AMD reveals 27 July launch for Ryzen 3 and prices for Threadripper that undercut Intel by half

Four core, four thread Ryzen 3 CPUs will consist of just two consumer desktop models at launch, while the top-of-the-range Ryzen 9 will cost $999

AMD's forthcoming Ryzen 3 CPU will launch on 27 July, but the line-up will include just two consumer desktop models, both with four cores and four threads - the Ryzen 3 1200 and the Ryzen 3 1300X.

The Ryzen 3 1200 microprocessor will sport a base clock of 3.1GHz and a 'boost' clock of 3.4GHz. The Ryzen 3 1300X, meanwhile, will be slightly speedier at 3.5GHz, boosting to 3.7GHz. Prices haven't been disclosed.

Both will, of course, be able to plug-in to existing AM4 motherboards - the A320 series at the low end, the B350 for the mainstream, and the X370 for enthusiasts, although that would probably be overkill for devices that are expected to weigh-in at between £100 and £150, retail, when they reach the UK.

The news was dribbled out of AMD today by senior vice president and general manager of Computing and Graphics, Jim Anderson.

In the update, Anderson also spilled more beans on AMD's Ryzen Threadripper devices, which will compete head-to-head with Intel's high-end Core i9 - including the price of the flagship 16 core, 32 thread Ryzen Threadripper 1950X.

The top-of-the-range Ryzen Threadripper will cost $999 in the US, while the 12 core, 24 thread Ryzen Threadripper 1920X will cost $799.

"What's more, every Threadripper X399 [motherboard] platform supporting the 1950X and 1920X features 64 lanes of PCIe with support for up to four GPUs. And, like all Ryzen processors, both the 1950X and 1920X are unlocked for overclocking," wrote Anderson.

The pricing has clearly caught Intel on the hop, with AMD's most expensive Ryzen Threadripper costing $700 less than Intel's equivalently cored and threaded Core i9-7960X - and around $1,000 less than Intel's flagship 18 core, 32 thread Core i9-7980XE flagship, is expected to be priced at when it finally emerges.

The closest Intel i9 in price to the Ryzen Threadripper is the 10 core, 20 thread Core i9-7900X, which currently costs $1,049.99 on Amazon.com, but is 'temporarily out of stock'.

While the Ryzen 3 will no doubt sell in far greater volumes than Threadripper, the high-end is where the fattest profit margins are to be found.