Granite Ridge with 12 and 16 Zen5 cores formally launched

AMD has launched its high-end series.

The Ryzen 9000 series hasn’t made a big splash with reviewers or consumers, especially with the initial launch of the 6 and 8-core SKUs. The question now is whether the new Ryzen 9 processors can turn things around.

Today, AMD is launching its high-end 12-core Ryzen 9 9900X and 16-core Ryzen 9 9950X processors. These chips represent the top tier of AMD’s AM5 portfolio and offer strong performance in certain scenarios.

However, gamers might still want to stick with the previous generation’s X3D models. The 8-core Ryzen 7 7800X3D remains unbeatable in gaming benchmarks, and until AMD releases a worthy successor, it’s tough to find anything that matches its price-to-performance ratio.

AMD Ryzen 9000 (affiliate links)

• Ryzen 9 9950X : $649 ➡️ Amazon , Newegg
• Ryzen 9 9900X : $499 ➡️ Amazon , Newegg
• Ryzen 7 9700X : $359 ➡️ Amazon , Newegg , BestBuy
• Ryzen 5 9600X : $279 ➡️ Amazon , Newegg , BestBuy

It’s also important to note that AMD’s recently announced X870 motherboards are expected to arrive in mid-September. Currently, none of these boards are available for sale, so the Ryzen 9 launch is reliant on existing 600-series motherboards, which are fully compatible.

Looking ahead, AMD’s Zen 5 desktop lineup is expected to expand, including non-X SKUs and models featuring 3D V-Cache. These new processors are expected to launch in September, coinciding with Intel’s rumored release of the Core Ultra 200K series.

Before making any purchase, definitely check out the roundup of Ryzen 9 9000 reviews here .