AMD’s Ryzen 7 5800X3D processor, the incoming model sporting 3D V-cache tech, is set to go on sale at the end of March, going by the grapevine.
This comes from well-known rumor peddler Greymon55, who said on Twitter that the CPU is “probably” going to be on shelves by the end of the month.
58X3D has been shipped and will probably be on the market by the end of this month.March 1, 2022
In a follow-up tweet, Greymon dropped a further nugget of info about the price of the 5800X3D, which they have heard will be around the $350 mark in the US (about £260 or AU$480, but remember that a direct currency conversion is pretty meaningless as a reflection of what the actual price will be in other regions). However, also note that the leaker added that they weren’t so sure on pricing as the release date.
Naturally, all of the above needs to be taken with the usual condiments we should employ when dealing with speculation from inside sources in the tech world.
Analysis: Does that price seem realistic?
AMD has previously mentioned a spring launch for the Ryzen 7 5800X3D when the CPU was revealed at CES back at the start of 2022, so we were hoping to see it soon, and this rumor obviously fits in that respect.
The end of March makes sense, then, but the pricing of $350 may be at the optimistic end of the speculation spectrum here. We say that because the vanilla Ryzen 7 5800X is still priced with that tag, or thereabouts, at several major US retailers, although that said, Micro Center has dropped the 5800X to $300.
So, that could leave room for the new 3D spin on the chip to come in at $350 with other retailers perhaps set to follow Micro Center’s lead with the price of the standard 5800X. In theory, anyway, but we do wonder if the 5800X3D isn’t going to carry more of a premium when it first emerges, given that it’s positioned as a CPU which outperforms Intel’s top dog 12900K, an entirely more pricey proposition (currently $500 at Micro Center).
Furthermore, we’ve also heard a rumor that AMD may struggle to produce much volume of the 5800X3D, at least initially – which is not exactly an outlandish sounding theory given component shortages, balanced with Team Red’s need to prioritize the production of server processors at the high-end (Epyc chips have bigger profit margins).
On balance, we’d be inclined to guess at a $400 launch price for the Ryzen 7 5800X3D, or certainly more towards that mark than $350. Naturally, if the chip does turn out to be rather short in supply to begin with, any recommended pricing will be kind of moot as the scalpers come out in force and we have the usual farce of seriously inflated pricing on processors being resold.
The 5800X3D is essentially a stopgap model to fight in Team Red’s corner against Alder Lake, until Zen 4 CPUs arrive later in 2022 (by which time, mind, those chips might be up against Intel’s next-generation, Raptor Lake). However, the latest buzz on the Ryzen 7000 launch timeframe is that AMD is stepping it up, perhaps to Q3, in order to achieve better positioning against Raptor Lake and maybe beat Intel to the next-gen punch.
Intel vs AMD: which is best?
Via PC Gamer