Unsurprisingly, the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X and Ryzen 7 9700X don't seem to be selling very well right now

HardwareProcessorsUnsurprisingly, the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X and Ryzen 7 9700X don’t seem to be selling very well right nowWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

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(Image credit: Future)

A close-up photo of an AMD Ryzen 7 9700X processor

The recently launchedAMD Ryzen 5 9600XandRyzen 7 9700Xhave been the subject of much… apathy? Indifference? Underwhelm? Take your pick. The epitome of theseZen 5 architecturechips has probably been the whole"Zen 5%" meme, referring to a mere 5% (or thereabouts) increase in performance. It’s not that these new chips are bad—far from it—they’re just not goodenoughfor the cost.

There are many possible reasons for these low sales numbers. For one, it’s only a few days since these CPUs hit the shelves and people are still waiting for even more to do so. PC gamers are likely waiting to see what a 9000-series X3D CPU will be like—X3D referring to the 3D V-Cache that currently adorns thebest gaming CPU, theAMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D.

People are also probably waiting to see what next-gen Intel chips (codename Arrow Lake) have in store. The latest rumours suggest that these 15th Gen Intel chips could consumeup to 100 W less powerat high frequencies than the 14th Gen ones (this being a spark of light during adark time for Intelgiven the13th/14th Gen stability issues).

I must say, though, it wouldn’t make much sense for efficiency to be what people are waiting for, because say what you want about the 9600X and 9700X, they are at the very least efficient. In Nick’s testing of these 65 W TDP chips, he found them both to sip power and remain plenty cool even under load.

Performance isn’t entirely unreasonable, either, especially for the 9700X, which does seem like the better value chip given its two extra cores vs the 9600X’s six-core layout. Where the 9600X pales compared to the Intel Core i5 14600K in multi-threaded workloads, the 9700X, while still behind, gives a better run for its money and is even better in some real-world use cases, such as photo editing. The two extra cores probably explains the higher (but still low) Mindfactory sales figures for the 9700X.

(Image credit: Future)

A close-up photo of an AMD Ryzen 5 9600X CPU

The real problem with both of these chips, however, is their cost. Yes, the Zen 5 chips' $279 and $359 MSRPs are technically slightly cheaper than the Ryzen 5 7600X andRyzen 7 7700XMSRPs at launch. But they’refarmore expensive than these chips today. Right now, you can pick up a 7600X for$195and a 7700X for$265 on Amazon. And these chips aren’t that much worse than their current-gen replacements.

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The question is, why would anyone opt for a “Zen 5%” increase in performance for that amount of extra cash, especially when even more next-gen chips should be just around the corner? It seems people are realising that now might not be the time to upgrade.

I can’t also help but wonder how much damage Intel’s stability issues have done to consumer confidence in chips in general, either. Perhaps (and this is very speculative) some are doubting whether they can trust new and largely untested chips, and are wondering whether they could simply degrade and fail further down the line.

Best CPU for gaming: Top chips from Intel and AMD.Best gaming motherboard: The right boards.Best graphics card: Your perfect pixel-pusher awaits.Best SSD for gaming: Get into the game first.

Best CPU for gamingBest gaming motherboardBest graphics cardBest SSD for gaming

Best CPU for gaming: Top chips from Intel and AMD.Best gaming motherboard: The right boards.Best graphics card: Your perfect pixel-pusher awaits.Best SSD for gaming: Get into the game first.

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