AMD’s Ryzen 5 5500X3D CPU has been listed by UK retailer PC Tec UK, offering the cheapest cost of entry for the company’s renowned X3D series. For £179.99, you get a 6-core chip with six cores, and it will work in an old AM4 motherboard with DDR4 RAM as well.
According to PC Tec UK, the Ryzen 5 5500X3D will only be available in the UK exclusively through its store, and in limited quantities. This is the first time we’ve heard about this model reaching retailers outside of Latin America and China, indicating that AMD is expanding its reach, particularly now that DDR5 memory is so expensive.
The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D was officially launched less than a year ago, surprising many people, as the AM4 platform was nine years old at the time. The platform will soon celebrate its tenth birthday, and AMD is still supporting this socket, making it a prime example of longevity.
While the CPU is sold as an OEM tray version without a box or cooler, it comes bundled with thermal paste, which at least shaves a couple of pounds from the upgrade cost. Speaking of upgrades, the 5500X3D will mainly offer value to those planning a new affordable gaming build, or upgrading from a Ryzen 5 5600X or slower/older chip. There hasn’t been an X3D chip available for AM4 motherboards in the UK for a while now, as the 5700X3D was retired around August 2025.
Design-wise, the Ryzen 5 5500X3D features six Zen 3 cores and 12 threads, featuring up to a 4GHz boost clock and sporting a total of 96MB of L3 cache – 64MB of which comes from the extra 3D V-Cache layer. The CPU is listed as a 105W model that’s compatible with X570, X470, X370, B550, B450, B350, and A520 chipsets. This means that it should be a drop-in upgrade for most builds, assuming your motherboard maker offers a compatible BIOS.
Overall, the Ryzen 5 5500X3D looks set to be a great budget upgrade option for gamers still rocking an AM4 system, particularly if you’re looking to replace a Zen 2 or older chip. With all that extra cache, it should be able to extract plenty of performance from high-end modern GPUs.
