GoKawiilJust when you thought we might have finally seen the last AM4 processor, AMD goes and bins yet another "new" variant. This is close to what people have been asking for, though not exactly. What many really want is for AMD to bring back the 5800X3D, but that doesn't look likely. Instead, we have the Ryzen 5 5500X3D.
So what is the Ryzen 5 5500X3D? It's a binned version of the 5600X3D, a CPU most of you probably didn't know existed – or may have forgotten. That's largely because the 5600X3D was an exclusive part, available only through Micro Center.
So the next question is: what was the 5600X3D? It was a cut-down version of the 5800X3D, released in mid-2023. Essentially, the 5600X3D is a 5800X3D with two cores disabled, resulting in the first 6-core/12-thread 3D V-Cache processor. We managed to get one back in the day and review it, and as expected it's not significantly slower than the 5800X3D – around 8% slower, which is reasonable given the 25% reduction in core count.
Ryzen 5 5500X3D Ryzen 5 5600X3D Ryzen 7 5700X3D Ryzen 7 5800X3D Price MSRP ? $230 $250 $450 Release Date Jun 5, 2025 Jul 7, 2023 Jan 31, 2024 Apr 20, 2022 Cores / Threads 6 / 12 8 / 16 Base Clock 3.0 GHz 3.3 GHz 3.0 GHz 3.4 GHz Boost Clock 4.0 GHz 4.4 GHz 4.1 GHz 4.5 GHz L3 Cache (Total) 96 MB Box Cooler N/A Chiplets 1 x CCD, 1 x I/O Core Config 1 x 6 1 x 8 TDP 105 W
The 5500X3D, on the other hand, is a 5600X3D with reduced clock speeds. The maximum boost frequency drops from 4.4GHz to just 4GHz, a 9% reduction. Otherwise, they are effectively the same CPU, both featuring 6 cores / 12 threads, 96MB of L3 cache, and a 105W TDP.
However, unlike the 5600X3D, the 5500X3D is not limited to a single retailer. It initially launched as a Latin America – exclusive part, though that didn't last long. It quickly appeared in China and has now started showing up in the UK. We managed to source one from China about a month ago via AliExpress, although we only recently had time to evaluate it.
At the time of writing, it can be delivered via AliExpress for around $180 or $260 AUD. That's roughly in line with what we're paying locally for the Ryzen 5 7600, and about 20% more than the Ryzen 5 5600X. With that in mind, we're interested to see how well a 4GHz 3D V-Cache AM4 processor performs in games, especially given that the 5600X clocks about 15% higher.
For testing, we have 14 games to cover, along with a substantial amount of comparative data – so let's get into it.
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