AM4 is the CPU socket that just refuses to die. Nearly a decade after first making its way into motherboards, AMD is still releasing new processors for the long-lived setup, still delivering upgrade options for users going all the way back to the Ryzen 1000 series. But the latest chip, yet another release in the gaming-focused X3D line, might be hard to find.
The Ryzen 5 5500X3D, a Zen 3 chip with six cores, has now shown up on AMD’s promotional site. According to the listing, it’s only available in “LATAM” (Latin America), at least at launch. With a 7-nanometer architecture, 3.0GHz base clock, 4.0GHz boost clock, and 105 watts of TDP, it should have a lot more juice than the other members of the Ryzen 5 5500 line (with 5500 and 5500 GT both capped at 65 watts). It’ll be a step down from the 5600X3D released in 2023, also six cores and 105 watts, but clocked slightly faster.
PCWorld spoke with AMD on the subject of the AM4 socket’s longevity at CES over a year ago. A representative said that supporting the huge remaining base of AM4 users was important and that the company will be doing it so long as the older DDR4 memory remains available and economically viable to produce. The Ryzen 5000 series itself is now almost five years old, succeeded by 7000 and the shift to AM5.
Though the official launch of the 5500X3D was last week, VideoCardz.com hasn’t been able to find any retail availability as of now. It seems unlikely that it’ll expand globally at this point—I can’t see those 5600X3D chips flying off the shelves. Even so, it’s a staggering achievement to release processors for the same socket across eight years, five different product lines, and five distinct microarchitectures.