First look: AMD has expanded both ends of its desktop CPU platform lineup with the Ryzen 5 5500F for AM4 systems and the Ryzen 5 7500 for AM5 builds, offering two six-core parts aimed at lower-cost upgrades and entry-level PCs. The launches give AMD a new option for builders still using the long-running AM4 socket while adding an AM5 alternative for buyers who want Zen 4 performance without moving up to the Ryzen 5 7600. Both chips have six cores and 12 threads, but they serve distinctly different platform generations and use different silicon designs.
The Ryzen 5 7500 is essentially the Ryzen 5 7500F with an integrated GPU. It has six Zen 4 cores and 12 threads, a 3.7 GHz base clock, and boost speeds up to 5.0 GHz. It also has 38 MB of combined cache: 6 MB of L2 and 32 MB of L3. Its 65 W TDP is unchanged from the 7500F.
The important difference is the graphics hardware. AMD has added a small RDNA 2 graphics unit with two compute units clocked at up to 2.2 GHz.
At $189, the Ryzen 5 7500 sits below the Ryzen 5 7600, which sells for about $226. The 7600 has a 100 MHz advantage in both base and boost clock speeds, so it should remain somewhat faster in CPU-limited workloads. The Ryzen 5 7500F, meanwhile, has fallen to about $157, making it the less expensive option for buyers who already plan to install a dedicated GPU.
The Ryzen 5 5500F is more complicated than its name suggests. It is not simply a lower-clocked Ryzen 5 5500 with a different name. AMD built the 5500F on Vermeer, the chiplet-based Zen 3 design used in the Ryzen 5000 desktop series. The standard Ryzen 5 5500 uses Cezanne, a monolithic design from the Ryzen 5000G family.
That gives the 5500F one notable advantage: PCIe 4.0 support. The Ryzen 5 5500 is limited to PCIe 3.0. For an AM4 system using a newer graphics card or PCIe 4.0 SSD, the newer processor may offer more flexibility.
The 5500F has six Zen 3 cores and 12 threads. It runs at 3.0 GHz and boosts to 4.4 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. It has 16 MB of L3 cache, half the amount in the Ryzen 5 5600, and the 5600's base clock is 500 MHz higher as well.
For that reason, the 5500F is best viewed as a cut-down Ryzen 5 5600 rather than a direct replacement for the Ryzen 5 5500. AMD has priced it at $99, compared with roughly $159 for the Ryzen 5 5600. The older Ryzen 5 5500 can still cost less, with OEM tray versions starting around $74, but its platform support is more limited.
The two releases show that AMD is still serving both desktop sockets. AM5 is the company's current platform, with DDR5 memory and PCIe 5.0 support. But AM4 remains widely used, and the Ryzen 5 5500F gives owners of those systems another inexpensive upgrade choice.
AMD launches $99 Ryzen 5 5500F for AM4 and new Ryzen 5 7500 for AM5
