“Barely any Zen 5 CPUs sold” AMD’s new Ryzen 9000 series is off to a slow start

AMD’s latest CPUs, the Ryzen 7 9700X and Ryzen 5 9600X, aren’t selling as well as expected. These new chips are supposed to be faster and cheaper than older models, but so far, people aren’t rushing to buy them. A big computer parts store in Germany says they sold very few of these new chips in the first week.

Even though AMD chips are still more popular than Intel’s, the new Zen 5 chips aren’t doing as well as AMD’s older Zen 4-based Ryzen 7 7800X3D chip, at least for now.

Reasons for poor sales for 9700X and 9600X

Several factors may be contributing to the slow start. Firstly, the aggressive pricing of previous generation AMD and Intel chips, particularly the Ryzen 7 7800X3D, has made them compelling options for many PC builders. Additionally, the relatively recent launch of new AM4 X3D models has further divided the market.

While the store in Germany, Mindfactory, experienced weak sales, Asian retailers reported selling out their initial stock of Zen 5 CPUs due to a combination of balanced performance and pricing. However, these retailers also noted limited supply, which could be attributed to a recent recall of Zen 5 chips due to quality control issues.

Hoping to change the tide

AMD is hoping to change things with its top-of-the-line Ryzen 9 chips, which will be released soon – namely the 9950X and 9900X. These chips are for people who want the fastest builds, aimed at productivity. But for now, the older Ryzen 7 7800X3D chip is still the most popular choice, especially among gamers. It’s still early days for the new Ryzen 7 and Ryzen 5 chips, and sales might pick up as more people learn about them. But for now, it looks like AMD has some work to do to convince people to buy its new processors.

Written by

Tom Valentine

Tom is a tech writer with a detailed view on ensuring the best buying advice, most useful information, and latest news makes its way into PC Guide's articles.

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