobile CPUs will begin with the series year starting in 2023. Processor designations will continue to consist of four digits and a letter suffix in 2023. Thus, the processor generation and performance can still be read, but the information has been rearranged.

The Ryzen 5 7640U serves as an example, but the new naming scheme applies to AMD’s entire mobile portfolio.

The first number now stands for the series year. 7 stands for 2023, since the count starts with the first Ryzen CPUs from 2017.
The second number reflects the market segment. They’re in ascending order from one for the weakest to nine for the most powerful CPUs – i.e. Athlon Silver to Ryzen 9.
The third number shows which architecture the chip has. Zen 1 gets a one, Zen 2 a two, and so on.
The fourth number stands for different versions within the architecture. Slower chips are assigned a zero, faster ones a five.
The suffix at the end still indicates Thermal Design Power (TDP). Processors with a power consumption of 55 watts or more get an «HX» – at 35 watts it’s «HS», at 15 to 28 watts it’s «U» or «C» (Chromebooks) and at 9 watts it’s «e».

Phew, everybody alright? For me, this is all rather bizarre, since the manufacturer is sticking to their current naming scheme for desktop CPUs (for now?). While I can certainly get used to the new template, I’ll have to remember the desktop switch each time.

But what about consumers used to something different? Why shouldn’t AMD mobile processors follow Intel’s lead, where the first two numbers clearly stand for the tenth, eleventh or twelfth generation? Why not change up your desktop processors too? Will there be suckers getting excited about a fake AMD bargain?

I like AMD, but with a naming scheme as confusing as this one, I might have to think twice from now on. Please fix this. Good support and therefore good marketing starts before money changes hands – through sensible labelling, where a higher first number always points towards a product that’s stronger.

Cover image: AMD

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