AMD delays Ryzen 9000-series retail launch by a couple of weeks after discovering an issue with the first batch of chips

Image of a Ryzen 9000 series processor with the heat spreader removed, against a red background

(Image credit: AMD)

AMD has delayed the on-shelf availability of its new Zen 5-powered Ryzen 9000-series processors until August after discovering an issue with the first batch of chips.

With an original on-sale date of July 31, the company is now aiming to have the Ryzen 7 9700X and Ryzen 5 9600X on shelves by August 8, and the Ryzen 9 9950X and Ryzen 9 9900X by August 15.

AMD hasn't gone into exact details on what was wrong with the first batch of Ryzen 9000 processors but says they failed in the final stage of checks. The fault was discovered only after it had started shipping to its partners ready for launch, hence the multi-week delay in getting another batch of fresh chips in production and out of the door.

This will mean a little longer to wait for both the chips themselves and news of how well they run from our test bench but you need not worry, we already have some idea of how they perform from some early testing made available elsewhere.

AMD is committed to providing a high-quality experience to every Ryzen user. Please see below for updated information on retail availability of AMD Ryzen 9000 Series processors. https://t.co/MGDxVC3MEjJuly 24, 2024

AMD's full statement reads as follows:

"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. Apologies for the delay. 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."

That's everything so far on the matter but once we know more, we'll let you know as soon as we do.

Jacob earned his first byline writing for his own tech blog. From there, he graduated to professionally breaking things as hardware writer at PCGamesN, and would go on to run the team as hardware editor. He joined PC Gamer's top staff as senior hardware editor before becoming managing editor of the hardware team, and you'll now find him reporting on the latest developments in the technology and gaming industries and testing the newest PC components.