AMD's new budget AM4 gaming CPU looks solid in new benchmarks — Zen 3-based Ryzen 5 5500X3D trails Ryzen 5 5600X3D by 6% in PassMark

AMD recently introduced the Ryzen 5 5500X3D to contend with the best CPUs in the market. Thanks to X user X86 is dead&back, the initial benchmark results for this Zen 3 processor with 3D V-Cache have been unearthed.

The Ryzen 5 5500X3D belongs to the Ryzen 5000 (codenamed Vermeer) series, utilizing Zen 3 execution cores. With AMD already on Zen 5, it may be surprising to some that the chipmaker continues to release processors that are two generations behind. Zen 3 should be cheap to produce now, so AMD can pump them out without affecting its books. Notably, the Ryzen 5 5500X3D is exclusively available in Latin America, serving as a product tailored for price-sensitive markets.

It doesn't take long to realize that the Ryzen 5 5500X3D is essentially a lower-binned version of the Ryzen 5 5600X3D. Both chips maintain a six-core, 12-thread configuration; however, the Ryzen 5 5500X3D features lower clock speeds. It's not a huge difference, though. We're looking at a 9% lower base and boost clocks. The two Zen 3-powered chips also offer the same 96MB L3 cache and are rated for 105W of power.

AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D Benchmarks

Before we proceed with the PassMark benchmarks, please be advised that the Ryzen 5 5500X3D is represented by only a single result; consequently, the margin for error is significant. In comparison, the results for the other comparable chips are derived from considerably larger sample sizes, thereby providing a more accurate indication of real-world performance.

The Ryzen 5 5500X3D exhibited approximately 6% lower performance compared to the Ryzen 5 5600X3D in both single-threaded and multi-threaded evaluations. The same processor showed comparable single-threaded performance to the Ryzen 5 5500 (Cezanne) in single-threaded tasks, while achieving a 6% higher multi-threaded performance. AMD's 3D V-Cache technology is particularly advantageous in gaming; therefore, PassMark benchmarks may not provide the most accurate look at the Ryzen 5 5500X3D. Nonetheless, due to the current lack of gaming-oriented benchmarks for the Ryzen 5 5500X3D, the available PassMark benchmark provides a glimpse into what the budget Zen 3 with 3D V-Cache can do in a non-gaming scenario.

Mexican retailer DD Tech has listed the Ryzen 5 5500X3D for $185.92; concurrently, Argentine retailer Tecnocraft offers the same processor for $184.66, exclusive of VAT (value-added tax). Given the similarity in pricing between these two vendors, it is reasonable to infer that the MSRP for the Ryzen 5 5500X3D is approximately $185. The pricing appears to be appropriate for foreign markets, where hardware products generally command higher prices. However, within the U.S. market, the Ryzen 5 5500X3D is a hard pass, considering that consumers can acquire a Ryzen 5 7600X for as low as $178 or opt for the latest Ryzen 5 9600X, starting at $197.

Follow Tom's Hardware on Google News to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button.