AMD Confirms Backing 105W TDP on Ryzen 5 9600K and Ryzen 7 9700K CPUs

AMD has officially announced its support for a 105W thermal design power (TDP) rating on the Ryzen 5 9600K and Ryzen 7 9700K processors.

An Unexpected Reversal of Decision

A surprise move by AMD regarding the power specifications of the Ryzen 9000 series processors had raised eyebrows earlier on. Initially, the company had restricted the Ryzen 7 9700X and Ryzen 5 9600X to a mere 65W TDP. It was a perplexing change considering that the previous generation’s Ryzen 5 7600X and Ryzen 7 7700X had a standard 105W TDP. This shift to lower power constraints for the enthusiast-grade “X” processors seemed counterintuitive.

Responding to the feedback and criticisms, AMD has swiftly taken corrective measures. Recent BIOS updates have introduced the option to set a 105W TDP for the new Ryzen 5 and Ryzen 7 processors. Moreover, the latest update suggests that AMD will officially endorse the higher TDP, ensuring full warranty coverage for users opting to operate the processors at these power levels.

The decision to launch the Ryzen 5 9600X and Ryzen 7 9700X at 65W initially raised questions. Continuity with past practices could have seen non-“X” variants released at 65W later, while the enthusiast-grade processors maintained the higher TDP from the start. While the Zen 5 architecture boasts exceptional efficiency, artificially capping multi-threaded workloads at launch seemed an unwise move. Nevertheless, this oversight is being rectified, although users must remember to update their motherboard BIOS for compatibility.

For further insight into the TDP adjustment stemming from the forthcoming AGESA 1.2.0.2 update, refer to VideoCardz (source).