AMD Zen5 desktop CPU reviews before launch
Good news, AMD will be allowing reviewers to share their findings a day before launch.
Embargoes can be hard to navigate. NVIDIA typically has several embargoes for each product, covering areas like product disclosure, unboxing, reviews, and even the MSRP and non-MSRP models. CPU launches tend to be a bit simpler, as there are no custom CPUs to review, but they still have multiple embargoes, such as with the Ryzen 9000 series.
For the Zen5 launch, AMD has set up at least four embargoes. This number increases to five if reviews are included and six if board partner embargoes are considered. To keep things straightforward, we have only listed the official embargoes.
AMD Ryzen 9000 launch embargoes:
- ✅ Ryzen 9000 announcement: June 4th
- ✅ Ryzen 9000 Zen5 Tech Day: July 15th
- ✅Further Zen5/RDNA3.5 architecture details : July 24th
- ❌ Original Launch Date: July 31st (canceled) ⤵️
Ryzen 5 9600X, Ryzen 7 9700X
- 🔲Reviews : August 7th
- 🔲Release (on-shelf): August 8th
Ryzen 9 9900X, Ryzen 9 9950X
- 🔲Reviews: August 14th
- 🔲Release (on-shelf) : August 15th
Ryzen 9000 review embargoes, Source: Hardware Unboxed
So far, AMD has imposed three embargoes for the Ryzen 9000 series, following Computex and Zen5 Tech Day earlier this month. Despite lifting the last embargo on Monday, AMD has not yet revealed pricing information. At this point it is unclear when will that happen, beccause even the yesterday’s launch date change took everyone by surprise, including reviewers.
The good news is that the launch will be staggered, giving reviewers more time to prepare their coverage. Even better, the reviews will be posted a day before the launch, providing enough time to read and make informed decisions. This review embargo was confirmed by HardwareUnboxed, which also noted that review samples have already been sent out.
Moreover, worth noting that this does not affect mobile Zen5 launch, the Ryzen AI 300 series. One should expect reviews of this platform already this week.
| AMD Ryzen (AM5) Desktop Series | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VideoCardz.com | CPU Cores | Max Clock | TDP | MSRP |
AMD Ryzen 9000 - ZEN5 - Granite Ridge | ||||
| Ryzen 9 9950X | 16x Zen5 | 5.7 GHz | 170W | TBC |
| Ryzen 9 9900X | 12x Zen5 | 5.6 GHz | 120W | TBC |
| Ryzen 7 9700X | 8x Zen5 | 5.5 GHz | 65W | TBC |
| Ryzen 5 9600X | 6x Zen5 | 5.4 GHz | 65W | TBC |
AMD Ryzen 7000 - ZEN4 - Raphael | ||||
| Ryzen 9 7950X3D | 16x Zen4 | 5.7 GHz | 120W | $699/€789 |
| Ryzen 9 7950X | 16x Zen4 | 5.7 GHz | 170W | $699/€849 |
| Ryzen 9 7900X3D | 12x Zen4 | 5.6 GHz | 120W | $599/€679 |
| Ryzen 9 7900X | 12x Zen4 | 5.6 GHz | 170W | $649/€669 |
| Ryzen 7 7800X3D | 8x Zen4 | 5.0 GHz | 120W | $449/€499 |
| Ryzen 7 7700X | 8x Zen4 | 5.4 GHz | 105W | $399/€479 |
| Ryzen 5 7600X | 6x Zen4 | 5.3 GHz | 105W | $299/€359 |
Source: Hardware Unboxed via HXL