The information was first rumoured yesterday, then confirmed in the evening. While AMD was due to launch the new Ryzen 9000 on July 31, the reds have decided to push back the launch to August 15. This news doesn’t really come as a surprise, since most editorial offices still hadn’t received the press samples they needed to prepare the necessary tests. It was becoming clear that something was amiss.
No clear official information is available at this stage, but it seems that several processors in distribution did not meet quality expectations. As a matter of urgency, AMD withdrew all processors from distribution channels for re-evaluation. A decision that will have heavy financial consequences: just a few days before the launch, the processors had already arrived in large numbers at distributors.
Ryzen 9000: only 15 days late?
AMD is said to have taken this decision to prevent the processors about to hit the market from underperforming. This information adds to fears that the Ryzen 9000 will disappoint compared to the previous generation.
AMD insists that re-evaluating processors is a straightforward process of validating specifications. While it’s possible that the majority of processors are compliant, AMD wants to avoid any defective units hitting the market. A commendable move, especially in view of the upheavals affecting its main competitor in terms of the quality and reliability of some of its latest processors.
From the consumer’s point of view, this delay is preferable to having potentially defective products on the market. AMD prefers to delay the launch to guarantee quality rather than risk a loss of consumer confidence.
The official launch is now scheduled for August 15, although this may be brought forward if AMD manages to validate the units quickly. In the meantime, Intel will attempt to quell the growing wave of criticism and anger over the stability of some of these processors with a microcode update scheduled for mid-August.
