Mismarked AMD Ryzen 9000 processor emerges, hints at reason for Zen 5 delays

AMD recently announced it was delaying the launch of its Zen 5-powered Ryzen 9000 processors for several weeks due to an issue with “our packaged product testing process for Ryzen 9000 series processors,” and a new picture of a mislabeled Ryzen processor hints at one of the primary reasons why AMD may have delayed the chips. 

An unsanctioned review posted to BiliBill (h/t @995Pro) shows AMD’s Ryzen 7 9700X mismarked as a Ryzen 9 9700X processor, an obvious error that would need to be corrected. We’ve also learned that mismarked Ryzen 5 9600X models have also been shipped to retail outlets. These processors were also mismarked as Ryzen 9, too. 

It’s also rational to assume that the labeling on AMD’s actual retail boxes could also be impacted, too. In either case, while it may seem a minor issue, AMD would obviously have to pull back all of its shipped processors to correct the mismarked processors. The process of recalling the chips is exactly what the company has said delayed the launch of its processors — AMD tells us it has pulled back all Ryzen 9000 units it has delivered to retailers and OEMs worldwide.   

AMD’s official statement earlier this week said, “We identified an issue with our packaged product testing process for Ryzen 9000 series processors that could result in a small number of parts reaching the market that do not meet our quality standards,” so it’s possible that the mismarking may not be the only issue. However, it is certainly a contributing factor. 

We have contacted the company for remarks on the reports of mismarked chips, but a company representative has said the company cannot comment beyond its previous announcement yet. This discovery has popped up outside business hours, so it’s possible we could get further comments on Monday.

It would be comforting to learn that mislabeled chips are the only reason AMD has delayed its launch, but we do have to caution this might not be the only reason. However, if this does turn out to be the sole reason, one has to wonder why AMD didn’t divulge the nature of the issue rather than issuing a nebulous statement that would call into question the quality of its processors. 

Breaking news…more to come….