AMD proves that the Zen 4 platform is not dead yet with the surprise launch of the Ryzen 5 7600X3D as a MicroCenter exclusive.
Despite the launch of the brand new Zen 5 9000 series CPUs, plenty of people are holding on to the older Zen 4 platform. Now there’s an even better reason to stay on the older architecture, as AMD has launched the Ryzen 5 7600X3D.
There had been whispers of a new entry into the Zen 4 line for a while. The chip has been announced only for the US market and is a MicroCenter exclusive. As an additional restriction, the processor is not available to buy separately.
The 7600X3D is only available as part of a bundle alongside an Asus TUF Gaming B6550-Plus Wi-Fi motherboard and 32 GB or DDR-6000 RAM. According to Tom’s Hardware, this bundle is priced at $450, with a $180 discount on the price of each item separately.
This does make the basis of a very good PC gaming build, especially since it equates to such a hefty discount. However, many PC builders will be disappointed that they cannot buy the chip by itself.
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The Ryzen 5 7600X3D has a maximum boost clock of 4.7 GHz, 1 MB of L2 cache per core, and 96 MB of L3 cache. The TDP is 65 W, making it very efficient when it comes to power draw.
While these specs don’t look impressive on the surface, the X3D line is a favorite among PC gaming fans. This is because of the stacked 3D V-Cache. This cache takes some of the pressure off the graphics card, making for a smoother experience when gaming.
There are good reasons why one of the X3D chips got our pick as the best gaming CPU of 2024. Those looking for components for a budget gaming PC build could certainly do a lot worse.