A red-team-centric leaker with a good track record has shared details of a purported AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D that could vie for a spot on our list of best CPUs for gaming. The image, shared via chi11eddog, looks like a hastily snapped inventory or similar screen, with the new and unannounced AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D listed alongside the tried and tested Ryzen 7 5800X3D. Some of the key specs of the purported new AM4 X3D affordable gaming champ are listed in the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, though we ask you to please add plenty of salt to this unsourced, unexplained leak.
We reviewed the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D less than a year ago when it was praised as a "new gaming champion" powered by 3D V-Cache - hence the X3D suffix. The first X3D chip from AMD impressively ranked top in our 1080p and 1440p gaming benchmark suite in June 2022. AMD's 5800X3D had an ace in the hold thanks to its pioneering use of a total of 96MB of L3 cache via hybrid bonded 3D-stacked SRAM technology. According to today's leak, the Ryzen 5 5600X3D will have the same capacious 96MB of L3 cache.
Other key purported tech specs of the 5600X3D include its 6C/12T CPU core configuration - as would be expected. The new chip's base/boost clocks have been nudged down a little from the vanilla Ryzen 5 5600, though. Please check the chart below for some more comparisons.
Remember, these AMD Ryzen 5000 series desktop chips use the 7nm Zen 3 core architecture. However, only a year ago, the 5800X3D was the top dog in gaming, and value-orientated gaming PC builders might be swayed to upgrading an AM4 system with the 5600X3D, depending on market pricing, availability, and benchmarks when / if these processors are released.
The 8C/16T AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D was launched at $449 but is currently available for $289 from Amazon, or $279 from Microcenter. It will be interesting to see how AMD and retailers price a new Ryzen 5 5600X3D, if one does indeed become available.
Lastly, the appearance of an AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D suggests that AMD will eventually expand the Ryzen 7000 desktop chip family with a Ryzen 5 7600X3D. For the generational benefits that might deliver to new AM5 system builders or upgraders, please have a read of our AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D review, and we have also reviewed the Ryzen 9 7950X3D and Ryzen 9 7900X3D earlier this year. Both Ryzen 5000X3D and 7000X3D processors are still firmly within our best CPU for gaming in 2023 picks tables.
