AMD has just unveiled two more brand new gaming CPUs for its now ancient AM4 motherboard range, enabling gamers to get a CPU upgrade on boards that are many years old. The new AMD Ryzen 9 5900 XT and AMD Ryzen 7 5800 XT CPUs, with the latter being the fastest-clocked AM4 processor in its class yet.
While AMD’s range of AM4 CPUs have long been supplanted on our list of the best gaming CPUs by its speedier AM5 CPUs on, these chips still represent a potential ideal upgrade for those users still holding on to PCs with older AMD motherboards. If you’re still running a first or second generation Ryzen CPU and are finally tempted by an upgrade, these – along with other still available AM4 chips – could be just what you need.
One thing you don’t get with these CPUs, though, is a an update to the latest Zen 5 architecture seen in the company’s new Ryzen 9000 CPUs, or even to Zen 4. Instead, these are still Zen 3-based chips, but just with a slightly different configuration to existing models.
The Ryzen 9 5900 XT is a 16 core / 32 thread chip just like the Ryzen 9 5950 XT but running at a 100MHz lower clock speed. Meanwhile, the Ryzen 7 5800 XT is an 8 core / 16 thread model that is actually the fastest clocked 8-core Zen 3 chip ever, topping out at 4.8GHz.
That means that while neither of these chips will be setting new performance records at the high end of the market, they could offer just the right balance of performance and price for your needs.
Speaking of pricing, the Ryzen 9 5900 XT will cost $359 while the Ryzen 7 5800 XT price is $249. Both chips have release dates of July 2024, so you’ll be able to grab one very soon indeed.
For more news from Computex 2024, where AMD made the above announcement, check out our Computex news hub.