Rumors has it that AMD could be releasing its first 9000 series processor without integrated graphics. Allegedly, this would be the Ryzen 7 9700F, an AM5 8-core CPU based on the Granite Ridge architecture.
The F-suffix, much like Intel's F-type CPUs, and the Ryzen 7500F and 8400F, are CPUs lacking integrated graphics, which is fine if your computer is meant to be game on and you'll be using a discrete GPU anyway.
How this rumor came about is that the ASUS released a new BIOS for the ROG Crosshair X870E Extreme motherboard. And knowing new BIOS revisions, this usually either mean stability improvements or support for new and upcoming CPUs.
What the specs will be remains to be seen, but the rumored 9700F will probably have slightly lower clock speeds than the 3.8 - 5.5 GHz clocks the 9700X. But other specs which is that it being an 8-core CPU with 32MB of Cache and a 65W TDP, should stay identical. What is most targeted for are users who would want a more budget 8-core than the 9700X... like me. Although it remains to be seen, users upgrading from a 7500F or 8400F would have a noticeable performance bump and a good boost for productivity.
If it does get released in the market, I would potentially upgrade over the 7500F my AM5 Gigabyte B650M Mobo has right now.
Links to rumors:
https://www.lowyat.net/2025/355939/amd-ryzen-9-9700f-rumour/
https://www.techspot.com/news/108328-amd-set-launch-ryzen-7-9700f-8-core.html
https://www.guru3d.com/story/amd-ryzen-7-9700f-processor-rumor-8core-zen-5-without-onboard-gpu/
