This is not the first time that a forthcoming hardware release has been postponed. So when AMD postponed the Ryzen 9000 series CPUs with Zen 5 for a week or two after they failed the final stage of checks, we were not at all surprised, but definitely interested.

The possible answer, though rather embarrassing, is that it might be a "printer's error"; an early unofficial review posted on BiliBili (via Tom's Hardware) (which now seems to have been removed) shows a heatspreader with "Ryzen 9 7900X" with what appeared to be a Ryzen 7 9700X with a laser-etched marking on the heat spreader indicating that it was a Ryzen 7 9700X. Oops.

Ryzen 7 chips traditionally have eight physical cores (as does the 9700X), and the name Ryzen 9 is usually only used for top-of-the-line chips that feature more cores and potentially higher clock speeds, unless there have been significant changes to AMD's model designations since the Zen 5 announcement, This is a typographical error listed on the physical CPU itself.

Of course, the chip in the photo could simply be a poor mock-up or badly image-edited to look like one of AMD's latest chips. However, according to Tom's Hardware, the Ryzen 9600X models shipped to retailers were labeled as Ryzen 9 CPUs.

AMD's statement on the delay is as follows:

"We appreciate the enthusiasm for the Ryzen 9000 series processors. During final checks, we discovered that the initial production units shipped to our channel partners did not fully meet our quality expectations. Out of an abundance of caution and to ensure the highest quality experience for all Ryzen users, we are working with our channel partners to replace the initial production units with new units"

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Given that the Ryzen 7 9700X and Ryzen 5 9600X were pushed back a little over a week to August 8, and the Ryzen 9 9950X and Ryzen 9 9900X were pushed back a little over two weeks to August 15, it could be as simple as a typo printed on the chip.

As someone who has been known to occasionally publish my own typos, I can't get too high about someone else doing the same thing, and changing something physically printed is a lot harder than a little grammar editing. That said, the CPUs are reportedly still shipping, and the CPUs on store shelves are bound to have the exact printing you prefer.