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AMD Zen 4 CPU Pricing Leaked: Ryzen 9 7950X May Cost Over $800
More and more information has started to surface as we approach the rumored September 15 launch date for AMD's Ryzen 7000 (Raphael) processors. News outlet VideoCardz has reportedly received a render of the packaging and pricing for the next-generation Zen 4 chips. Although the publication has solid sources, throwing a pinch of salt over the leaked pricing is healthy.
The premium packaging allegedly pertains to AMD's high-end Ryzen 9 SKUs, specifically the Ryzen 9 7950X and Ryzen 9 7900X. It's safe to assume that the Ryzen 7 and Ryzen 5 chips will have different packaging. As opposed to the current packaging, the new Ryzen 9 box appears to feature a full-black theme with orange highlights and white text. AMD has inverted the colors for the Zen logo. The circle now comes in a black tone instead of an orange color. As expected, there's a small cut-out on the box that probably allows the consumer to see the model of the chip.
The alleged pricing is the juiciest part of VideoCardz's anonymously obtained information about Ryzen 7000. Unfortunately, the source didn't reveal the exact pricing for AMD's forthcoming Zen 4 lineup, so there is still some ambiguity. Instead, the person used the current Ryzen 5000's MSRP as a point of comparison. We assume the leak refers to the MSRP at launch and not the current pricing since AMD has issued significant price cuts for Ryzen 5000 since then.
The Ryzen 9 7950X and Ryzen 9 7900X will cost more than the Ryzen 9 5950X ($799) and Ryzen 9 5900X ($549), respectively. The leak talks about a Ryzen 7 7800X, an SKU which hasn't emerged in the rumor mill. VideoCardz's source claims that the Ryzen 7 7800X is on AMD's plan. If we chipmaker decides to release the Ryzen 7 7800X, the octa-core Zen 4 chip will hit the shelves for over $449.
It would appear that the Ryzen 7 7700X would be the only Zen 4 processor to retain the same price tag as its predecessor, the Ryzen 7 5700X ($299). Meanwhile, the price tag for the Ryzen 7 7600X, the direct replacement for the Ryzen 5 5600X ($299), remains a mystery.
No one expects AMD's Ryzen 7000 processors to come cheap. While Zen 3 is on TSMC's 7nm node, Zen 4 jumps to the foundry's 5nm process node, which is more expensive to produce. According to rough estimates, a single 300mm wafer built on the 5nm node costs around $16,988, whereas the same 300mm wafer on the 7nm node is approximately around $9,346.
If the leaked pricing is somewhat genuine, the Ryzen 7 7700X would be a desirable octa-core option as it would offer more firepower than the Ryzen 5 5600X but costs the same as the hexa-core Zen 3 part when it first came out. However, if the Ryzen 7 7700X does end up debuting for under $300, the Ryzen 5 7600X could launch at $250 and be the winner for budget gamers.
