AMD’s aging AM4 platform has been around since 2016, and it’s a socket that AMD has promised to support for “for many years.” We thought we’d waved goodbye to AM4 for good, but a new leak says that AMD has two new 3D V-Cache chips in the works, namely the Ryzen 7 5700X3D and the Ryzen 5 5500X3D. If the rumor is to be believed, AMD may not be done with AM4 yet, which is great news for those hoping not to have to upgrade their entire PC just to get the latest performance.
As per the user @g01d3nm4ng0 on Twitter, the new chips will serve up the same massive L3 cache we’ve come to expect from AMD’s X3D chips, making them solid options for gamers on a tighter budget. No one expected that AMD would keep releasing new versions of last-gen chips well over a year since the launch of the Ryzen 7000, and yet, it seems that they’re in the works.
Right now, we don’t know much about these new processors, although the leaker shed some light on the possible specs. The Ryzen 7 5700X3D is said to come with eight cores and 16 threads, a maximum clock speed of 4.1GHz and a 3.0GHz base speed, and 96MB of L3 cache. The Ryzen 5 5500X3D sports the same cache size, but has only six cores and 12 threads, as well as a maximum frequency of 4GHz.
The Ryzen 7 5700X3D is close to the 5800X3D in specs, and the latter is still one of the fastest gaming CPUs. The core counts are the same, and the clock speeds are relatively comparable, as the 5800X3D maxes out at 4.5GHz. The 5500X3D falls short due to only sporting six cores, but if it does get released, it should still be a speedy CPU with that massive cache and high boost clock.
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This wouldn’t be the first time that AMD is revisiting an older platform. It has recently released the Microcenter-exclusive Ryzen 5 5600X3D, allowing for a cheaper upgrade path, but the fact that it’s a limited edition made it hard to get for many PC builders.
Choosing to build a PC based on AM4 right now is a little controversial, seeing as the platform was supposed to be dead — but there are perks, too. It’s a lot cheaper thanks to more affordable motherboards and DDR4 RAM, whereas AMD’s latest AM5 socket requires DDR5 RAM and motherboards that start at $100 (and, realistically, cost around $200 if you want a decent model).
For gamers who don’t want to overspend, the 5800X3D and its less efficient siblings are a great way to get a solid CPU that won’t need upgrades for a few years. Seeing as AMD, unlike Intel and Nvidia, often tries to appeal to the mainstream part of the market, it makes sense that it would still want to use up those remaining last-gen chips and give gamers more upgrade options if they’re still on the AM4 platform.
For now, we’re left with more questions than answers. Will the Ryzen 7 5700X3D and Ryzen 5 5500X3D really be released, and if so, when? How much will they cost, and will they be as hard to get as the 5600X3D? If this is true, we’ll likely hear more about it within the next few months, so stay tuned.
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