AMD Ryzen 5000 series CPUs – what does it mean for you?

If you’re even remotely interested in the latest tech, you will have seen the announcement of the latest processors from AMD – the Ryzen 5000 series. These new processors are built on new Zen 3 architecture and come with a huge boost in performance over the previous 3000 series (yes, they skipped the 4000 series for desktop). All this shiny new tech is nice but, what does that mean for you? Do you need to buy a new PC? New components for your current build? Or, does it really mean anything to the everyday PC user?

We’ll be talking about all of this and more below so you can decide whether you absolutely need one of these new CPUs or whether it even impacts your life as a PC owner.

First up, let’s speak about performance and whether the increase that you’ll get from these processors will be beneficial to you. Before we get onto other types of users, let’s talk gaming, the primary reason why these Ryzen chips are so popular.

There were a bunch of gaming stats shown in the reveal event on October 8th with notable mentions for Esports-ready titles such as League of Legends and CS:GO which saw over 20% performance improvement when using the Ryzen 9 5900X over the 3000 series. There were also big improvements in a number of other popular titles such as Tomb Raider, also sitting in and around the 20% performance improvement mark. So, to put it simply, if you’re a hardcore gamer and currently have a PC setup that includes a Ryzen 3000 series chip, to secure an even better experience in today’s titles as well as having a more futureproof machine, it’ll certainly beneficial to buy one of the higher-end 5000 series processors like the 5900X or the even more powerful 5950X. However, if you’re a casual gamer, again sporting a 3000 series CPU in your PC, its probably not worth shelling out the extra cash on this new range. Our advice would be to wait until the next AMD processor release, likely to be in 2021, where Zen 4 will be introduced with even bigger improvements.

Gaming aside, Ryzen processors are also top tier when it comes to creative tasks too. So, if you’re a content creator or someone who has a job in the creative industry, probably using the Adobe Creative Suite, will the 5000 series be worth a pickup? In the main, probably not, unless you’re going to be opting for the Ryzen 9 5950X or want the latest tech for futureproofing. Similar to the Threadripper, the 5950X was built for creatives who need more cores thus making it perfect for people in that industry. Moreover, the 5950X is the first CPU to break the Cinebench single-thread record coming in at 640, therefore meaning it’s a big boost over the previous generation and probably worth buying simply based on this, making any creative’s work life a lot smoother.

Finally, if you’re just an average PC owner that doesn’t really know or care about clock speeds, Zen 3 architecture, or more technical aspects, does this release affect you? Well, in the main no, especially if you’re simply using your PC for office work, web surfing, and watching your favorite content creators. But, if you use more powerful programs such as the Adobe Creative Suite or are a gamer wanting to play some of today’s popular games, then this could be revolutionary. Again, if you don’t have the knowledge around the more technical terms, all you need to know is that these new CPUs will potentially turn your struggling PC into one that’s capable of running whatever you throw at it (within reason of course). The decision is ultimately down to price. Yes, Ryzen chips are far more budget-friendly compared to their Intel counterparts but you’re still looking at $299 for the most basic Ryzen 5 5600X, so it’s certainly something to think about when considering upgrading, is that extra cost is worth it to you?

Now, let’s talk about compatibility if you do want to pick up one of these new 5000 series processors. If you know what motherboard you have and it supports the AMD Ryzen 3000 series processors then you’re all good, you can buy one of these new CPUs and slot it right in thanks to a simple BIOS update. But, if you’re still sporting an older generation motherboard then as you would expect, unfortunately, you’d have to upgrade to something like a B550 or an X570 variant.

If you’ve read all of this and think that it’s the time to upgrade or build your very first PC, then we have all the direct links to buy whichever AMD 5000 series CPU you’d like. Head to our where to buy page and secure one of those next-generation processors!