AMD's Ryzen 9 5900XT, Ryzen 7 5800XT launch today for $349 and $249, respectively — existing Ryzen 5000 is less expensive

AMD has officially launched its Ryzen 5000XT refresh today, consisting of two new 8-core Ryzen 7 5800XT and 16-core Ryzen 9 5900 XT models. Both CPUs are now available at most major online retailers including Newegg and Best Buy, with the Ryzen 9 5900XT going for $349.00 and the Ryzen 7 5800XT $249.00.

The debut of the 5000XT launch marks the second "XT" refresh AMD has deployed in its Ryzen lineup. AMD's first XT refresh focused on the Ryzen 3000 series, with the Ryzen 5 3600XT, Ryzen 7 3800XT, and Ryzen 9 3900XT all featuring higher clock speeds than their X and non-X counterparts.

For Ryzen 5000, AMD has changed its strategy compared to the Ryzen 3000 refresh by dropping a refreshed Ryzen 5 model altogether and adding more cores to the flagship Ryzen 5000XT SKU.

• Ryzen 9 5900XT - B&H Photo - Temporarily Out of Stock
• Ryzen 7 5800XT - B&H Photo - Temporarily Out of Stock
• Ryzen 9 5900XT - Best Buy  - $349.00
• Ryzen 7 5800XT - Best Buy - $249.00
• Ryzen 9 5900XT - Newegg - $349.00
• Ryzen 7 5800XT - Newegg - $249.00
  

The Ryzen 9 5900XT is the flagship SKU in AMD's new 5000XT refresh, a refreshed variant of the Ryzen 9 5950X despite its 5900X branding. The 5900XT is the first "XT" chip to come with more cores than its X-series counterpart. The Ryzen 9 5900XT features 16 Zen 3 cores (matching the flagship 5950X), 64MB of L3 cache, 105W TDP, a 3.3GHz base clock, and a 4.8GHz boost clock.

The Ryzen 7 5800XT is a refresh of the Ryzen 7 5800X featuring a 100MHz clock speed improvement over its X-series counterpart. The Ryzen 7 5800XT comes with eight Zen 3 cores, 32MB of L3 cache, 105W TDP, 3.8GHz base clock, and 4.8GHz boost clock.

Launch day pricing for the Ryzen 9 5900XT sits at $349.00. The chip's price is a huge discount from the original MSRP for the Ryzen 9 5900X and Ryzen 9 5950X.
However, both chips have seen major discounts since launch. Today, you can find the Ryzen 9 5950X for as little as $349.00 and the Ryzen 9 5900X for just $263. This makes the Ryzen 9 5950X a direct competitor to the Ryzen 9 5900XT since both share the same price tag.

However, this isn't unheard of and is quite typical of AMD's Ryzen refreshes. The Ryzen 9 5950X's current price isn't guaranteed to stay where it is and could swing back up if availability dwindles.

Launch day pricing for the Ryzen 7 5800XT is $249. Again, pricing is significantly lower than the original MSRP of the Ryzen 7 5800X, however AMD has heavily discounted its Ryzen 7 parts since then, including its X3D parts. At $249, the Ryzen 7 5800XT sits right in between the Ryzen 7 5800X3D and the Ryzen 7 5700X3D. Compared to the non-X3D parts, the 5800XT is significantly more expensive, with the Ryzen 7 5800X on sale for as low as $176 and the Ryzen 7 5700X as low as $161.

The Ryzen 9 5900XT and Ryzen 7 5800XT are currently available right now at Best Buy and Newegg for $349 and $249, respectively. B&H Photo has listings of both chips on its website, but they are listed as temporarily out of stock.