5 Of The Best AMD Processors For Your PC In 2023
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If you're buying or building a new PC, you're going to need a processor (CPU), and it's important to choose the best one you can get within your budget. The processor is one of the most important components in any PC. If you're interested in getting an AMD CPU, there are a lot to pick from, and we're here to help you choose a processor wisely.
AMD is Intel's only rival in the consumer processor market: While the so-called "Team Blue" has been known to dominate the scene, AMD's Team Red is not falling behind. In fact, many will claim that AMD CPUs are better in some ways.
While Intel is pushing for high core counts, AMD seems focused on making the most of the cores each CPU has. Ultimately, the numbers are often currently in Intel's favor, but it's AMD that has been said to have the current best CPUs to use for gaming.
AMD Ryzen 5 7600X
If you're looking for the best bang for your buck, the affordable AMD Ryzen 7 7600X is the best pick right now. It's a strong CPU, fit for gaming and productivity, but it doesn't cost an arm and a leg — in fact, it has great performance per dollar. However, there's one pricey catch that comes with upgrading to a Ryzen 7000 processor.
Ryzen 7000 processors all exclusively support DDR5 memory. DDR4 is currently cheaper, and will stay that way for a while, but DDR5 prices are fortunately normalizing now. Still, a bit of the savings that comes with buying this processor will be spent on DDR5 RAM, though that's not necessarily a compromise.
For one, the AM5 socket (which is what the Ryzen 7000 CPUs utilize) will be supported by AMD for years. This means that when you upgrade this processor in the future, you won't need to buy a new motherboard. DDR5 memory in and of itself is a massive upgrade as well, so although you're spending more money, you're getting a lot more value out of it too.
The Ryzen 5 7600X is a solid processor that will serve you well in most tasks. It only has 6 cores and 12 threads, but it has a high clock frequency that hits up to 5.3 GHz. It's also very energy efficient, with a TDP of 105W. You can get it on Amazon for $240.
AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
If you're a gamer and your budget can stretch to fit this processor, you need not look any further — this is the best CPU for gamers right now, and it will likely stay that way for a while. That is not to say that the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D is the best processor overall, because it most likely is not. However, from a gaming standpoint specifically, this is as fast as it gets — and the price makes it a strong pick for any gamer.
Don't confuse the Ryzen 7 7800X3D with the Ryzen 7 7800X, because they are two different processors, and the X3D part is considerably better. It comes equipped with AMD's proprietary 3D V-Cache technology, which boosts the processor's L3 cache size considerably by stacking additional cache on top of the compute die. While this isn't needed for productivity, it's an amazing choice for gaming — as can be seen from all of the benchmarks of this CPU.
The Ryzen 7 7800X3D comes with 8 cores and 16 threads. It has a base clock frequency of 4.2 GHz and can be boosted up to 5 GHz. Since this is a 3D V-Cache chip, it can't be overclocked, but you can make tweaks to the memory speed and boost it with Precision Boost Overdrive.
Ideal for any potent gaming rig, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D is an excellent deal at only $449 on Amazon. The Ryzen 7 5800X3D is also a solid and cheaper alternative.
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X
If you're not too bothered about owning components from the current generation, you can score big savings by snagging the Ryzen 5 5600X. It's still a solid processor, both for gaming and work, and it costs a great deal less than its current-gen counterpart. In addition, it's based on the AM4 platform, which provides extra savings in the form of cheaper motherboard compatibility and DDR4 RAM.
Of course, there are downsides to sticking to AM4. When the time comes to get a new CPU, your upgrade path will be limited — the best CPU within reach will then be the Ryzen 9 5950X. However, this Ryzen model should last you for years, so if you'd rather not worry about that for now, you don't have to. The Ryzen 5 5600X comes with 6 cores, 12 threads, and a maximum clock speed of 4.6 GHz.
This AMD CPU is cheap these days: You can score it for around $150 on Amazon. It doesn't have integrated graphics, so if that's important to you or you're only doing some light gaming, check out the Ryzen 5600G instead for $130. It's not as powerful, though.
AMD Ryzen 9 7950X
This is the best AMD processor currently available if you care about more than just gaming. The Ryzen 9 7950X3D outpaces it in gaming scenarios, but this model is cheaper and offers a more rounded performance. You can use it for various workflows, such as video rendering and encoding, as well as high-end gaming. It will last you for years, at which point you can easily upgrade because it belongs to the AM5 platform.
The Ryzen 9 7950X comes with 16 cores and 32 threads. Its base clock speed is at 4.5 GHz, but in turbo mode, it can hit a whopping 5.7 GHz. It also has a very sizeable combined cache of 81 MB. All of that power comes at the price of a fairly high TDP (170 watts).
Unlike many other models, this Ryzen CPU also comes with integrated Radeon graphics. However, most people will pair it with a powerful AMD or Nvidia graphics card — it's a waste of power, otherwise. To get your hands on this AMD gem, you will need to spend around $575 on Amazon.
AMD Ryzen 7 5700G
Most of the greatest processors from AMD require you to buy a graphics card in order to run, as they do not come with built-in graphics. A GPU can cost a pretty penny, but if you're not a gamer (or at least not a hardcore gamer), you can safely buy an APU instead of a CPU. APU stands for Accelerated Processing Unit and it's a type of processor, exclusive to AMD, that comes with a regular processor and an integrated graphics card on the same chip.
Choosing an APU has some benefits. The whole PC will consume less power, you won't need to spend extra money on a discrete graphics card, and you can still comfortably run some games without a problem. Sure, it won't handle AAA titles, but it'll do a decent job with older and indie games. Moreover, it's an excellent tool for day-to-day tasks.
The Ryzen 7 5700G is one of the best APUs in AMD's current desktop arsenal. It comes with 8 cores and 16 threads, and has an impressive clock speed for an APU, reaching as high as 4.6 GHz. It's still pretty power-efficient, though, with a TDP rating of 65W.
You can buy the Ryzen 7 5700G on Amazon for around $190. If you ever want to get a dedicated GPU on top of this CPU, you can, which means that your PC will be easy to upgrade going forward.