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A comparison of AMD's Ryzen 7 X3D processors from 2022 to 2024 (5800X3D, 7800X3D and 9800X3D) shows Geekbench 6 scores rising roughly 47% on single-core and 58% on multi-core tasks. Clock speed increases were modest, from 4.5 GHz to 5.2 GHz max boost, while transistor counts grew about 50%, from roughly 11 billion to 16 billion, mostly added to the processor core rather than cache.
Newegg is offering a two-item combo pairing AMD's Ryzen 7 9800X3D gaming CPU with an MSI MAG X870E Gaming Max Wifi motherboard for $578.99, down from $727.99. The deal also throws in a free Cooler Master Elite Liquid 240 AIO cooler worth $80, and the discount effectively makes this the cheapest way to get the 9800X3D.
A review of System76's Pangolin Pro laptop highlights its large glass trackpad, a basic 2-MP webcam, and an easily accessible chassis secured by nine visible screws that allows users to upgrade RAM, SSDs, and WiFi cards. The review also notes that AMD Ryzen chips still lack Coreboot support, meaning the laptop doesn't run fully open firmware, and praises the bundled Pop!_OS Linux with its Cosmic Desktop for a smooth daily-use experience.
Newegg is offering a high-end PC parts bundle combining AMD's Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 CPU, an 8TB Samsung 9100 Pro SSD, an MSI X870E Gaming Plus WiFi motherboard, and 32GB of V-Color DDR5-6000 memory for $2,999, down from a combined retail price of $4,288. The deal also throws in a free Cooler Master 240mm AIO cooler and a copy of Onimusha with qualifying AMD purchases. Buyers still need to add a case, power supply, and graphics card to complete the build.
An early Geekbench 7 submission attributed to Apple's unreleased A20 Pro chip shows single-core and multi-core scores of 4,006 and 11,460, roughly 23% and 27% higher than the A19 Pro. The result reportedly tops single-thread scores from AMD's Ryzen 9 9950X3D and Intel's Core i9-14900KS by 26% and 32% respectively.
AMD has introduced two new six-core, twelve-thread desktop chips: the $99 Ryzen 5 5500F for aging AM4 motherboards and the $189 Ryzen 5 7500 for newer AM5 systems. The 7500 is a Zen 4 chip with integrated RDNA 2 graphics, essentially a graphics-enabled version of the existing 7500F, while the 5500F is a Zen 3 chiplet-based part built on the Vermeer design that adds PCIe 4.0 support missing from the standard Ryzen 5 5500.
AMD has released two new budget hexa-core processors: the Zen 3-based Ryzen 5 5500F priced at $99, and the Zen 4-based Ryzen 5 7500 priced at $189, both now available at U.S. retailers. The 5500F is essentially a lower-binned Ryzen 5 5600 without integrated graphics, offering a 500MHz lower boost clock and half the L3 cache, while still supporting PCIe 4.0.
A FreeBSD enthusiast retired his older AMD-based Mini-ITX desktop, repurposing it for his kids, and built a replacement using a Ryzen 4750GE processor recovered from a shelved project. Rather than upgrading to a pricier AM5/DDR5 platform, he stuck with AM4 and DDR4 for cost efficiency, choosing a slightly larger Silverstone SG13 case over the older SG05 model.
Microsoft has launched Project Zenith, a stripped-down version of Windows 11 aimed at AI developers, requiring at least 64GB of unified memory and 250GB/s memory bandwidth. It will debut on AMD's Ryzen AI Halo hardware, a rival to Nvidia's DGX Spark, before expanding to other OEM devices, and ships preloaded with tools like VS Code, GitHub Copilot, Python, WSL, and .NET 10 already configured for coding.
According to leaker Roland Quandt, AMD is preparing a Ryzen 5 7500 without the 'F' suffix, matching the Ryzen 5 7500F's six-core, twelve-thread design, 3.7GHz base and 5.0GHz boost clocks, 38MB combined cache, and 65W TDP. The only real difference is a basic two-CU RDNA 2 integrated GPU suitable for display output but not gaming, yet the chip is rumored to launch at around 230 Euros ($267), more than double the 7500F's current street price.
At IFA 2026 in Berlin, Windows PC makers including Dell, Acer, Lenovo and Packard Bell showed off affordable, colorful mid-range laptops aimed squarely at competing with Apple's MacBook Neo. Lenovo's IdeaPad Vibe stood out with seven color options and swappable keycaps, while Nvidia and AMD pushed AI-focused hardware, including Nvidia's RTX Spark platform and AMD's Ryzen AI Max+ Pro 495 chip with up to 192GB of unified memory.
At IFA, Acer showed off a concept called the DualPlay Mini, a small handheld gaming device that can flip open to reveal a keyboard and become a mini laptop. Acer hasn't disclosed specs, but reports say it ran Forza Horizon 6 smoothly with rumble support, and its keyboard is large enough for mouse-and-WASD play.