AMD is finally cutting prices on its Ryzen 9000 CPUs. After teasing that its long-awaited Ryzen 7 9800X3D will arrive in November, the company revealed that it’ll be slashing prices on its existing Ryzen 9000 range by anywhere from $30 to $50 each. Combined with some impressive performance updates, AMD’s latest chips have a better shot at a spot among the best processors than they’ve ever had. The company describes the price cuts as an early holiday promotion, though it hasn’t put an end date on the discounts. The flagship Ryzen 9 9950X is seeing a $50 price cut, while the remainder of the range is reduced by $30. It’s a clear jab at Intel’s upcoming Arrow Lake CPUs, which go on sale later this week. Similar to the last few generations, Intel is undercutting AMD on pricing, so this promotion brings the scales back in balance. AMD’s latest CPUs were too expensive, but the unfortunate reality for CPU pricing is that AMD’s recommended pricing has little bearing on the actual price you’ll pay. For example, the
Ryzen 9 9950X is down to $599
, which is exactly $50 less than its list price. And the Ryzen 9 9900X is
already available for $429
, which is $70 below its list price. Although AMD is describing these price cuts as a holiday promotion, there’s a good chance the prices will live on beyond that. We’ve already seen price cuts on Ryzen 9000 CPUs, and the processors have reportedly seen poor sales since launch. Even a small price reduction, combined with AMD’s performance updates that can boost speeds by up to 17% in our own testing, could bring them back into relevance. More than anything, AMD’s price cuts here are a message about the upcoming competition from Intel. The upcoming Core Ultra 9 285K will arrive at $589, while the Core Ultra 5 245K is showing up at $309. At the low end, AMD is now undercutting Intel, and at the high-end, it’s coming in $10 more expensive with the Ryzen 9 9950X. That kind of price shifting lays a foundation for a pure performance comparison when Arrow Lake reviews go live later this week. The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D and 9900X3D processors have had their launch schedule up in the air for some time. Having first been unveiled at CES 2025, there have been many rumors circulating about the components. However, a new report suggests that the release of the upcoming CPUs is now more locked in. AMD’s new chips should be available in just a few weeks, with reviews of their performance going live the day before release, according to VideoCardz. Recent sales data from German retailer MindFactory highlights a striking trend in AMD’s Zen 5 CPU lineup, with the Ryzen 7 9800X3D accounting for nearly 90% of all Ryzen 9000-series sales. The latest figures indicate that consumers overwhelmingly prefer this gaming-optimized processor over other models in the lineup. In January 2025, MindFactory recorded 25,625 total CPU sales, with AMD capturing 92.16% of the market—equivalent to 23,615 units. Intel, by contrast, managed to sell just 2,010 processors, reinforcing AMD’s dominance in the consumer market. Shots fired. Frank Azor, an AMD executive, just straight-up called Intel’s Arrow Lake line of CPUs “horrible.” Where did it all start? Why, with the ongoing shortage of AMD’s best gaming processors, of course. And surprisingly, AMD blames Intel for the fact that its X3D processors are hard to come by right now. In a recent media roundtable reported by Tom’s Hardware, AMD admitted that it never expected the demand for its CPUs to be that high. In fact, it expected it to be lower because it thought that Intel would be more competitive — but since Arrow Lake turned out to be largely unimpressive, people turned to AMD for their next-gen CPUs even more so than before. Upgrade your lifestyleDigital Trends helps readers keep tabs on the fast-paced world of tech with all the latest news, fun product reviews, insightful editorials, and one-of-a-kind sneak peeks.