AMD confirmed the launch time frame of their Ryzen 5 and Ryzen 3 processors which will be aiming for the mainstream and budget PC building audiences. These families feature the same DNA as the high-end Ryzen 7 processors but come at sweet-spot pricing that would be geared to attract gamers and small form factor PC builders.

AMD's Highly Anticipated, Mainstream 6 Core Ryzen 5 and 4 Core Ryzen 3 Chips Arriving in Q2 and 2H 2017, Respectively

The official information released by AMD confirms the launch of both Ryzen 5 and Ryzen 3 series CPUs. The Ryzen 5 processors will consist of several 6 and 4 core options with SMT enabled. These chips will range in the $175 US and up to $259 US pricing. The Ryzen 3 processors will only consist of quad core variants without hyper-threading. These chips will retail under $149 US which is a market currently comprised of dual core Intel processors that feature hyper-threading (4 threads).

AMD Next Generation ‘Vermeer’ Processors To Be Called Ryzen 5000 Series, May Max Out At 12 Cores Instead Of 16

AMD will be unleashing Ryzen 5 series processors in Q2 2017 so it may arrive around mid-May or early June. As for the Ryzen 3 series processors, those will arrive in 2H 2017. AMD has very competitive and strong offerings for enthusiasts but gamers and budget builders would be interested in chips that will arrive afterwards.

AMD Ryzen 5 Series CPUs – Fastest AMD Ryzen 5 1600X With 6 Cores, 12 Threads and Ryzen 5 With 4 Cores, 8 Threads

Next in the lineup is the AMD Ryzen 6 series which will be a mix of 6 core and 4 core models with SMT. The Ryzen 5 series will include the AMD Ryzen 5 1600X which is the fastest 6 core model. This model will have clocks of 3.6 GHz base and 4.0 GHz boost. The 1600X processor will feature a TDP of 95W. This chip is going to be priced at $259 US which is just under $20 higher than the Core i5 7600K which AMD claims is it's main competitor. We have benchmarks below to show you how well it performs against its competitor.

Rest of the lineup includes the Ryzen 5 PRO 1600, Ryzen 5 1500, Ryzen 5 PRO 1500, Ryzen 5 1400X, Ryzen 5 PRO 1400, Ryzen 5 1300 and the Ryzen 5 PRO 1300.

AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT “Big Navi” Flagship Graphics Card Pictured Once Again

The Ryzen 5 1400X will be the fastest 4 core, 8 thread chip. The clock speeds for the chip will be rated at 3.5 GHz base and 3.9 GHz boost. The Ryzen 5 1600X processor will tackle the Core i5 7600K, the Ryzen 5 PRO 1600 will tackle the Core i5 7600 (non-K) and the Ryzen 5 1500 will tackle the Core i5 7500 (non-K). The AMD Ryzen 5 1400X will compete against the Core i5 7400 (non-K) chip.

AMD Ryzen 5 Series Processor Lineup:

AMD Ryzen CPU Model Cores/Threads Base Clock Boost Clock L3 Cache TDP Price Ryzen 5 1600X 6/12 3.6 GHz 4.0 GHz 16 MB 95W $249 US Ryzen 5 1600 6/12 3.2 GHz 3.6 GHz 16 MB 95W $219 US Ryzen 5 1500X 4/8 3.5 GHz 3.7 GHz 8 MB 65W $189 US Ryzen 5 1400 4/8 3.2 GHz 3.4 GHz 8 MB 65W $169 US

AMD Ryzen 3 Series CPUs – Fastest AMD Ryzen 3 1200X With 4 Cores, 4 Threads, 3.4 GHz Base Clocks

Last in the lineup would be the Ryzen 3 series which are simple quad core models without SMT support. The Ryzen 3 series are the only models that don’t feature SMT support and will be the entry level models which will be designed to compete against the Intel Core i3 and Pentium series processors. The fastest model in the lineup will be the AMD Ryzen 3 1200X which will feature 4 cores, 4 threads and a base clock of 3.4 GHz which may boost to 3.8 GHz. The Ryzen 3 1200X will hit retail for just $149 US which is even cheaper than the fastest Core i3 7350K processor and you get a full quad core model.

The rest of the lineup includes the AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 1200, AMD Ryzen 3 1100 and the Ryzen 3 PRO 1100. The frequencies of the Ryzen 3 series lineup will range between 3.1 GHz and 3.4 GHz (boost clocks). TDPs for these chips will be set at 65W.

AMD Ryzen 3 Series Processor Lineup:

AMD Ryzen CPU Model Cores/Threads Base Clock Boost Clock L3 Cache TDP Socket Price Ryzen 3 1200X 4/4 3.4 GHz 3.8 GHz 8 MB 65W AM4 $149 US Ryzen 3 Pro 1200 4/4 TBD TBD 8 MB 65W AM4 ~$139 US Ryzen 3 1100 4/4 3.2 GHz 3.5 GHz 8 MB 65W AM4 $129 US Ryzen 3 Pro 1100 4/4 TBD TBD 8 MB 65W AM4 ~$119 US

AMD Ryzen 5 1600X vs Core i5 7600K Benchmarks Released - Annihilates The Intel Chip in Multithreaded Scores With 69% Better Performance at $15 More - AMD's Best Chip For PC Gamers?

Performance numbers for the flagship 6 core are just amazing in the sense that they beat out the similar priced Core i5 7600K from Intel by 69% in multithreaded tests. Sure, Kaby Lake will have an advantage in single-threaded performance due to higher clock speeds but Ryzen comes with XFR and some decent OC capabilities that will put it on par (worst case scenario) or beyond (best case scenario) the Intel chip. The difference lies in the price. Intel is asking $242 US for a quad core, non-hyperthreaded chip while AMD is asking $259 US for a hexa core, hyperthreaded chip.

The AMD Ryzen 5 1600X will also arrive in Q2 2017 along with the rest of the Ryzen 5 lineup. It will be a very disruptive chip in the mainstream gaming market, bringing high-performance CPU performance to a mass majority of gamers building powerful PCs for themselves.

New AMD Thermal Solutions

For Ryzen, AMD offers new thermal solutions based on the original Wraith coolers, launched to wide acclaim in 2016. The next evolution of Wraith includes Wraith Spire and Wraith Stealth, offering reliable, near-silent performance enthusiasts expect from the Wraith brand. Featured with Ryzen 7 1700 sold in retail boxes as well as many OEM systems, Wraith Spire offers superb cooling at an incredibly quiet 32 decibels.