AMD’s next wave of AM5 desktop chips looks close, with iGPU‑less “F” variants of its Granite Ridge lineup appearing at retail with prices attached. Fresh listings spotted on ShopBLT show the Ryzen 7 9700F at $294 and the Ryzen 5 9500F at $218, hinting that a formal launch could be right around the corner after missing the expected August window.
What’s on the table
– Ryzen 7 9700F: An 8-core, 65W part reportedly clocked at 3.8 GHz with 32 MB of cache, previously seen on a major motherboard maker’s CPU support list.
– Ryzen 5 9500F: A 6-core, 65W chip that surfaced in benchmark databases with similar clock and cache figures.
As “F” models, both lack integrated graphics, which typically helps shave costs for builders who plan to use a dedicated GPU anyway. That positions them as value-focused alternatives to the standard Ryzen 7000/9000 SKUs for gaming and productivity on AM5.
How the pricing stacks up
– The Ryzen 7 9700F at $294 slots just under the Ryzen 7 9700X, which is currently around $329 at major retailers.
– The Ryzen 5 9500F at $218 is a curious one. The non-X Ryzen 5 9600 hasn’t broadly landed in the US yet, but speculation has put it near $200–$220. Meanwhile, the Ryzen 5 9600X has been seen as low as $190 in some sales, far below its $280 MSRP. If those street prices hold, AMD may need to fine-tune 9500F pricing to maintain a clear value story.
Performance expectations
Given the shared core counts, caches, and 65W TDP, the 9700F and 9500F should perform in the same ballpark as their non‑F counterparts, minus the integrated graphics. For gamers and creators with discrete GPUs, that trade-off often makes sense—especially if the final pricing undercuts the X and non‑F parts.
Release timing
AMD hasn’t announced a date, but with multiple retail and support-page sightings, an official reveal in the near term seems likely. As always, retailer listings can be placeholders, so final pricing and specs may shift at launch.
Bottom line for builders
– If the Ryzen 7 9700F lands under $300, it could be a strong all‑rounder for AM5 systems that don’t need an iGPU.
– The Ryzen 5 9500F will need aggressive pricing to stand out if the Ryzen 5 9600/9600X street prices stay low.
– Keep an eye on final launch details and bundle deals; the best value on AM5 often comes from real‑world pricing rather than MSRPs.
These F-series Granite Ridge chips are shaping up to be sensible, budget-conscious options for anyone pairing them with a dedicated graphics card—and they might be exactly what AM5 needed to bring more builders on board.
