(Credit: AMD)
If you were hoping to buy AMD’s new desktop processors on launch day, you’ll need to wait a little longer: The company is delaying the Ryzen 9000 release after uncovering some substandard chips within the launch units.
The next-generation processors were supposed to launch on July 31. But on Wednesday, AMD said it's pushing back the release date into August to give it enough time to swap out the lower-quality chips.
“During final checks, we found the initial production units that were shipped to our channel partners did not meet our full quality expectations,” the company said in a statement. “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.”
The change promises to help AMD avoid a messy Ryzen 9000 release—a problem rival Intel has seen in recent weeks with its own desktop chips. But on the downside, AMD fans will need to wait an extra week or two for the Ryzen 9000 series, depending on the chip model.
“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,” AMD said.
The company didn't fully explain what it found wrong with the substandard chips. But an AMD spokesperson said: "This is not a product issue, it is related to testing. We identified an issue with our initial production testing for Ryzen 9000 series processors that could result in a small number of parts reaching market that do not meet our quality standards."
The delay occurs when media outlets, including PCMag, are still waiting to receive review units of the Ryzen 9000 series. In addition, the pricing for the chips remains a mystery, though AMD’s announcement finally provides some explanation.