More rigorous testing and screening have reportedly corrected the problem.
AMD had planned to launch its first round of Ryzen 9000-series desktop processors by the end of July, but those plans have changed thanks to a very non-specific problem found with the first batch of processors that AMD sent out to its partners. The six- and eight-core Ryzen 9600X and 9700X are now slated to launch on August 8, and the 12- and 16-core Ryzen 9900X and 9950X will launch on August 15.
AMD’s full statement is below:
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.
When asked for details about the specific problem and what the fix was, AMD Public Relations Manager Matthew Hurwitz told Ars that AMD had implemented additional screening for the Ryzen 9000 CPUs but couldn’t share specifics about what AMD is screening for.
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It doesn’t seem as though any changes are being made to the silicon or the manufacturing process itself, and Hurwitz told us that the first batch of processors would be sent back out to channel partners once they had been recalled and re-screened.
The Ryzen 9000-series CPUs are the direct follow-up to the Ryzen 7000 series from late 2022, and the second generation of chips to use the AM5 processor socket—if you don’t count the Ryzen 7000X3D CPUs, which are Ryzen 7000 with more L3 cache, or the Ryzen 8000G chips, which are Zen 4-based laptop processors repackaged for desktops. Ryzen 9000 chips should drop into existing AM5 motherboards after a BIOS update, though AMD is also releasing a mildly improved lineup of chipsets to power new boards.
AMD has prioritized power efficiency for the Ryzen 9000 chips but is still promising low-double-digit performance improvements in both single- and multi-core workloads.
