Asus, Gigabyte, and MSI have already released new BIOS versions that support these incoming Zen 5 processors, and now ASRock and Biostar have joined the ranks in preparing for what is expected to be Ryzen 9000.

ASRock has also referred to the upcoming CPUs as 'Ryzen 9000' in the release notes, just as Gigabyte did earlier this week. Thus, this is the second instance of the family name being inadvertently revealed, and if the first was an oversight, it seems improbable that such an error would occur again.

It appears almost certain that the next-generation chips based on AMD's Zen 5 architecture will be Ryzen 9000, although this was always the most likely scenario (considering Ryzen 8000 has already been utilised by some existing APUs and mobile chips).

It appears  evident that rumours about Ryzen 9000 nearing its launch must be accurate, as we now have five motherboard manufacturers that have begun initial support for these Zen 5 CPUs (mostly in beta at this stage). Typically, this only occurs when a launch is approaching – if it were still a considerable distance away, there would be no urgency to introduce support.

The press release from Biostar announcing its new BIOS – which is not yet available but will be "soon" – states: "This update is directed at the forthcoming release of AMD's next-generation CPUs, ensuring that Biostar motherboards are ready to maximise the full potential of these state-of-the-art processors."

Press releases often frame things in more dramatic or overstated language, but as this is not a Biostarproduct  reference to the CPUs being imminent can be seen as another indication that Ryzen 9000 may arrive sooner than anticipated.

There was discussion of an exceptionally early launch for Zen 5 desktop processors this year, but the general agreement now points to Q3 as the likely release period. A good bet would be an unveiling of the CPUs at Computex, which takes place in June.

All indications suggest a Q3 debut – possibly even in July – which could pose a headache for Intel, rumoured to be facing difficulties in releasing its competing next-generation CPUs, Arrow Lake, before the year's end.