This is the kind of move usually associated with Troubled Chipzilla, rather than a chipmaker that built its recent reputation on innovation.

According to AMD’s own product pages, the “new” Ryzen 10 series is based on the ancient Zen 2 “Mendocino” architecture, while the Ryzen 100 series revives Zen 3+ “Rembrandt R” silicon. The specs are identical to the original parts, right down to the clocks, cores and integrated graphics. The only thing new is the name.

The Ryzen 10 range includes the Ryzen 5 40, Ryzen 3 30, Athlon Gold 20 and Athlon Silver 10, all with the same 15W TDP and Radeon 610M iGPU found in last year’s laptops. Each chip lines up perfectly with an older model. The Ryzen 5 40 matches the Ryzen 5 7520U, Ryzen 3 30 mirrors the 7320U, Athlon Gold 20 is a rebadged 7220U and Athlon Silver 10 is really just a 7120U in new clothes.

The Ryzen 100 series pulls the same stunt with the Zen 3+ chips. The Ryzen 7 170 and 160, Ryzen 5 150 and 130, and Ryzen 3 110 all share identical specs with the Ryzen 7735HS, 7735U, 7535HS, 7535U and 7335U respectively. Clock speeds, cache sizes and iGPUs are unchanged, right down to the wattage.

All these “new” CPUs launched on 1 October 2025, but the only thing fresh about them is the model number. Expect them to quietly replace the old SKUs in upcoming budget laptops, allowing OEMs to claim they are using the “latest Ryzen” without changing anything.

AMD’s decision to use two and three-digit naming might be the biggest change of all, echoing Chipzilla’s recent Core 5 120 and 120F rebadging scheme. Both companies appear to be trading real innovation for spreadsheet creativity.

Releasing recycled silicon is nothing new, but it is becoming increasingly difficult to tell whether these updates exist for performance or just for marketing departments desperate to fill launch slides.

For now, buyers can rest easy knowing that the Ryzen 10 and 100 series offer the same performance as before, because they are the same processors.