Just when we thought we had seen the last processor for the AM4 platform, AMD surprises us once again with another “new” model. This time, it’s the Ryzen 5 5500X3D. But what exactly is it?
This is a binned version of the 5600X3D – a processor many people have either never heard of or have already forgotten. The reason is simple: the 5600X3D was an exclusive model sold only through Micro Center.
This naturally raises the question – what was the 5600X3D? It was essentially a cut-down version of the 5800X3D, launched in mid-2023. In practical terms, it was a 5800X3D with two cores disabled, making it the first 6-core / 12-thread processor with 3D V-Cache.
The Ryzen 5 5500X3D takes things one step further down the ladder – it’s a lower-clocked version of the 5600X3D. The maximum boost frequency drops from 4.4 GHz to 4.0 GHz (about a 9% reduction). In all other aspects, the two chips are nearly identical: 6 cores / 12 threads, 96 MB of L3 cache, and a 105W TDP.
Unlike the 5600X3D, the new 5500X3D is not limited to a single retailer. It was initially exclusive to Latin America, but that didn’t last long. It soon appeared in China and is now starting to show up in the UK as well.
That naturally leads to the key question – how does a 4 GHz AM4 processor with 3D V-Cache perform in games?
Gaming Performance
Rainbow Six Siege X
The Ryzen 5 5500X3D doesn’t particularly impress here – its performance is on par with the 5600X, which means it trails the 5600X3D by around 7%. However, for users with older processors, the improvement is significant: the 5500X3D is 42% faster than the 3800X and 67% faster than the Zen+ based 2700X. In other words, this is a meaningful upgrade.
Battlefield 6
In this title, the 5500X3D is about 15% faster than the 5600X and matches the Core Ultra 5 225F. The gap to the 5600X3D is minimal – just a few frames. Compared to older CPUs, it’s 31% faster than the 3800X and 63% faster than the 2700X.
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
Here, clock speed seems to matter less. The 5500X3D nearly reaches the performance of the 5600X3D. It is about 8% faster than the 5600X at medium settings, and with ray tracing enabled, the lead increases to 12%.
Counter-Strike 2
A similar pattern appears in Counter-Strike 2 – the 5500X3D comes very close to the 5600X3D, trailing by only a few frames. This makes it 18% faster than the 5600X at medium settings and 14% faster at very high settings. It also delivers a massive jump over older AM4 CPUs – 77% better performance than the 3800X and an impressive 126% over the 2700X.
Borderlands 4
Performance in Borderlands 4 is also strong. At medium settings, the 5500X3D is only 6% slower than the 5600X3D, while outperforming the Core Ultra 5 225F by 5%, the 5600X by 16%, and the 3800X by a substantial 40%. When switching to a more GPU-limited scenario, it matches the 225F and pulls about 7% ahead of the 5600X.
Baldur’s Gate 3
This game benefits heavily from 3D V-Cache technology. As a result, the 5500X3D is 28% faster than the 5600X but remains about 10% behind the 5600X3D, showing that clock speed still plays an important role. Memory bandwidth is crucial for stable 1% low results, which explains why DDR4-based systems lag behind DDR5 platforms like the Core i5-14600K in this regard.
The Last of Us Part II Remastered
In this title, the 5500X3D is 5–6% slower than the 5600X3D but 9–11% faster than the standard 5600X. It also delivers a 37% performance uplift over the 3800X and around 70% over the 2700X.
Who Is It For?
For users building a brand-new gaming PC, the Ryzen 5 5500X3D isn’t particularly appealing. At around $180, it struggles to compete with alternatives like:
- Core Ultra 5 250K Plus – around 20% better gaming performance and significantly stronger in CPU workloads
- Ryzen 5 7500F – slightly faster in games (~4%) and based on a newer platform
However, for users already on the AM4 platform with older processors from the Zen, Zen+, or Zen 2 generations, the 5500X3D can be a very tempting upgrade. While the 7500F is a better long-term investment, moving to AM5 requires a new motherboard and DDR5 memory – and current memory prices are a serious consideration.
For those already running a Zen 3 processor like the Ryzen 5 5600 or 5600X, the 5500X3D is not a sensible upgrade – the performance gain simply isn’t large enough to justify the cost.
This article is also available in Bulgarian at the following link: AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D – скритият ъпгрейд за AM4?
