There’s been a lot of excitement around AMD’s next-generation desktop CPUs, which were initially scheduled for release at the end of this month. Unfortunately, you’ll have to wait a bit longer. AMD has pushed the launch date for the Ryzen 9000 series to August 8th for Ryzen 5/7 chips and August 15th for Ryzen 9. It’s a disappointing delay, but the company is prioritizing quality.
AMD’s cautious approach stems from recent high-profile issues faced by Intel with its powerful chips. To avoid similar problems, AMD assures that every chip reaching retailers at launch will be thoroughly screened.
Jack Huynh, SVP and GM of Computing and Graphics at AMD, released the following statement:
“We appreciate the excitement around Ryzen 9000 series processors. During final checks, we found the initial production units that were shipped to our channel partners did not meet our full quality expectations. Out of an abundance of caution and to maintain the highest quality experiences for every Ryzen user, we are working with our channel partners to replace the initial production units with fresh units. As a result, there will be a short delay in retail availability. The Ryzen 7 9700X and Ryzen 5 9600X processors will now go on sale on August 8th and the Ryzen 9 9950X and Ryzen 9 9900X processors will go on-sale on August 15th. We pride ourselves in providing a high-quality experience for every Ryzen user, and we look forward to our fans having a great experience with the new Ryzen 9000 series.”
Pricing details for the new chips — including the 16-core Ryzen 9 9950X, 12-core Ryzen 9 9900X, 8-core Ryzen 7 9700X, and 6-core Ryzen 5 9600X — are still pending. The previous generation Ryzen 9 7950X had a starting price of $700, with discounts available over time. X3D variants with the popular V-Cache feature are expected later this year or in early 2025.
Early testing leaks suggest that the flagship Ryzen 9 9950X outperforms Intel’s Core i9-14900K by over 30% in some benchmarks, with impressive cooling at similar power levels. Performance enthusiasts are eager to test these new CPUs, especially since they should be compatible with existing AM5 socket motherboards.
