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AMD to Unveil Zen 3 Ryzen Chips on Oct. 8, New Radeon Graphics Cards on Oct. 28

To build up the hype, AMD is boasting that the Zen 3 architecture for the next-gen Ryzen processors will take 'PC gaming and content creation leadership to new heights.'

Michael Kan
 & Michael Kan Principal Reporter

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(Credit: AMD)

Get ready for next-gen CPUs and graphics cards from AMD. 

The chip vendor will hold an event on Oct. 8 devoted to AMD’s upcoming Zen 3 architecture, which is slated to power new Ryzen 4000 desktop CPUs. 

Then on Oct. 28, the company will talk about RDNA 2, the architecture behind AMD’s anticipated RX 6000-series graphics cards. 

The announcement from AMD (Credit: AMD)

AMD dropped the news on Wednesday in several tweets from the company. “It’s going to be an exciting fall for gamers,” wrote company CEO Lisa Su. 

To build up the hype, AMD says the Zen 3 architecture will take “PC gaming and content creation leadership to new heights,” a possible dig at Intel, which has struggled to compete against AMD’s Ryzen processors. The Zen 3 architecture is set to arrive built with an improved 7-nanometer manufacturing process from TSMC. 

On the GPU side, AMD is claiming RDNA 2 will offer a “breakthrough in gaming architecture.” The technology is set to compete against Nvidia’s newly announced GeForce RTX 3000- graphics card series, which promise to offer buyers a massive performance improvement. The cards start going on sale next week first with the $699 RTX 3080.

AMD's RDNA 2 is also going to power the graphics in both the upcoming Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5. So console game fans have reason to tune into the Oct. 28 event as well. 

All the new hardware is poised to give gamers plenty of reason to upgrade and build new PC gaming units this fall. For AMD, the main question will be pricing and the performance gains the next-generation silicon will bring. Stay tuned for our coverage. 

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About Our Expert

Michael Kan

Michael Kan

Principal Reporter

My Experience

I've been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I'm currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country's technology sector.

Since 2020, I've covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet service, writing 600+ stories on availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over the expansion of satellite constellations, fights with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I've combed through FCC filings for the latest news and driven to remote corners of California to test Starlink's cellular service.

I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. In 2024 and 2025, the FTC forced Avast to pay consumers $16.5 million for secretly harvesting and selling their personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint investigation with Motherboard.

I also cover the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages led me to camp out in front of a Best Buy to get an RTX 3000. I'm now following how the AI-driven memory shortage is impacting the entire consumer electronics market. I'm always eager to learn more, so please jump in the comments with feedback and send me tips.

The Best Tech I've Had:

  • My first video game console: a Nintendo Famicom
  • I loved my Sega Saturn despite PlayStation's popularity.
  • The iPod Video I received as a gift in college
  • Xbox 360 FTW
  • The Galaxy Nexus was the first smartphone I was proud to own.
  • The PC desktop I built in 2013, which still works to this day.

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