We have some updates for our readers who are looking to upgrade their Ryzen processor this quarter and there is good news as well as bad. Our sources have let us know the tentative CPU allocation and build plan over at AMD and what to expect in terms of availability for given Ryzen models. Considering AMD is swamped with overwhelming demand, this information should allow users to make better purchasing decisions and also to manage expectations when it comes to AMD’s highly in-demand Zen 3 based Ryzen CPUs.
AMD Ryzen CPU allocation and availability for Q1 2021
TSMC is quickly becoming the central chokepoint of pretty much all of the semiconductor industry (for fabless companies at any rate) and it is getting exceedingly hard to secure wafers. This is why companies like AMD have to continuously manage their SKU mix and update allocations for certain products to maximize their own supply quantities against the overwhelming tidal wave of demand. We have learned the CPU allocations at AMD for the first quarter of 2021 and they are as follows:
AMD Q1 2021 Factory Build Plan (Ryzen Allocation)
| CPU | Demand/Supply Notes |
|---|---|
| 5950X, 5900X, 3800X, 3300X and 3100 | Very Low Qty. |
| 3900X, 3700X, 3200G, 3400G and 3600X | Some Qty. |
| 5800X, 5600X and 3600 | Decent Qty. |
Unfortunately for AMD HEDT customers, the Ryzen 5950X and 5900X are going to be extremely tight all quarter (these parts have a massive amount of demand) and it is going to be exceedingly hard to get your hands on them without paying a heavy premium. At the time of writing the Ryzen 5950X which has an MSRP of $799 can be found on Amazon for $1199 or a 50% premium. The Ryzen 5900X has an MSRP of $549 and can be found on Amazon for $840 or a 53% premium. According to our sources, this low supply/high demand situation is going to stay the same for the rest of the quarter. AMD’s older Ryzen 3800X, 3300, and 3100 will also have very low availability in this quarter – although that is to be expected considering it is a highly dated family.
Interestingly, however, AMD has given “some” allocation to the older Ryzen 3900X, 3700X, and 3600X. These have proven to be the bread and butter of AMD’s offerings in the past and the company will have some availability of these SKUs from time to time and prices should remain relatively reasonable. The Ryzen 3200G and 3400G also fall within this availability bracket – which is better than the previous one – but still not a very high quantity.
Finally, we have the “good news”. AMD’s Zen 3 is going to be available in good quantity/large allocation this quarter in the following SKUs: both Ryzen 5800X and Ryzen 5600X will be available in good quantities this quarter. The Ryzen 5800X has an MSRP of $449 and can be found on Amazon for $548 which is a 22% premium and will get better as we go further into the first quarter. The Ryzen 5600X has an MSRP of $299 and can be found on Amazon for $388 or a 29.7% premium and will get cheaper as we go further into the quarter. The AMD Ryzen 3600 has also been given very good allocation in the Q1 2021 build plan and you can expect prices to stabilize on this as well.
If you want to upgrade to AMD’s Zen 3, the Ryzen 5800X would be the best choice in terms of minimum premiums. For budget builds, the Ryzen 3600 is a great option as well. Since all three of these processors have good allocation, we expect pricing on these to come down even further as the channels catch up on supply and logistical lags are eliminated.
The post Exclusive: AMD Ryzen CPU Allocation & Availability Update Q1 2021 – The Good, The Bad And The Ugly by Usman Pirzada appeared first on Wccftech.
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