I’ve Never Been This ANGRY and CONFUSED - AMD 2025 Product Update (CES)

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8 Feb 2025

Every year, tech enthusiasts and professionals around the world eagerly anticipate the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) to witness the latest innovations in computing, gaming, and high-performance hardware. AMD, one of the most influential semiconductor companies in the world, has consistently delivered groundbreaking announcements at CES over the past decade. However, the 2025 AMD Product Update at CES was unlike any other presentation we’ve seen before—not because of innovation, but because of the sheer confusion and frustration it caused.

As a long-time follower of AMD’s technological evolution, I was genuinely excited for this year’s event. New processors, graphics cards, AI-powered enhancements, and efficiency improvements were expected, but what I encountered instead was a perplexing mess of vague announcements, contradictory claims, and an utter lack of clear communication. By the end of the presentation, I had never been more angry and confused about a tech update.
In this article, I will break down exactly what happened at AMD’s CES 2025 event, where they went wrong, and what this means for the future of Ryzen, Radeon, and AMD’s overall standing in the industry.

AMD’s Overhyped, Underdelivered Ryzen 9000 Series

One of the most anticipated aspects of CES 2025 was the Ryzen 9000 series, AMD’s latest line of desktop processors built on the new Zen 5 architecture. The expectation was that these chips would offer significant IPC (Instructions Per Cycle) gains, improved power efficiency, and better gaming performance. Instead, what we got was a messy, unclear presentation that left more questions than answers.

Confusing Benchmarks and Performance Claims

AMD showcased a few benchmark results that were intended to demonstrate the raw power of Ryzen 9000, but rather than presenting clear comparisons with last-gen Ryzen 7000 or even Intel’s 14th-gen Raptor Lake Refresh, they used obscure, cherry-picked workloads that told us almost nothing about real-world performance.
For instance, AMD claimed that the Ryzen 9 9950X would be “the most powerful gaming CPU ever built,” but when they showed frame rate comparisons, they only picked one or two titles, conveniently ignoring competitive benchmarks against Intel’s Core i9-14900K or the rumored Meteor Lake-S lineup. Where was the full suite of gaming tests? Where was the productivity benchmarking? These omissions left the audience bewildered and skeptical.

Zen 5 and the Missing Technical Details

In previous years, AMD provided detailed architectural breakdowns, explaining how they achieved performance gains. This year? Nothing. There was no deep dive into the core improvements of Zen 5. No discussion of cache changes, memory latency improvements, or AI-assisted processing enhancements. All we got were generic buzzwords like “Next-Gen Performance” and “Unparalleled Efficiency.” That’s not enough, AMD.
For tech enthusiasts and professionals who need detailed information to make purchasing decisions, this lack of transparency was frustrating beyond belief.

RDNA 4: Where Is It?

Arguably the biggest disappointment of the entire CES 2025 event was AMD’s handling of RDNA 4, the next-generation GPU architecture. Rumors had been swirling for months that AMD would unveil Radeon RX 8000 series graphics cards, built on a refined RDNA 4 architecture. Expectations were sky-high—new ray tracing capabilities, better power efficiency, and a true competitor to NVIDIA’s RTX 5000 series.
Instead? Nothing.

The Radeon Blackout

AMD’s CEO, Dr. Lisa Su, spent an entire 30 seconds talking about RDNA 4, merely stating that “more information will be available later this year.” That’s it. No specs, no performance previews, no architectural insights—absolutely nothing.
This complete lack of transparency left everyone wondering: Is RDNA 4 in trouble? Is AMD delaying their next-gen GPUs? Are they losing confidence in their ability to compete with NVIDIA? The absence of any meaningful information suggests something deeply problematic behind the scenes, and for AMD enthusiasts, this was nothing short of infuriating.

AI Everywhere: A Buzzword Without Substance

Another major theme of CES 2025 was AMD’s push into AI-driven computing. AI is undoubtedly the next big thing in computing, and both Intel and NVIDIA have made major strides in integrating AI acceleration into their processors. AMD, not wanting to be left behind, spent a significant portion of their keynote discussing their AI-powered innovations. But here’s the problem—they said a lot without actually saying anything.

AMD boasted about their AI-powered Ryzen and Radeon chips, but when it came to real-world applications, benchmarks, and user benefits, the presentation was a complete letdown. What AI workloads are these CPUs accelerating? How do they compare to Intel’s AI Boost or NVIDIA’s Tensor Core advancements? Again, AMD refused to provide clear answers.

Without concrete evidence, their AI claims felt hollow, almost as if they were throwing the buzzword around just to stay relevant. Tech enthusiasts don’t want marketing fluff—we want data.

What This Means for AMD’s Future

The 2025 AMD CES presentation was one of the most infuriating and confusing events I have ever witnessed in the tech space. Rather than providing clear and valuable insights into their next-gen CPUs, GPUs, and AI advancements, AMD delivered an event that felt rushed, directionless, and filled with meaningless marketing jargon.

Potential Problems Behind the Scenes

The lack of clarity raises several concerns about AMD’s internal struggles:

Is AMD experiencing delays in production for Ryzen 9000 and RDNA 4?
Are they struggling to keep up with Intel and NVIDIA’s advancements?
Is their AI roadmap still in its infancy compared to the competition?

All of these questions remain unanswered, leaving both consumers and investors uncertain about AMD’s trajectory.

A Warning for AMD

AMD has spent the last decade rebuilding its reputation, rising from an underdog to a serious competitor against Intel and NVIDIA. However, presentations like this one could undo years of hard work. Lack of transparency, vague performance claims, and absence of key product announcements erode consumer confidence.
If AMD wants to maintain its momentum, it must communicate more effectively, provide concrete data, and be honest about delays or challenges. Otherwise, they risk losing trust—and ultimately, market share—to their competitors.

Conclusion: AMD, Do Better.

I have never been this angry and confused following an AMD presentation. The 2025 CES update left me feeling frustrated, uninformed, and deeply concerned about the company’s direction. As a long-time supporter of AMD’s innovations, I truly hope they can turn this around in the coming months.

For now, though, the ball is in AMD’s court. They need to regain our trust by delivering real, detailed product information, offering competitive performance benchmarks, and being transparent about their roadmap. Anything less, and they risk falling behind in an industry that does not forgive complacency.

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