- AMD’s 192-core EPYC 9965 CPU now a third cheaper than at launch
- 5th-gen Turin chip has seen stellar reviews from the tech press
- Half the price of Intel’s 128-core Granite Rapids Xeon 6980P
AMD’s new 192-core CPU monster, the EPYC 9965, launched last month, four months after its initial announcement. The CPU, which uses the Zen 5c core architecture, boasts 192 cores and 384 threads and competes (almost) directly with Intel’s recently launched 128-core Granite Rapids Xeon 6980P.
In addition to being AMD’s most complex microprocessor to date, the EPYC 9965 was also its most expensive, at nearly $15,000.
Fast forward to today however, andWiredzone is currently selling the chip for a more modest $10,034 – a significant discount. Unlike some online deals that disappoint with limited stock or long delivery times, Wiredzone has the processors in and ready to ship, with volume discounts also available.
What’s behind the price cut?
The reason for this surprise price drop isn’t entirely clear. It could be that AMD has been able to produce more processors than first anticipated, or perhaps demand hasn’t been as high as expected (which seems very unlikely).
By comparison, Intel’s Xeon 6980P launched at $17,800, but its price has since increased. Newegg is currently selling it for $18,900, and Connection lists it for $20,527 – though neither retailer has the product in stock at the moment. That could suggest another reason for the sudden price drop.
At the lower cost, AMD might see an opportunity to appeal to budget-conscious enterprises or organizations seeking high-performance processors without paying a premium.
By undercutting Intel’s prices and ensuring ample stock availability, AMD could strengthen its position in the competitive server CPU market while attracting new customers who might otherwise consider Intel’s offerings.
Reviewers previously declared that with the Xeon 6900P family, Intel was finally a contender again in the server CPU arena.
However, the arrival shortly afterwards of AMD’s 5th generation Turin products quickly rained on that parade, comfortably putting AMD back on top. As Phoronix noted in its gushing review, “The new top-end AMD EPYC Turin processor performance can obliterate the competition in most workloads and delivers a great generational leap in performance and power efficiency.”
