AMD launches Ryzen 9 3900 and Ryzen 5 3500X CPUs

While Intel is slicing and dicing the pricing scheme for the 9th and 10th gen desktop CPUs, AMD is discretely introducing some more high-end and mid-range Ryzen 3000 processors. The Ryzen 9 3900 and Ryzen 5 3500X CPUs have just been announced, but AMD is only shipping these two new models to OEMs and system integrators for the time being. Moreover, the Ryzen 5 3500X is currently available only in China.
 
Moving on to specs, the Ryzen 9 3900 appears to be a toned-down variant of the 3900X. It still features 12 cores and 24 threads plus 70 MB total cache memory, yet AMD lowered the base and boost clocks to 3.1 GHz and 4.3 GHz, respectively. The frequency downgrade also allows for a more manageable 65 W TDP, which still enables the same overclocking potential.
 
The Ryzen 5 3500X features 6 cores and 6 threads and is designed to compete with Intel’s Core i5-9400F. It, too, gets a 65 W TDP, with base and boost clocks set to 3.6 GHz and 4.1 GHz, respectively, whereas the total cache memory is reduced to 35 MB. Both CPUs support 24/16 PCIe 4.0 lanes.
 
According to Tom’s Hardware, these two chips may never get retail versions, possibly ending up as OEM-exclusives, which is quite unfortunate, as they could have been great solutions for budget and small form-factor systems. As such, there is no pricing info, since OEMs buy chips like these in volume purchases at discounted rates.