The launch-day MSRPs for AMD’s initial four Ryzen 9000 desktop processors have been revealed. The two mid-range models are set to ship this week, with the high-end CPUs becoming available next week. While the top two processors are slightly more expensive than anticipated, all Zen 5 chips are priced lower than their Zen 4 predecessors at launch.
Leading the lineup is AMD’s flagship Ryzen 9 9950X, featuring 16 cores, 32 threads, a maximum boost clock of 5.7GHz, a 170W TDP, and 80MB of cache, starting at $649. Although the theoretical max boost is 5.58 GHz, extreme overclocking can push it beyond 6.5 GHz.
Next is the Ryzen 9 9900X, a 12-core, 24-thread CPU with a 5.6 GHz max boost, 120W TDP, and 76MB of cache, launching at $499. Both Ryzen 9 models will be available starting August 8, priced $50 lower than their Ryzen 7000 counterparts at launch.
The mainstream parts are priced as predicted. The Ryzen 7 9700X, with 8 cores, 16 threads, a 5.5 GHz max boost, 65W TDP, and 40MB of cache, debuts at $359.
Finally, the Ryzen 5 9600X launches at $279, offering 6 cores, 12 threads, a 5.4 GHz max boost, 65W TDP, and 38MB of cache. Both the Ryzen 7 and Ryzen 5 CPUs will start shipping on August 15.
AMD claims that Zen 5 delivers around a 16% IPC performance improvement over Zen 4 and about a 14% overall performance gain compared to Intel’s 14th-generation chips. Independent reviews are currently verifying these claims.
In the near term, Zen 5’s primary competition might be Zen 4, as Ryzen 7000 CPUs are now available at significantly reduced prices until remaining stock is cleared. For instance, the 7950X is priced at $522, the 7900X at around $358, the 7700X at $286, and the 7600X is available for under $200.
