AMD shares the prices of its new Ryzen 9000 series processors and people’s reaction to the prices was not all that positive. The new Zen 5 chips will typically replace the now existing Ryzen 7000 series but it’s the pricing structure of these new models that has left people asking themselves whether they should switch to a newer generation product or not.
Pricing Details
The CPUs in the new lineup offered by AMD are different, each model has its own parameters and cost. But the prices of these new chips are sort of on the up and up and down and up again…if you get the picture. While the initial price is lower than the chips in the Ryzen 7000 series, they are still more expensive than the current price of the Zen 4 processors. This makes the decision to upgrade a little bit tricky from the consumer’s end.
For example, the Ryzen 5 9600X costs $279 and is $20 cheaper than the Ryzen 5 7600X when it was first released into the market. The price of the 7600X has come down significantly to $197 on Amazon, now while the price difference of $80 makes the 9600X appear like a brand new model, which comes with a high price. However, for such a price, I believe that, unless the 9600X can run like a cheetah, it will be very hard to justify that extra cost.
Going a notch higher up the line, we have the Ryzen 7 9700X, which costs $359, which is $40 less expensive than the Ryzen 7 7700X before its release. However, the 7700X is now available for around $290, thus the new chip appears to be $69 more expensive. Although AMD proudly claims that the 9700X will give a better performance than the 5800X3D, it remains a tough call whether it can surpass the 7800X3D in gaming.
High-End Chips: An expensive process
This is followed by the story that is associated with the high end models. The Ryzen 9 9900X has been priced at $499, $50 more than what was suggested in the Best Buy leak. Still, it is $50 cheaper than the Ryzen 9 7900X at launch. Here’s the catch: The 7900X can now be had for $359, which means that for $140 more, the 9900X had better be lightning fast.
And then we have the Ryzen 9 9950X which goes for $649. Once again, this is $50 higher than the projected number but $50 lower than the Ryzen 9 7950X launch price. However, with the 7950X now in the market costing $523, users will have to part with an additional $126 to get the Zen 5 chip.
If this description has confused you out, then here I’ve sorted it out for you:
AMD Ryzen 9000 Series Pricing
- AMD Ryzen 5 9600X
- Price: $279
- Comparison: $20 cheaper than Ryzen 5 7600X at launch
- Current Ryzen 5 7600X Price: $197 (Amazon)
- Difference: $82 more than the current 7600X price
- AMD Ryzen 7 9700X
- Price: $359
- Comparison: $40 cheaper than Ryzen 7 7700X at launch
- Current Ryzen 7 7700X Price: $290 (Amazon)
- Difference: $69 more than the current 7700X price
- AMD Ryzen 9 9900X
- Price: $499
- Comparison: $50 more than Best Buy leak price
- Launch Price: $50 cheaper than Ryzen 9 7900X
- Current Ryzen 9 7900X Price: $359
- Difference: $140 more than the current 7900X price
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- Price: $649
- Comparison: $50 more than Best Buy leak price
- Launch Price: $50 cheaper than Ryzen 9 7950X
- Current Ryzen 9 7950X Price: $523
- Difference: $126 more than the current 7950X price
The Real Competition: Traditional vs. Modern
Notably, the main rivals for the upcoming Ryzen 9000 series processors may be AMD’s own products. The older Zen 4 lineup presents itself as a tough competition, particularly in the race for the best gaming CPU. If the X3D chips based on AMD’s 3D V-cache were missing in the first Zen 5 models, gamers could stick to the reliable Zen 4 lineup.
The winner can be predicted as Ryzen 7 9700X at $359 which seems to be a good mid-range processor. But for the majority of consumers this is where the decision to upgrade might depend on future Zen 5 chips price drops. AMD appears to be relying on this strategy to sell through its old stock and take advantage of the premium prices on the new CPUs.
Conclusion
With the launch date of the AMD Ryzen 9000 series fast approaching, many are interested in the first performance results. All these new chips stand up to their expectations and price tags? Only time will tell. Until then see why AMD is becoming a big AI chip company.
