16-Core AMD Ryzen 9 3950X CPU launch delayed until November 2019
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AMD announced over the weekend that the launch of its flagship AMD Ryzen 9 3950X 16-Core processor has been delayed. Originally expected to launch at the end of this month, the Ryzen 3950X will now be shipping in volume at some point in November.
The top-end Ryzen 9 part will be joined in November by the arrival of the next-generation of Threadripper processors. These are likely to be well outside of what you’ll need for gaming purposes but these high-end desktop parts should appeal to workstation users.
“We are focusing on meeting the strong demand for our 3rd generation AMD Ryzen processors in the market and now plan to launch both the AMD Ryzen 9 3950X and initial members of the 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen Threadripper processor family in volume this November,” writes AMD.
“We are confident that when enthusiasts get their hands on the world’s first 16-core mainstream desktop processor and our next-generation of high-end desktop processors, the wait will be well worth it.”
| Ryzen 5 3600 | Ryzen 5 3600X | Ryzen 7 3700X | Ryzen 7 3800X | Ryzen 9 3900X | Ryzen 9 3950X | |
| Cores/Threads | 6/12 | 6/12 | 8/16 | 8/16 | 12/24 | 16/32 |
| Base Clock | 3.6 GHz | 3.8 GHz | 3.6 GHz | 3.9 GHz | 3.8 GHz | 3.5 GHz |
| Boost Clock | 4.2 GHz | 4.4 GHz | 4.4 GHz | 4.5 GHz | 4.6 GHz | 4.7 GHz |
| Cache | 35MB | 35MB | 36MB | 36MB | 70MB | 72MB |
| TDP | 65W | 95W | 65W | 105W | 105W | 105W |
| Price | $199 | $249 | $329 | $399 | $499 | $749 |
| Release Date | July 7 | July 7 | July 7 | July 7 | July 7 | November |
I do hear that supplies of the Ryzen 3rd Gen CPUs are already pretty limited although this is perhaps on a country by country basis. Right now, here in the UK, I can have my pick of just about any Ryzen 3000 processor with a few discounts to boot. The one exception is the current top-end part, the AMD Ryzen 9 3900X, which is currently sold out.
Factor in TSMC’s recent announcement that 7nm chips now face a 6-month lead time for fabrication and AMD could find itself in a situation where it’s got the must-have products and yet can’t physically get them manufactured fast enough to take advantage of this demand. It’s one of those good problems to have but still far from ideal.
