Packaging Issue Delays AMD Ryzen 9000 Zen 5 Desktop Chips, But Fear Not
Don't panic though, because the delay is short -- just a week for the six- and eight-core models, and two weeks for the twelve- and 16-core chips. That puts the single-CCD CPUs on August 8th, while the dual-CCD parts are apparently coming on August 15th. It's a bummer to have to hang on for the launch of the hotly-anticipated second-generation Socket AM5 CPUs and their new Zen 5 CPU cores, but at least it's short and for a good reason.
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.
— Jack Huynh, AMD SVP and GM of Computing and Graphics
So what happened? Well, it's not completely clear. AMD SVP and GM Jack Huynh described the problem in a Xwitter post announcing the delay as a "packaging issue." The chipmaker says that the first batch of processors failed to meet the expected quality standards, and that it is being pulled back while AMD ships newly-manufactured units that have been pre-screened and don't suffer from this issue.
The announcement seems similar to Intel's remarks that the CPU oxidation issue its 13th-gen CPUs apparently suffered was "quickly remedied." However, while that problem may have affected as many as half of Raptor Lake CPUs (Intel says the number is far lower), AMD claims that the Ryzen 9000 packaging issue only cropped up for a very small number of chips out in the wild. The company is doing a pre-release recall to make sure that the units that end up on shelves are known-good and not from that first batch with the potential issue.
We'll have a review of the Ryzen 9000 processors ready before too long. Were you planning on buying into Zen 5 out of the gate, waiting for 3D V-Cache models, or were you planning to hold on for the release of Intel's Arrow Lake desktop CPUs later this year? Let us know in the comments.
