AMD had originally planned to launch its new Zen 5 processors on July 31, including the 16-core, 32-thread Ryzen 9 9950X, a chip it calls “the world’s most powerful consumer desktop processor.” Instead, it’s now announcing a one- to two-week delay “out of an abundance of caution.” The Ryzen 7 9700X and Ryzen 5 9600X will now launch on August 8, while the Ryzen 9 9950X and Ryzen 9 9900X will go on sale on August 15.
This is No because AMD has not found any problems with the actual chips, says spokesperson Stacy MacDiarmid The edgeRather, AMD discovered that some of its chips didn't go through all the proper testing procedures, and the company wants to make sure that's the case.
Below is the full statement from AMD SVP of Computing and Graphics Jack Huynh:
We appreciate the excitement around the Ryzen 9000 series processors. During final testing, we discovered that the initial production units that shipped to our channel partners did not meet all of our quality expectations. Out of an abundance of caution and to maintain the highest quality experience for every Ryzen user, we are working with our channel partners to replace the initial production units with new units. As a result, there will be a brief delay in retail availability. The Ryzen 7 9700X and Ryzen 5 9600X processors will go on sale August 8.He and the Ryzen 9 9950X and Ryzen 9 9900X processors will go on sale on August 15HeWe pride ourselves on delivering a high-quality experience for every Ryzen user and we hope our fans have a great experience with the new Ryzen 9000 series.
AMD has already recalled chips that needed additional testing before they could go on sale, and testing appears to be going smoothly; AMD engineers are confident the chips won't face any further delays, according to MacDiarmid.
Tom's Hardware Store reports that those failing Intel chips have been permanently degraded and will need to be returned to Intel; we have reached out to Intel with a list of questions about how they are handling the situation.
