January 2025 is gearing up to be a massive month for technology, as the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) will kick off the year with a range of new product announcements, including NVIDIA, and now it seems we will be getting a new AMD CPU in the same month.
According to leaker @AnhPhuH, who reportedly has previously accurately called internal movements at AMD, the Red Team is preparing to launch a non-X version of its budget Zen 5 CPU, the Ryzen 5 9600X. The launch is rumored to be in late January, which would make it a few weeks after the week of madness that will be CES 2025. As for specs, the leaker says the Ryzen 5 9600 will feature lower clock speeds than the Ryzen 9600X, but TDP will remain the same at 105W.
One big change is the contents of the box with the Ryzen 5 9600. According to the leaker, the Ryzen 5 9600 box contains a Wraith Stealth CPU cooler, which was a welcome addition in previous generations of AMD CPUs as it enabled entry-level buyers that are possibly unfamiliar with PC building, which is who these CPUs are aimed at, some peace of mind when it came to purchasing the right cooler for the CPU. Moreover, the inclusion of the Wraith Stealth cooler meant buyers were able to save money on buying one individually, resulting in more savings for higher-tier components.
Depending on the performance difference between the 9600X and the 9600, and if the inclusion of a Wraith Stealth cooler is true, and, of course, the price, which should be anywhere between $230 and $250, AMD could have a great CPU offering on its way to market for gamers on a budget.