AMD’s first run of Ryzen 9000 chips are finallly here, with both the Ryzen 9 9700X and Ryzen 5 9600X available to purchase in the UK and US as of August 8th 2024. It marks two years of waiting since the launch of Ryzen 7000 back in mid-2022, which brought with it some amazing performance boosts compared to the previous generation of chips.
Our review of these two chips are out, and in short, we’re looking at brisker results with a higher grade of efficiency, making them a sensible upgrade even against the equivalent chips from Ryzen 7000, without the need for a change in motherboard or uprooting your entire system.
There will also be two more higher-end chips, the Ryzen 9 9900X and Ryzen 9 9950X making their way to us on August 15th 2024, although you’ll have to wait a bit longer for both our thoughts, and actually getting your hands on one.
As normal, actually finding one of these CPUs – and at a reasonable price – is harder than you might expect. To help out, we’ve rounded up every retailer that stocks the CPUs in the UK and the US, along with the prices (at the time of writing) each retailer is offering.
First, here’s all the essential information, starting with the Ryzen 9 9700X.
AMD Ryzen 7 9700X (£339/$359)
For this first runout of Ryzen 9000, the Ryzen 7 9700X is the first to break cover. Much like its predecessor, this is an 8 core/16 thread processor with a 3.8GHz base clock and a boost of up to 5.5GHz. That’s all to be expected, although the big thing with the 9700X is its 65W TDP. This is much lower than the 7700X’s 105W TDP, making AMD’s newer option a lot more efficient. In addition, AMD has also dropped the launch price of this chip down from the £419/$399 of the 7700X..
AMD Ryzen 5 9600X (£269/$279)
And as for the Ryzen 5 9600X, it’s much the same story. The 6 cores and 12 threads are identical to the Ryzen 5 7600X, while it comes with a 3.9GHz base clock and a boost of up to 5.4GHz. Again though, this is a much more efficient chip, with a rated TDP of 65W. The 7600X ran at 105W, so this provides much of the same as the previous gen, but with more headroom. You also get a cut in launch price compared to the 7600X, which was introduced at £319/$299
Frequently asked questions
What motherboards support Ryzen 7000?
AMD’s X670E, X670, B650E and B650 motherboards all support Ryzen 9000 out of the box, so you won’t need to upgrade if you’ve got a Ryzen 7000 system already. X670E offers PCIe 5.0 throughout, X670 offers PCIe 5.0 for storage and graphics, and B650 offers PCIe 5.0 for storage only. In general, as you progress from X670E to B650, expect fewer features, fewer PCIe lanes and lower prices. Anandtech has a great article that goes more into depth on the differences between the various chipsets if you remain unsure. With this in mind, there will be newer X870E motherboards arriving as time goes on, if recent leaks are anything to go by, and the fact that they are listed as being supported chipsets for both processors on AMD’s own website.
What memory is best for Ryzen 9000?
As was the case with Ryzen 7000, Ryzen 9000 is a DDR5-only platform, so your older DDR4 RAM won’t work here. Instead, you’ll need to pick up a new kit of DDR5, which starts at DDR5-4800 and goes up to DDR5-6400 and beyond.
The usual RAM buying advice applies here. First, get two or four sticks to ensure you’re running in dual channel mode, as using a single stick suffers from a severe performance penalty. Secondly, make sure you enable XMP, DOCP or EXPO in your motherboard’s BIOS to ensure that you’re getting the rated speeds – you can check your current RAM speed with a free tool like CPU-Z or Windows 11’s Task Manager.
What CPU coolers support Ryzen 9000 / AM5?
All existing AM4 coolers that screw into or clip onto AMD’s default AM4 backplate work with AM5 motherboards as well/those that use custom backplates don’t work. Expect CPU cooler makers that did use custom backplates to create kits or entirely new designs to accommodate the new fixed AM5 backplate.
Well, there you have it – the best prices for AMD’s all-new Ryzen 7 9700X and 5 9600X processors and a little advice too. Let us know if you spot one of these CPUs for a lower price, and stay tuned to @dealsfoundry on Twitter for more PC deals as we find them.
