AMD may be doing something unprecedented with Ryzen 9000

AMD

AMD’s Ryzen 9000 processors are right around the corner, set to launch this month — and we just got our first hint about how much they might cost. An early preorder from a Slovenian retailer revealed the pricing for all four Zen 5 desktop chips. On the whole, it’s good news. AMD appears to be doing something that hardly ever happens by keeping the prices lower than they were at the launch of Zen 4. However, that doesn’t mean that buying the new processors will save you money.

The preorders at Funtech, a Slovenian retailer, are now open, and this just might be the first place that’s already selling Zen 5. The flagship Ryzen 9 9950X was listed at 660 euros ($708 at current exchange rates), followed by the Ryzen 9 9900X at 500 euros ($536), the Ryzen 7 9700X at 400 euros ($429), and lastly, the Ryzen 5 9600X, priced at 310 euros ($332).

This is an unexpected development. Compared to the launch prices for the Ryzen 7000 in Europe, AMD is offering some sizeable price cuts. The Ryzen 7 7950X launched at 850 euros; the Ryzen 9 7900X — at 670 euros; the Ryzen 7 7700X cost 480 euros, and the Ryzen 5 7600X — 360 euros. That’s a massive difference, with the flagship being a whopping 190 euros cheaper than it was in the previous generation.

Now, it’s important to remember that the prices in the U.S. are vastly different. At launch, the four chips were priced between $700 for the 7950X and $300 for the 7600X. It’s difficult to estimate the pricing in dollars as a result, but, given that PC hardware is often pricier in Europe, we can most likely expect lower prices in the U.S.

A price cut of this size is pretty unprecedented, and it shows that AMD is paying attention. Ryzen 7000 processors were expensive at launch and quickly received multiple price cuts. Now, the Ryzen 9 7950X costs around $595, while the 7950X3D is priced at $650. This is the bad part of the news.

Funtech

Even if we assume that the prices in the U.S. will be a little lower than they are in Slovenia now, Zen 5 processors will still cost more than their Zen 4 equivalents. That, in itself, isn’t surprising at all. New hardware always costs more, and it’s possible that AMD may adopt that same approach and start out with higher prices so that it can offer discounts later on.

This was first spotted by VideoCardz. Although Ryzen 9000 doesn’t have an official release date yet, we know it’s coming in July, and rumor has it that it’ll launch on July 31. The preorders add some weight to that rumor, as the chips are said to begin shipping on August 2.

It’s important to remember that this is just data from one European retailer, and it’s too early to guess how much Zen 5 may cost when the preorders open in the U.S. However, it’s certainly good to see that AMD may have decided to lower the recommended list price at launch to something more reasonable.

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