AMD Ryzen 5 Processors Unveiled, 4 and 6-Core Chips As Low As $169 Target Intel Core i5 And i3

After a prolonged development cycle and strategic build-up that got many enthusiasts worked into a frenzy, AMD launched its Ryzen 7 family of processors based on the company’s Zen microarchitecture a couple of short weeks ago. We’ve got the full scoop on Ryzen 7 available for you right here if you missed the news as it broke.

A couple of details regarding the mainstream Ryzen 5 family were also revealed during the Ryzen 7 launch, but today we’ve got lots of additional details to share and can tell you about AMD's entire Ryzen 5 processor line-up.


Unlike the Ryzen 7 series, which consists entirely of 8-core / 16-thread processors, the Ryzen 5 family has two tiers consisting of 6-core / 12-thread and 4-core / 8-thread processors. The entry-level part in the line-up is the Ryzen 5 1400. The Ryzen 5 1400 is a 4-core, 8-thread machine with base and turbo clocks of 3.2GHz and 3.4GHz, respectively. The Ryzen 5 1500X has the same quad-core configuration, but with base and turbo clocks of 3.5GHz and 3.7GHz. Ryzen 5 1500X also has support for an extended XFR frequency range of up to 3.9GHz (+200MHz over the max, all-core turbo frequency), but XFR details for the other processors in the line-up weren’t disclosed.


Next up the stack is the Ryzen 5 1600. The 1600 is a 6-core / 12-thread processor, with 3.2GHz base and 3.6GHz boost clocks. And at the top of the stack is the Ryzen 5 1600X – which has a similar 6-core configuration – but cranks things up even further to 3.6GHz / 4.0GHz. With XFR, the absolute maximum frequency for all of the Ryzen 5 processors will be somewhat higher, but we’re still waiting on the specifics from AMD.


AMD’s Ryzen 5 processor line-up will work with the very same AM4 platform as the higher-end Ryzen 7. While the X370 chipset was most often highlighted during the Ryzen 7 launch, AMD expects Ryzen 5 to be paired to the lower-priced B350 most often. In actuality, the two chipsets are very similar; the B350 simply has a different PCIe configuration and doesn’t offer support for multi-GPU configurations. Overclocking is still supported, however, which is ideal for tweakers on a budget, because all Ryzen 5 series processors are unlocked, just like their higher-end counterparts.


Most Ryzen 5 processors sold at retail will also include AMD Wraith coolers. The 65W Ryzen 5 1400 will ship with a Wraith Stealth, while the Ryzen 5 1500X and 1600, which are also 65W processors, will include a Wraith Spire. Note, however, that these coolers do-not feature built-in RBG light rings. Only the AMD Wraith coolers included with Ryzen 7 processors have the built in lighting. And like the high-end Ryzen 7 1800X, the 95W Ryzen 5 1600X will ship without a bundled cooler. AMD figures enthusiasts are most likely going to use aftermarket coolers anyway, so the company decided against including one in the box.


AMD Ryzen 5 series processors will be launching on April 11, with prices starting at $169 for the Ryzen 5 1400. An additional $20 will get you a Ryzen 5 1500X, while the 6-core Ryzen 5 1600 and 1600X will sell for $219 and $249, respectively. At those prices, AMD is clearly targeting Core i3 and Core i5 series Intel processors, and since AMD’s Ryzen 5 offerings are likely to have higher core counts at any given price point, they should have significant performance advantages in multi-threaded workloads. We’ll know for sure once we get the processors in house for testing, which won’t be long now, so stay tuned.