AMD first debuted its Zen 3 CPU architecture nearly six years ago, and while Zen 5 remains its latest generation for flagship desktop chips, there’s still life yet in the older platform. A new product page recently appeared on the AMD website for a brand new chip called the Ryzen 5 5500F. Built on the ageing AM4 socket, the new CPU pairs with DDR4 RAM, which can often work out cheaper than the equivalent capacity of DDR5 memory amid the memory pricing boom.
On paper, the Ryzen 5 5500F looks very similar to the Ryzen 5 5500, launched back in 2022, with both chips sharing a six-core, 12-thread configuration. The newer 5500F has a lower base clock speed of 3 GHz compared to the 5500’s 3.6 GHz, but makes up for it with a higher maximum boost clock of 4.4 GHz versus 4.2 GHz. Crucially, the 5500F is also differentiated with PCIe 4.0 support compared to the 5500’s PCIe 3.0 limit, meaning improved GPU bandwidth and support for faster PCIe 4.0 solid-state drives.
The product page quietly appeared on AMD’s site earlier this month, and at the time it was unclear whether the chip would be sold as a boxed retail unit or be limited strictly to OEM builds. That’s now cleared up, with AMD confirming US retail pricing of only $99 for the new processor. That’s a very low price for 2026, and combined with its reliance on good old DDR4, it could form the basis of an ultra-budget gaming PC build – especially for anyone with spare DDR4 memory already sitting in a drawer.
Of course, unlike the latest flagship CPUs, it won’t be totally up to the task of demanding power-user workloads. But, it should still be a great companion for a cash-strapped gamer, with the chip still exceeding the minimum processor requirements for most new games.
