U.S. Retailer Gives Free 32GB DDR5-5600 Kit with Ryzen 7000 CPU

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Micro Center bundles $189.99 32GB DDR5-5600 with latest Ryzen processors.

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(Image credit: Micro Center)

One of the first things that owners of AMD's Ryzen 7000-series desktop processors have to do is purchase a dual-channel DDR5 memory kit, many of which are still sold at a premium compared to DDR4 counterparts. However, Micro Center is making the lives of future Zen 4 owners a bit easier by bundling a free 32GB DDR5-5600 memory kit with every Ryzen 7 or Ryzen 9 7000-series processor. 

AMD currently offers three Ryzen 7000-series processors aimed at high-end gaming desktops — the eight-core Ryzen 7 7700X for $399, 12-core Ryzen 9 7900X for $549, and 16-core Ryzen 9 7950X for $699. With each of these processors purchased at its retail locations, Micro Center will give a dual-channel 32GB G.Skill Flare X5 DDR5-5600 CL36 kit for free. The kit is available for $189.99 separately. The campaign runs while supplies last, so lucky owners of shiny new AMD Ryzen 7000-series CPUs will have to be quick. 

However, something tells us this is not the last promotion featuring AMD's Ryzen 7000-series CPUs or AMD X670E/X670-based motherboards. 

Launching a brand-new CPU platform is always challenging, as many new parts must come to market at once. But releasing an all-new platform amid a global decline in demand for PCs is an even tougher task. Demand is softening because of inflation, macroeconomic woes, and geopolitical instability, things that high-tech companies cannot control. 

AMD's Ryzen 7000-series processors require brand-new motherboards featuring the company's AM5 socket and DDR5 memory, which means that users will have to spend money not only on new CPUs but also on new AMD X670/X670E mainboards and DDR5 memory, both of which are pretty expensive. Furthermore, since AMD's new CPUs are rated for a maximum thermal design power of 230W, some users must purchase a new cooler and perhaps even a new power supply. 

To make the transition to AMD's X670/X670E platforms somewhat more attractive from a value point of view, Asus offers free headsets, mice, and a webcam with its ROG and TUF-series motherboards in the U.K. Meanwhile, Gigabyte runs a cashback campaign with its X670/X670E mainboards in Germany. Micro Center's promotion is pretty consistent with what Asus and Gigabyte offer in Europe.  

Keeping in mind the challenges faced by AMD, its motherboard partners, and retailers, we expect further campaigns and promotions designed to popularize AMD's Ryzen 7000-series CPUs and AM5 motherboards. 

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Anton Shilov
Anton Shilov
Contributing Writer

Anton Shilov is a contributing writer at Tom’s Hardware. Over the past couple of decades, he has covered everything from CPUs and GPUs to supercomputers and from modern process technologies and latest fab tools to high-tech industry trends.

36 Comments Comment from the forums
  • lmcnabney
    *Ryzen 5 7600 not eligible, also not the desired speed DDR5 (6000 CL32)
    Reply
  • Roland Of Gilead
    Nice! We just don't get these types of deals in Ireland. Not only part of EU, but an Island economy where it always costs more.

    I'd be jumping on a deal like that!
    Reply
  • helper800
    lmcnabney said:
    *Ryzen 5 7600 not eligible, also not the desired speed DDR5 (6000 CL32)
    Well if you want a 7600x you mind as well get a 7700x and use the RAM it comes with and save money. You will literally spend less getting the 8 core part over the 6 core part if you use the RAM... This is a great deal!
    Reply
  • lmcnabney
    helper800 said:
    Well if you want a 7600x you mind as well get a 7700x and use the RAM it comes with and save money. You will literally spend less getting the 8 core part over the 6 core part if you use the RAM... This is a great deal!

    You pay an extra $100 for the CPU, save $140 on the RAM, and have less than ideal performance because your RAM is slower than the sweet spot for Zen 4 AND the latency is a little high (36).

    A better promo is a big discount on a Zen 4 CPU+MB+DDR5 bundle
    Reply
  • InvalidError
    Other story: "Don't buy a PC with less than 8GB."
    Microcenter: "Our Ryzen 7000 bundles come with 32GB."

    Problem solved :)

    32GB will serve most people well for the PC's useful life regardless of how much more OS bloat Microsoft throws at it over the next 10 years.
    Reply
  • USAFRet
    lmcnabney said:
    and have less than ideal performance because your RAM is slower than the sweet spot for Zen 4 AND the latency is a little high (36)
    And for the vast majority of people, that is a non issue.

    In a blind test, most people could not tell 32GB of A from 32GB of B.

    Semi-free capacity trumps speed.
    Reply
  • InvalidError
    lmcnabney said:
    You pay an extra $100 for the CPU, save $140 on the RAM, and have less than ideal performance because your RAM is slower than the sweet spot for Zen 4 AND the latency is a little high (36).
    Guru3D has tested 4800-42 vs 6000-30 and the differences are typically in the 0-3% range. The "sweet spot" is not relevant unless you are building a PC specifically for the one in ten applications or games where it actually makes a greater than 5% difference.
    Reply
  • -Fran-
    Holy cow, this is a nice deal. Why u no EU, MicroCenter? Why? T_T

    Regards.
    Reply
  • RedBear87
    USAFRet said:
    And for the vast majority of people, that is a non issue.

    In a blind test, most people could not tell 32GB of A from 32GB of B.

    Semi-free capacity trumps speed.
    And the vast majority of people wouldn't be able to tell the difference in performance between a Zen 3 and a Zen 4, especially in AAA games, if they don't use Afterburner... By this logic people could save a lot of money in several ways, but if you're buying one of those expensive X670/X670E motherboards I would expect that you want to get as much performance as possible, instead of cutting corners around memory.
    Reply
  • USAFRet
    RedBear87 said:
    And the vast majority of people wouldn't be able to tell the difference in performance between a Zen 3 and a Zen 4, especially in AAA games, if they don't use Afterburner... By this logic people could save a lot of money in several ways, but if you're buying one of those expensive X670/X670E motherboards I would expect that you want to get as much performance as possible, instead of cutting corners around memory.
    Amazingly, not every user or system is game oriented.
    Reply
  • InvalidError
    RedBear87 said:
    if you're buying one of those expensive X670/X670E motherboards I would expect that you want to get as much performance as possible, instead of cutting corners around memory.
    When the performance difference between bog-standard RAM and super-expensive stuff is less than 3% in most cases, that money is wasted unless you are building your PC specifically for some of the stuff that shows greater than 5% gains.
    Reply