AMD could be gunning hard for both Intel and Nvidia with rumored Ryzen 4000 and RDNA 2 Navi October launch

AMD will unleash its next-gen Ryzen 4000 desktop processors alongside new Navi RDNA 2-powered graphics cards, with both set to go on sale in October 2020, according to a new rumor.

A two-pronged simultaneous launch like this would certainly be a feat of timing, and could encourage folks looking for a new PC (or revamping an existing one) to go all-in with both a new AMD CPU and GPU – or that would doubtless be the theory.

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Of course, we should immediately remind you that this is only speculation, and what’s more, it’s theorizing in the face of the current disruption caused by coronavirus – and who knows how all that might play out as 2020 unfolds (even if AMD, as well as Intel, has recently assured us that the crisis won’t affect CPU shipping and availability).

So we should treat this rumor very carefully, which arrives from an anonymous source who spoke to Wccftech, claiming that October is the target launch date for these next-gen processors and graphics cards. And also that Ryzen 4000 CPUs and Big Navi graphics cards will be held prior to release, theoretically with an August or September reveal coming before the products actually go on sale.

What we already know

AMD has previously promised that Ryzen 4000 desktop processors will be out at some stage in 2020, and that the target date for the release of its next-gen RDNA 2 GPUs is the end of 2020 – which we guess October just about qualifies for (at least it’s in the final quarter). So this rumor does line up with what we’ve previously been told by AMD.

Of course, certainly on the CPU front, there’s no huge rush to get Ryzen 4000 out of the door, given that Intel appears to be struggling to finalize and ship its next-gen Comet Lake processors, and Ryzen 3000 remains dominant in the desktop scene.

Graphics cards might be a different matter – given that AMD has let Nvidia effectively rule the high-end roost for some time now – but given that we were previously anticipating a late November or even December launch, at least this rumor appears to be on the more optimistic side with an October timeframe.

Of course, by that time the word on the graphics grapevine is that Nvidia could be launching its own next-gen cards, with the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti supposedly coming before the end of 2020, with a purported 40% performance bump compared to the 2080 Ti. Which naturally would leave AMD with quite a challenge on its hands with the RDNA 2-powered cards…

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