AMD CPUs have evolved a lot over the years to become so much more than just an affordable alternative to Intel CPUs. In fact, they've been stomping on Intel chips for a few generations now in some areas, offering incredible value with an appealing price-to-performance ratio. AMD CPUs are ever-present in the collection of the best CPUs as well as the best gaming CPUs on the market right now.
Our top AMD CPU recommendations in 2023
AMD Ryzen 5 7600
The best AMD Ryzen 7000 CPU you can buy.
AMD's Ryzen 5 7600 is the new entry-level processor from the company, offering six-core performance at a more affordable price. Capable of boosting up to 5.1GHz, this 65W chip is a mighty package with an efficient architecture for a killer PC build.
- Cores
- 6
- Threads
- 12
- Architecture
- Zen 4
- Process
- 5nm
- Socket
- AM5
- Transistors
- 6.57 billion
- Base Clock Speed
- 4.5 GHz
- Boost Clock Speed
- 5.1 GHz
- Cache
- 33 MB
- RAM
- DDR5-5200
- PCIe
- 5.0
- TDP
- 65 W
- Excellent performance
- Supports PCIe 5.0 and DDR5
- No DDR4 support
- iGPU is weak
It's a great time to be a PC builder when the mid-range CPUs are the best overall packages to get. As with the Ryzen 7000 series, most people will feel right at home with the Ryzen 5. In this case, the AMD Ryzen 5 7600 can be bought around the $320 mark. The jump in performance with AMD's latest CPUs makes this one insane value package. And you don't even need a graphics card just to turn the PC on anymore. All Ryzen 7000 CPUs now come with very basic integrated graphics, but it comes in handy if you simply need the system to boot. The Ryzen 5 7600 is based on AMD's Zen 4 architecture built on a 5nm process.
It arrives with the first new socket from AMD, AM5, in some time, and as such will require a new motherboard. The new socket looks more like a traditional Intel one, working in partnership with the wild new heat spreader on the CPU. As is traditional with the Ryzen 5, you get 6-cores and 12-threads, though the TDP is lower at just 65W. There are some limitations of the new AM5 platform. The Ryzen 5 7600 supports PCIe 5.0, but it also only supports DDR5 memory, so you need to factor that in as well. Other important specs include 38MB total cache, a boost clock of 5.1GHz, and a TjMax of 95C. On the whole, the Ryzen 5 7600 will run more efficiently than Intel's chips, and is mostly cooler. Single-core performance has seen a significant increase on the new chips, too, which is important for gaming.
The Ryzen 5 7600 is the stand-out of AMD's current range. Unless you're building a workstation or something that needs as many threads as possible, say for streaming or creative work, buying this one is a no-brainer.
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X
The best of the best from the previous generation.
The AMD Ryzen 5 5600X is our pick for the best overall CPU if you're leaning towards an AMD-based build. It's not as powerful as the Ryzen 9 5950X, but it's way cheaper and it beats nearly all the Intel chips in its category and beyond.
- Cores
- 6
- Threads
- 12
- Architecture
- Zen 3
- Process
- TSMC 7 nm
- Socket
- AM4
- Base Clock Speed
- 3.70 GHz
- Boost Clock Speed
- 4.60 GHz
- Cache
- 35 MB
- RAM
- DDR4-3200
- PCIe
- 4.0
- TDP
- 65 W
- Supports DDR4 RAM
- Great value
- No PCIe 5.0 or DDR5 support
While the Ryzen 9 5950X and the Ryzen 9 5900X were the most powerful CPUs from the Ryzen 5000 series, we think it's the Ryzen 5 5600X CPU that offers the best package overall. The Ryzen 5 5600X comes with six cores and twelve threads powered by AMD's Zen 3 architecture fabricated on the 7nm process. This processor offers approximately a 19% improvement in instructions per cycle (IPC) over its previous-gen counterpart. It also brings a ton of other noteworthy features to the table including improved memory overclocking, new cache topology, and more. The Ryzen 5 5600X is also a 65W TDP chip, which means it's one of the most power-efficient chips in AMD's Ryzen 5000 series and gives you a wide choice of cooling.
The AMD Ryzen 5 5600X comes with a base frequency of 3.7GHz and boosts all the way up to 4.6GHz. While the official peak frequency is clocked at 4.6GHz, the chip is known to frequently cross the 5GHz mark under favorable conditions. Overclocking is also an option with the Ryzen 5 5600X with which users can get more performance out of this chip. Overclocking performance is obviously not going to be as good as the Ryzen 9 5950X, but it comes close for a fraction of its cost. It also boasts 36MB of L3 cache to topple the competition.
In terms of performance, the Ryzen 5 5600X beats most Intel chips in its category and trades blows with some of the high-end chips from the blue team too. The 5600X even beats the Core i9-10900K in most single-threaded workloads, including gaming at 1080p. This makes it one of the best processors you can buy for your gaming rig without burning a huge hole in your pocket. The extra enticing thing about the Ryzen 5 5600X is that it drops right into existing motherboards with an AM4 socket, thereby reducing the overall platform entry cost. You won't be able to upgrade to a Ryzen 7000 without a whole new motherboard and set of DDR5 RAM, but the 5600X still has the bang for the buck to make it worth buying in 2022.
AMD Ryzen 9 7950X
The best-performing consumer-grade AMD CPU.
AMD's Ryzen 9 7950X is the flagship CPU of the Ryzen 7000 series, coming with 16 cores, 32 threads, and a 5.7GHz boost clock.
- Cores
- 16
- Threads
- 32
- Architecture
- Zen 4
- Process
- TSMC 5nm
- Socket
- AM5
- Base Clock Speed
- 4.5 GHz
- Boost Clock Speed
- 5.7 GHz
- Cache
- 81 MB
- RAM
- DDR5-5200
- PCIe
- 5.0
- Graphics
- AMD Radeon Graphics
- TDP
- 170 W
- Amazing performance
- DDR5 and PCIe 5.0 support
- Gets really hot
- Expensive
AMD's newest, most powerful Ryzen CPU is one that will have the creators out there perking up their ears. One of Ryzen's strengths ever since it first hit the market has been incredible multi-thread performance, which is important for taxing workloads. Intel has gone down a different route with its hybrid designs, but AMD is still keeping it a little more traditional and the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X is 16-cores and 32-threads of raw, immense power. Gamers can better spend their money since 16-cores is overkill and then some, but where the 7950X comes in is those who want to game and create. When you consider it in that context it makes much more sense. Want to game and stream? Render high-resolution video? Use software such as Blender or Unreal Engine? In taxing processes like all of these, sometimes there's just no substitute for more. More cores, more threads, more performance.
The Ryzen 9 7950X is one of the first Zen 4, AM5 chips from AMD, the first time we've had a new socket in some years. As such, you'll need to upgrade everything in your rig. It only supports DDR5 RAM, so you'll need a new motherboard, too. It's built to support PCIe 5.0, though admittedly there are limited use cases for that right now. But you can transfer over your existing PCIe 4.0 drives. In our testing, the Ryzen 9 7950X is every bit as impressive as you would hope it to be. It outclasses the Intel Core i9-12900K in almost every benchmark, even in single-core performance at times. Temperatures can get a little on the warm side but don't exceed the 95C (203F) that AMD has previously declared. At idle it'll sit happily at 40C (104F) under an AIO cooler, and you'd be able to drop that even further with some serious liquid cooling. It's still a bit toastier than Intel's competing CPUs though, and we're yet to see the 13th Gen Core i9 on the test bench.
Ultimately AMD has made a pretty meaningful update to the Ryzen family and its flagship model is going to be popular with creators. The days of needing two PCs to stream with, for example, are increasingly looking like being over thanks to advances such as this one. It's pricey, yes, but it's as powerful as you can get right now on a consumer platform. And AM5 is going to be here for many years to come, so you're as future-proofed as it gets right now.
AMD Ryzen 7 5700G
Integrated graphics makes this a killer APU.
AMD Ryzen 7 5700G is your best bet if you want to build a budget gaming PC right now without having to spend a lot of money on a discrete GPU.
- Cores
- 8
- Threads
- 16
- Architecture
- Zen 3
- Socket
- AM4
- Base Clock Speed
- 3.8 GHz
- Boost Clock Speed
- 4.6 GHz
- Cache
- 20 MB
- RAM
- DDR4-3200
- PCIe
- 4.0
- Graphics
- AMD Radeon Graphics
- TDP
- 65 W
- Great iGPU performance
- Supports DDR4 RAM
- No DDR5 or PCIe 5.0 support
AMD's APUs have been strong budget buys for years now, and the Ryzen 7 5700G is the latest in that line. Traditionally the case to buy an APU centered around being able to build a capable system, even for gaming, on a tight budget and without a graphics card. That's still true, but the 5700G will also perform well if you do add a graphics card to it, making it the budget pick for all occasions. The Ryzen 7 5700G is a part of AMD's new 'Cezzane' APUs and it's an 8-core APU that sits on top of the Ryzen 5 5600G and the quad-core Ryzen 3 5300G in AMD's APU product stack. It's based on the Zen 3 architecture and brings 8-cores and 16-threads to the table. We're looking at a base frequency of 3.8GHz and a boost frequency of 4.6GHz. Yet it still has a relatively low TDP rating of just 65W, which is quite impressive. This means it's just as power-efficient as most other 5000 series chips.
That being said, the Ryzen 7 5700G isn't exactly a Ryzen 7 5800X with an iGPU. AMD has lowered the L3 cache and has also ditched support for PCIe 4.0. This means the Ryzen 7 5700G is a little more limited overall. You do get memory support for up to DDR4-3200, which is great since Ryzen thrives the higher you can get the memory speed. Notably, the Ryzen 7 5700G also comes with AMD's excellent Wraith Stealth cooler, which is a nice addition. The Ryzen 7 5700G also drops right into one of the existing AM4 motherboards on the market, so it's great if you're upgrading from an older AMD CPU. The integrated GPU is based on the Vega architecture that comprises eight compute units and 512 GCN cores operating at 2GHz. You will need to remember that the APU will portion off some of your system memory for the integrated graphics, though. So do ensure you get as much as your budget will allow.
AMD Ryzen 5 5600G
Save money and enjoy decent gaming performance.
The AMD Ryzen 5 5600G is a great APU combining strong CPU performance with best-in-class integrated graphics.
- Cores
- 6
- Threads
- 12
- Architecture
- Zen 3
- Process
- TSMC 7nm
- Socket
- AM4
- Base Clock Speed
- 3.9 GHz
- Boost Clock Speed
- 4.4 GHz
- Cache
- 19 MB
- RAM
- DDR4-3200
- PCIe
- 3.0
- Graphics
- AMD Radeon Graphics
- TDP
- 45 - 65 W
- Fantastic value
- Great iGPU performance
- Weaker core performance
- No DDR5 or PCIe 5.0 support
While the AMD Ryzen 7 5700G is the best-performing APU you can buy right now, we think the Ryzen 5 5600G is better if you know an APU is all you want because of its incredible price-to-performance ratio. It performs close to the 5700G while undercutting it handily on price and is a perfect chip to put into a tiny PC build. The Ryzen 5 5600G is based on the Zen 3 architecture, and it's paired with the Radeon Vega graphics engine. The 5600G comes with six cores and twelve threads. It comes with a base frequency of 3.9GHz and a boost frequency of 4.4GHz. This particular APU is rated for 65W TDP.
The Ryzen 5000G also supports DDR4-3200 memory speeds, which is ample. The integrated GPUs rely on shared system memory, so it's a good idea to pair it with as much as your budget allows. Compared to the Ryzen 5 5600X, you get integrated graphics but you miss out on the PCIe 4.0 support. You'll also be sacrificing 200Mhz of base clock speeds and half the L3 cache.
As for the gaming performance, well the Ryzen 5 5600G isn't necessarily the best-performing CPU out there but it's definitely no slouch. The 5600G, we'd say is plenty good enough for casual games, but you will still be looking at a lower visual fidelity while playing some modern titles. But you can certainly get going without a graphics card, and if you're limited to lighter titles such as Valorant or Rocket League, this is everything you need and more.
AMD Ryzen Threadripper Pro 5995WX
You won't need this much power but it would be nice to have.
The AMD Ryzen Threadripper Pro 5995WX with 64 cores is effectively an overclocked EPYC server CPU, making it the fastest workstation CPU in the world and ideal for any multi-core workload that needs to be finished as soon as possible.
- Cores
- 64
- Threads
- 128
- Architecture
- Zen 3
- Process
- TSMC 7nm
- Socket
- sWRX8
- Base Clock Speed
- 2.7 GHz
- Boost Clock Speed
- 4.5 GHz
- Cache
- 292 MB
- RAM
- DDR4-3200
- PCIe
- 4.0
- TDP
- 280 W
- Amazing performance
- Insane amounts of bandwidth
- Super expensive
AMD's Threadripper 5000 processors absolutely dominate the HEDT space with incredibly powerful CPUs. Well, guess what? The Threadripper Pro CPUs are even better as they bring some meaningful upgrades by enabling all eight memory channels and all the PCIe lanes. We're adding the AMD Threadripper Pro 5995WX to this list as an option for those who want nothing but the absolute best when it comes to raw computing power. This chip comes with 64-cores and 128 threads and it's the leader of the pack when it comes to pure computing power.
The AMD Threadripper Pro brings a lot of noteworthy features to the table to make it one of the best workstation CPUs on the market. The 5995WX can single-handedly outperform dual-socket Intel systems that come with up to 56 cores. Well, that's not really a surprise considering AMD's been leading the workstation CPU space for quite some time now. Like other Threadripper 5000 series chips, the 5995WX has some premium features that you simply can't ignore, including eight DDR4-3200 memory channels with ECC.
AMD previously bumped the max memory capacity up to 2TB in systems that support up to two DIMMs per channel. This is also a huge bump over AMD's own consumer models that only support up to 256GB. Notably, AMD has also increased the PCIe 4.0 support from 72 lanes with the standard Threadripper models to a whopping 128 lanes on the Pro models. This makes it very desirable for professional users looking to take advantage of high-performance PCIe peripherals. Just to put things into perspective, you can connect up to four Nvidia Quadro GPUs in a single-socket chassis, which is incredible.
It's, however, worth pointing out that this particular CPU demands special attention. The 'WX' suffix denotes that it's a professional workstation chip that drops into specialized single-socket WRX80 motherboards featuring the sWRX8 socket. The supported motherboards are some of the most expensive ones you can find on the market right now as they tend to offer a robust power delivery system capable of handling the raw power of these monstrous CPUs. The 280W AMD Threadripper Pro 5995WX features a max frequency of 4.5 GHz. You're also looking at a higher base frequency of 2.7 GHz, which is higher than EPYC's maximum of 2.25 GHz for a 64-core processor.
Choosing the best AMD CPU
AMD's lineup of CPUs has a lot to offer, and we've reviewed countless AMD chips, comparing them against one another. We may well have reached a point where the platform has changed, but even so, there are a lot of good choices. Picking the right AMD processor for your PC depends on what you plan on using the OS for. If it's just for gaming and lighter tasks, you'll not require much more than a Ryzen 7 at most. Ryzen 9 processors come into play when you're using heavy multi-threaded applications such as video rendering.
If you want to stay on AM4, then the Ryzen 5 5600X is the one to get, if you're stepping up to the latest and greatest, it's the AMD Ryzen 5 7600. The 7600 is an amazing value proposition, undercutting the 7600X, and is able to boost up to its sibling and match it on performance. It may not be quite as good as the Intel Core i5-13600K, but it's still amazing for gaming and then some. If you're wanting to build a PC for work and play, this processor will be a perfect match.
AMD Ryzen 5 7600
AMD's Ryzen 5 7600 is the new entry-level processor from the company, offering six-core performance at a more affordable price. Capable of boosting up to 5.1GHz, this 65W chip is a mighty package with an efficient architecture for a killer PC build.