In context: Seeing AMD brag about its continued dominance of CPU sales charts is unsurprising. However, a recent social media post from the company also reveals the effects of the RAMpocalypse when observers pay close attention to which AMD CPUs are selling the most.
AMD's senior marketing director, Sasa Marinkovic, recently shared a snapshot of the 30 top-selling CPUs on Amazon. The company occupied all but four spots, including the entire top 10. It's a deserved flex, as Intel has yet to meaningfully respond to AMD's last three generations of desktop processors. However, Marinkovic also revealed how much ongoing RAM shortages have boosted sales of processors released four years ago.
Assuming the post shows Amazon's US sales charts, it captures a brief moment when the Ryzen 5 5500, a budget CPU originally released in 2022, stole the top spot from the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, widely considered the best gaming CPU on the market. The 5500 still holds the crown on Amazon's UK site.
– Saša Marinković (@SasaMarinkovic) August 10, 2026
It's a shocking turnaround from when TechSpot advised shoppers to avoid the 6-core Zen 3 processor when it launched at a $160 MSRP. However, the CPU now sits at approximately half that price – $81, while the 9800X3D and other chips from AMD's Ryzen 7000 and 9000 lineups are locked behind the continually rising price of DDR5 RAM.
TechSpot highlighted the distorted situation late last year with benchmarks showing that, while the Ryzen 5 5500 still isn't a great CPU, it's good enough for a budget DDR4-based build. Furthermore, it has since lost one of its top competitors.
Last year, the 7500F offered much better performance at the same price for users who could acquire DDR5 memory, but eight months later, that CPU has nearly disappeared from storefronts, with the remaining offers nearing $200. In fact, the only other processors in Amazon's top 30 anywhere close to the 5500's price are Ryzen 3 chips.
Also see: The Best CPUs - Mid 2026 Update
The AI boom's effect on the memory market was apparent then and has only worsened since. Manufacturers currently pay six times as much for memory as they did a year ago. The shift has raised the prices for various consumer products, and experts expect the situation to last at least into 2028.
AMD acknowledged the skewed market by re-releasing the Ryzen 7 5800X3D, which, like the 5500, initially launched in 2022. TechSpot's re-review highlights that, at $350, it's technically a ripoff compared to its successor, the 7800X3D. However, like the 5500, it's the best option in its price range for users stuck with DDR4 RAM.