A hexa-core with 3D V-Cache for the AM4 platform is really coming, but...
AMD is reportedly going release a new AM4 processor after more than a year, a cheaper derivative of the Ryzen 7 5800X3D called Ryzen 5 5600X3D, which would include the game-boosting 3D V-Cache, but with only six cores. Initially, there were some doubts, but it looks like it is real. Its release and availability in the US is already confirmed to be due this week. It’s less clear for the rest of the world, however.
When the first news of the Ryzen 5 5600X3D came out, some other leakers stated that while there were known product codes for it, it may end up not actually being sold. However, this turned out to be wrong. The Micro Center retail chain confirmed the existence of the processor when they announced that they would be selling it exclusively in the US.
The Micro Center release is scheduled for 7/7, this Friday. We even know the price, which is supposed to be 229 USD at Micro Center. In our part of the world, this would correspond to about 6000 CZK/254 EUR including VAT. However, this chain sometimes offers discounted prices (but conditional on you having to come to the store in person to get the item), so it’s not clear if this is the equivalent of a standard global price.
Micro Center is said to be the exclusive retailer of the processor in the US, reportedly for the whole duration of its availability on the market, and it is also stated that the sale will continue only “while supplies last”. This could indicate that the number of Ryzen 5 5600X3Ds produced will be quite limited, and it’s possible that they may just be leftovers from the production of the 5800X3D (i.e. pieces where post-packaging testing revealed a defect in one of the cores, which prevented using the die in an octa-core SKU). But according to Micro Center, the stock should last for several months even so, so wee probably aren’t talking about some barely existing micro batch that will sell out in a flash.
Exclusivity?
Unfortunately, it isn’t exactly clear or maybe better said hopeful for the availability of this processor on our market. According to some reports, Micro Center is the exclusive dealer not only for the US, but in general. Which would mean that this processor won’t be available to buy anywhere else at all. Since Micro Center is a brick and mortar store newtwork, it would mean that Ryzen 5 5600X3D will not appear in Europe or anywhere else outside North America (USA, Canada).
This may not be set in stone forever, it may still turn out that this statement was not accurate and the exclusivity was meant only for the North American market while it will still be possible to purchase 5600X3D in other parts of the world. Alternatively it can’t be ruled out that they will pop up in other places at later time (or in the OEM-market prebuilt PCs). And of course, these processors can cross the big pond via individual resales or grey imports. But generally speaking, if you are interested in one, it’s probably better if you just watch out for a good price deal for used or otherwise discounted Ryzen 7 5800X3D instead of waiting for such unlikely avenues of 5600X3D appearing.
Micro Center also confirmed the parameters. The CPU will have six Zen 3 cores with 12 threads clocked at 3.3GHz (base) and 4.4GHz during maximum boost. This is 100 MHz lower than the clocks specified for Ryzen 7 5800X3D. The TDP is the same 105W as the higher model and the processor also retains the same 96MB L3 cache, which is key to the gaming performance of these processors. Like all Ryzen 5000s based on the chiplet design (“Vermeer”), the processor does not include an integrated GPU. It should also have the multiplier and overclocking options locked (with the exception of RAM overclocking) same as the Ryzen 7 5800X3D model does. All limitations, such as the CPU not being able to handle higher voltages, will be common across both these models.
In addition to the 229 USD retail package itself, Micro Center will also be offering a potentially good package deal on a set of the processor with a motherboard (Asus B550-Plus TUF) and 16GB of DDR4 memory (G.Skill Ripjaws V) for 329 USD. They’ll also be selling complete gaming PC setups (for 849 USD), which will include a Radeon RX 6650 XT as the graphics card. But even these offers will only be available in those U.S. brick-and-mortar stores.
Sources: Tom’s Hardware, Micro Center
English translation and edit by Jozef Dudáš
⠀
